Best breweries that are now closed

[hops99]

Not sure if this has been covered before or not.

I was in Connecticut last weekend, and I was crushed to find out that the Hammer and Nail brewery closed last October. I thought they made some good brews - the Vienna, Brown, and American Ale were all winners, and their Scotch Ale was one of the best in the business.

So, I started thinking of a handful of breweries that I wish were still around, and here they are (not in any particular order, and obviously skewed to represent where I live):

1) Hammer and Nail - Watertown, CT
2) Liberty Street Brewing Co. - Akron, OH
3) Lift Bridge Brewing Co. - Ashtabula, OH
4) Western Reserve Brewing Co. - Cleveland, OH
5) Miami Trail Brewing Co. - Xenia, OH

How about all of the other great breweries around the country that didn't make it?

[fretlessman71]

Don't forget about H. C. Berger from Ft. Collins. Too bad...

[toneyc]

Celis Brewery here in Austin, Texas. I understand that the Michigan Brewing Company is now brewing Celis beers, but it sure was nice to have them here. I used to pass by the Brewery every now and then and would think "I gotta stop in there one day..." and never did. Now it's too late.

:eek:
Toney.

[hopjack13]

jarupa valley brewing company made a honey lager i really liked called honey la la , was good on a hot day or a session beer , i'd bring people there to try it and everyone always loved it. it was a little lighter then my normal prefrances but still a damn fine brew. they closed a few years back , it's a shame to cuz they were only about two miles from my house.

[chazwicke]

Owd Beersel Made two tremendous beers and I am greatly saddened to hear or their demise

[threecb]

Relyea Brewing in Syracuse had a couple of nice beers,
including an excellent Scottish...RIP.

[BREWERDLUX]

TONEY HIT ONE ON THE HEAD WHEN HE MENTIONED CELIS. ANOTHER HE MIGHT REMEMBER IS WATERLOO BREWING COMPANY IN AUSTIN. TEXAS FIRST BREWPUB IS NOW GONE. WISH HAD KNOWN MY LAST GLASS OF GUY TOWN IPA WAS MY LAST. I MIGHT HAVE STAYED LONGER.

[newportstorm]

Castle Springs Brewing - makers of Lucknow beers. Beautiful facility in the White Mountains of NH and some damn fine lagers, a good porter and Ye Olde Chucklehead Barleywine.

They didn't get a lot of press or distribution but were worth seeking out for NH vacationers. I believe their talented brewer landed in CT somewhere.

Cheers!

[toneyc]

Originally posted by BREWERDLUX
ANOTHER HE MIGHT REMEMBER IS WATERLOO BREWING COMPANY IN AUSTIN. TEXAS FIRST BREWPUB IS NOW GONE. WISH HAD KNOWN MY LAST GLASS OF GUY TOWN IPA WAS MY LAST. I MIGHT HAVE STAYED LONGER.

And I kick myself for not having the appreciation of fine beer then that I am aquiring now. I remember thinking that their Claris Clair tasted like pencil shavings, I wonder what my opinion would be now? Their One Ton Stout was heavenly! My usual was their porter, though. Sinfully delightful. I still have a half gallon jug from there that I use to carry beer to friend's houses. The last time I ever went there was September 8, 1997.

:eek:
Toney.

[BREWERDLUX]

AHHHHHHHHH! OH HENRY PORTER.......WAS A GREAT BEER AND THE GREAT SERVICE. SADLY MISSED.

[Richard English]

Brakespears of Henley on Thames. One of the finest breweries the world has ever seen. Closed by shortsighted cost-accountants. The beer is still brewed under licence but isn't the same.

Fortunately King and Barnes, although their brewery in Horsham has closed, has been replaced by three new micro-breweries and K & B's own beer is still being made by Hall and Woodhouse.

[atxf4i]

Man, that brings me back to when I first moved to Austin (2000), hanging out on the roof of Waterloo, drinking a Claris Clair watching the people, and thinking "Yeah, I think I'm going to like Austin".... That place was awesome.

[chazwicke]

You are right, Richard, about Brakespear. I was only able to get their beer in bottles, but, they were certainly a cut above the usual import offerings. I can just imagine having them from a cask. I also like The Shepheard and Neames beers that were imported especially Spitfire. I have not checked recently to see if they are still being imported.

[BREWERDLUX]

SPENT A FEW DAYS IN THERE LISTENING TO GOOD MUSIC AND DIGGING ME SOME BEER. SAT ON THE SECOND FLOOR DURING SXSW ONE YEAR DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO BUY A TICKET AND COULD HEAR THE MUSIC ON THE ROOF! A LARGE BAR TAB BEATS TICKET PRICES ANYDAY.

[Richard English]

Shepherd Neame are still in production and brew a very good range of which Spitfire is probably the most well-known.

At present none of their bottled beers are bottle-conditioned but nevertheless they are very good.

Both Brakespear and Shepherd Neame beers are (were) better on draught.

[skahtboi]

Originally posted by toneyc
Celis Brewery here in Austin, Texas. I understand that the Michigan Brewing Company is now brewing Celis beers, but it sure was nice to have them here. I used to pass by the Brewery every now and then and would think "I gotta stop in there one day..." and never did. Now it's too late.

:eek:
Toney.

Toney:

Have you tried the Michigan Brewing variant of Celis yet? I tried the Amber Ale about a week ago, and either my memory has failed me or it wasn't quite the same beer. Maybe the added miles it has to travel has done something to it, or maybe they aren't quite following the old recipes like they say they are. But to me it tasted a little sweeter and fruitier than I remember it tasting.

Scott

[toneyc]

No, I haven't tried any of the Michigan brewed versions, yet. The only version that I drank before they closed was the Pale Bock. If I see a 6-pk of Celis Pale Bock in the near future, I'll pick it up and give it a try.

:)
Toney.

[toneyc]

OK, I stopped by HEB and picked up a 6-pack of Celis Pale Bock on the way home today. I agree with you, it seems sweeter than before. Still good, but different. Since I've been homebrewing, I've tried about four times to make a CPB clone. Nailed it the first time, but not since. Maybe I need to try again!

:)
Toney.

[Fast_Eddy]

The porter at Waterloo......mmmmmmmmmmmm

The Grand Cru from Celis...mmmmmmmmmmm

Damn guys why'd you have to remind me :(