Many breweries start more as a dream than a business plan,

In a lot of cases people go into the beer business because they love beer and want to follow their passion. That’s sometimes a recipe for success, but there’s a reason so many breweries, restaurants and other passion-based businesses fail.

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Passion goes only so far. Doing something you love can make it easier to put in long hours, make sacrifices, and do all the other things needed to give yourself a chance at success.

A chance, however, is not the same as a guarantee. The competition in the beer business has become intense, with local breweries battling with regional and national brands.

In many cases, markets have become saturated, so being really good is often not good enough. You must win recurring business in spaces where the biggest fans tend to want to try new things.

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Add in the added debt loads that many breweries took on during Covid and you can see the uphill battle most breweries face. In recent months, that has led to a bloodbath. Dozens of breweries have closed, and now another beloved brand has abruptly joined that list.

Breweries have been closing at an astounding rate.

Image source: Shutterstock

Brewery band had a deep history

The so-called beerpocalypse has claimed dozens of once-successful brands including San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing, a leader in the craft-beer space. A number of other brands, including Chicago’s Metropolitan Brewing, New Jersey’s Flying Fish, Denver’s Joyride Brewing, Tampa’s Zydeco Brew Werks, Wisconsin’s Great Dane Brewing, and Cleveland’s Terrestrial Brewing, also fell into bankruptcy.

Some markets were literally destroyed as San Antonio lost Weathered Souls Brewing and Busted Sandal Brewing in fall 2024, and Freetail Brewing Co. ended its beer distribution operations following that.

The list is long and it has claimed some companies that had proved to be more than just a hobbyist’s dream.

“In 2013, Jekyll Brewing opened its doors to the public, offering a range of beers that reflected the founders’ commitment to quality, craftsmanship and innovation,” the company website said. “The brewery quickly gained a following, with beer enthusiasts from all over the state of Georgia flocking to Alpharetta to taste the latest offerings from Jekyll Brewing.”

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The brand grew to five locations — four in Georgia and one in Florida. The company also won numerous awards including gold and silver medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the U.S. Open Beer Championship.

“Today, Jekyll Brewing is recognized as one of the leading craft breweries in the Southeast, and its beers are available in bars, restaurants, and retail stores throughout Georgia and other nearby states,” it added. “Despite its success, the brewery remains committed to its roots and its mission to create unique, flavorful beers that reflect the spirit and character of the Georgia coast.”

Jekyll Brewing abruptly closed its doors

Jekyll Brewing abruptly closed its doors on May 11, Mother’s Day, with its own posting about the shutdown on a members-only local beer Facebook page.

DigitalDen shared the news on an Atlanta beer Reddit page:

“It seems Jekyll Brewing will be the latest brewery to close in metro Atlanta. After news in February that the company had stopped producing kegs, rumors swirled that there was a deeper issue with the business. 

“Those rumors were realized Tuesday when Jekyll Brewing owner Michael Lundmark confirmed the imminent closure of all Jekyll Brewing locations via a post on Atlanta Beer Society, a local Facebook page.”

All Jekyll Brewing locations closed at the end of service on May 11.

Not every comment was sympathetic to Jekyll Brewing.

“It would help if they made better beer,” posted Furthur. “Jekyll had a great launch and Tart Vice and their Marzen were great. Hop Dang was solid too and it’s variants were fun. As per the cyclic conversation we’ve been having for years now, the market is oversaturated and there are a few distro houses you can blame for buying up rights, pushing their products onto shelves competing with themselves.”

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In fact, most of the comments on the Reddit thread, leaned toward negative.

“Saw that coming a mile away…our location was never busy even during peak times, overpriced (but very tasty) food, sub-par beer,” Brohamz wrote.