Another award-winning beer brand files Chapter 11 bankruptcy

The craft beer industry has battled economic issues since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when thousands of workers across the nation ceased working in downtown offices and became remote workers.

Empty office buildings in downtown areas had eliminated built-in clientele for hundreds of craft breweries and brewpubs that were located near office workers who would frequent their establishments.

When workers exited office buildings, many breweries also departed from these business centers.

100s of craft breweries close

The craft beer industry faced 385 brewery closures in 2023, which was followed by 399 closings in 2024, according to the Brewers Association.

The industry slump led to more brewery closures than openings in 2025, with 434 shutting down and 268 opening by mid-December 2025, Brewbound reported on social media.

Ohio-based craft beer brand Lock 27 Brewing LLC suffered from the effects of the Covid pandemic, which led to the closure of one of its taproom locations and continued financial distress.

Lock 27 Brewing files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy two years after closing a taproom location.

Shutterstock

Lock 27 Brewing files for bankruptcy

Economic issues forced the craft brewery to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to reorganize its business about two years after closing one of its taprooms.

The Dayton, Ohio-based debtor filed its petition, No. 26-30874, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio on April 22, listing up to $50,000 in assets and $1 million to $10 million in liabilities, according to PacerMonitor.

Lock 27 Brewing did not indicate a reason for filing for bankruptcy in its Subchapter V petition. An employee contacted by phone at the brewpub declined to comment on the company’s bankruptcy on April 23.

Brewery expands operations

The brewery was founded about 14 years ago, opened its first brewpub in Centerville, Ohio, in 2013, and expanded in 2017 with the opening of another brewpub in Dayton, Ohio.

The brewery expanded further into wholesale operations in 2018, selling kegs and cans of Lock 27 Brewing beer to bars, restaurants, and shops in the Dayton area, according to its website.

The brewery was honored in 2020 with a Bronze Medal for its Wolk Belgian-style Witbier at the Great American Beer Festival, according to American Craft Beer.

Brewery closed key taproom

The debtor closed its Dayton Lock 27 Brewing Taproom in October 2023, blaming consequences from the Covid-19 pandemic as downtown businesses continued to struggle from financial distress caused by the pandemic, according to WKEF-TV.

“We just made the tough decision to kind of pull ourselves out of that situation and help protect our company and help us to grow over the next 10 years,” Colin Barnhart, who was sales and product manager at Lock 27 Brewing when they closed the taproom, told WKEF.

“A lot of factors have played into business since Covid has hit and people have started working from home. There just hasn’t been as much foot traffic as there was,” Barnhart said at the time.

The closing of the Dayton taproom came about 15 months after Lock 27 Brewing reimagined its operating models and organizational structures in a July 2022 statement.

The company’s Lock 27 Brewpub – Dayton was renamed Lock 27 Brewing Taproom with a focus on its brewery experience. The brewery’s original location, Lock 27 Brewpub – Centerville, would continue to focus on its culinary offerings, renaming the establishment Lock 27 Brewing Restaurant.

Another brewery facing financial distress from the Covid pandemic could not survive the economic hardship.

Covid pandemic leads to brewery closing

Chicago craft brewer Whiner Beer Company said it will close its brewery and taproom on March 29, after suffering an economic downturn since the Covid pandemic.

“To all our friends and fans of Whiner Beer Company, the time has come to say goodbye and thank you for the last 10 years,” Brian Taylor, Whiner Beer’s owner, said in a Facebook post.

“The last few years have been so difficult, but we gave it our best shot. We could write a bunch of reasons why we are closing, but it’s a familiar story in the brewing industry,” Taylor wrote.

Related: Topgolf rival chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

#awardwinning #beer #brand #files #Chapter #bankruptcy