<\/p>\n
Hundreds of high-quality craft breweries have faced economic distress during the Craft Beer Apocalypse, with many filing for bankruptcy protection to continue operating and others forced to close. <\/p>\n
The craft beer industry faced\u00a0385 brewery closures\u00a0in 2023 and another 399 closings in 2024, according to the\u00a0Brewers Association.<\/p>\n
The industry downturn led to more brewery closures than openings in 2025, with 434 shutting down and 268 opening by mid-December 2025,\u00a0Brewbound\u00a0reported on social media.<\/p>\n
Among the breweries filing for bankruptcy, several have won awards at the nation’s top beer competition, the Great American Beer Festival, including Kiitos Brewing LLC.<\/p>\n
Brewery won 2 gold medals <\/p>\n
The Salt Lake City-based craft beer company won two gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival in October 2024 for its Blonde and Pale Ale beers, according to the company’s Instagram post. <\/p>\n
Kiitos Brewing, however, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 24, 2026, to reorganize and continue operating, according to Bankruptcy Observer.<\/p>\n
Kiitos Brewing has won gold medals for its Blonde and Pale Ale beers at the Great American Beer Festival.<\/p>\n
Shutterstock<\/p>\n
Kiitos Brewing files for bankruptcy<\/p>\n
The pioneering craft brewery chain filed its petition, No. 26-22348, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah, listing $100,000 to $500,000 in assets and $1 million to $10 million in liabilities, according to documents from RK Consultants.<\/p>\n
Kiitos Brewing did not indicate a specific reason for filing for bankruptcy in its petition.<\/p>\n
The debtor’s founder and owner, Andrew Dasenbrock, launched the brewery, located at 608 West 700 South in Salt Lake City, in 2016 using a high-efficiency brewing system, which saves energy and uses 40% less water and 15%-20% less grain, according to Kiitos’ website.<\/p>\n
Kiitos Brewing also only uses aluminum cans, and no glass, in its brewery production, since aluminum is a sustainable metal that can be recycled indefinitely, and production requires far less energy, the website said.<\/p>\n
“In fact, canning protects the beer from sunlight and “skunking” better than bottled beers,” according to Kiitos.<\/p>\n
Kiitos brews Fonio beer<\/p>\n
The brewery, which has a capacity of about 7,000 barrels per year, launched the first 100% Fonio beer in the U.S., using the West African fonio grain and its unique mash press brewing system, Salt Lake City Weekly reported in January 2025.<\/p>\n
Kiitos Brewing opened a second location at 1533 South 1100 East, known as its Sugar House Bar location, on Oct. 7, 2025, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. <\/p>\n
The company did not list or mention the Sugar House location anywhere on its website on April 26. A company spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.<\/p>\n
Other bankrupt breweries win awards<\/p>\n
Other award-winning breweries have filed for bankruptcy this year, including Lock 27 Brewing, which filed its Chapter 11 petition on April 22. The brewery was honored in 2020 with a Bronze Medal for its Wolk Belgian-style Witbier at the Great American Beer Festival, according to\u00a0American Craft Beer.<\/p>\n
San Francisco brewery Olfactory Brewing, which won a gold medal in the\u00a0Great American Beer Festival\u2018s Mixed-Culture Brett Beer category in 2024,\u00a0closed its Berkeley, Calif., taproom in February 2026, and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation on March 4, 2026, facing unsustainable costs, according to social media posts.<\/p>\n
Kiitos Brewing’s canned beers:Blonde AlePale AleAmber AleCoconut StoutCoffee Cream AleBlackberry SourPilsnerImperial StoutNortheast IPAIndia Pale AleDouble India Pale Ale<\/p>\n
Related: Award-winning toy and game maker files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy<\/p>\n
#Gold #medalwinning #beer #brand #files #Chapter #bankruptcy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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