These closures highlight the struggles across the alcoholic beverage industry
These days, as craft breweries face challenges in a changing market, some people quickly blame other beverages. “People are drinking more cider and seltzer and less beer these days,” I’ve heard too many people say. This news from Locust Cider proves that beer is not the only adult beverage struggling in the face of so many market challenges—it’s all alcoholic beverages.
People have discussed the challenges currently facing craft beer ad nauseam. People are drinking more non-beer beverages. People don’t go out to the pub as often. People just don’t drink as much, period. There are many factors contributing to the situation, and each of us has our own theory. Whatever the case, craft beer is not alone, and those other beverages that people are supposedly drinking instead of beer are not immune to the changing consumer trends.
A familiar story
Beer enthusiasts may recognize the story of Locust Cider. It’s similar to the story of Modern Times Beer, which enjoyed some success but expanded in a way that proved unsustainable. We wrote about it here on the blog back in 2022.
Until the other day, Locust operated 14 taprooms in three states. The company was founded in Washington in 2015. Locust Cider recently closed six taprooms in Washington and one taproom in Texas. The announcement came via social media posts on Tuesday, December 10th. The impacted taprooms are in
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- Seattle (First Hill), WA
- Seattle (Alki Beach), WA
- Redmond, WA
- Olympia, WA
- Vancouver, WA
- Walla Walla, WA
- Fort Worth, TX
“While this decision is necessary to ensure the future health of our company, it’s also incredibly painful,” the company said on Instagram.
“We started in 2015 with a dream of sharing our love for cider in Washington. In 2019, we expanded that dream with a vision to build a network of taprooms, creating personal connections with cider lovers in more communities. Then COVID hit. Like so many others, we were pushed to the brink.”
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“We kept going—sometimes stubbornly”
Locust Cider began in 2015 and expanded in 2019. Eventually, it operated 14 taprooms in three states. The only taprooms impacted by these closures are the ones listed above. The company’s Gig Harbor, Woodinville, Spokane, Seattle-Market Place, and Seattle-Post Alley taprooms remain open. Also, its two locations in Colorado remain open.
“We kept going—sometimes stubbornly—when what we really needed was to pause and rebuild with a clearer, more sustainable path,” the announcement said.
