Said to be the oldest craft brewer in the US, founded in 1896, the company said in a statement that the impacts of the pandemic, inflation and a highly competitive market left it “with no option but to make this sad decision to cease operations,” Sam Singer, a spokesperson for the company, said in a statement.
The statement also said employees were given 60 day’s notice and given severance packages.
Anchor had made efforts over the last year to find buyers for the brewery and its brands, and had recently announced it would limit sales of Anchor beers to California and cut production of its Anchor Christmas Ale.
The company also added that although it had stopped brewing, it would continue packing and distributing beer while available and will be sold on draft while there is still an inventory.
Anchor’s sales had been declining since 2016, and in 2017, it was acquired for around $85 million by the Japanese beer giant Sapporo.
Singer said that the brewery had gone through different crises in its time, and hoped there could still be a chance for its continuation if a buyer stepped forward during the liquidation process.
