Irvington's Black Acre Brewing Co. to close after nearly 11 years in business
It's been a difficult few years for Black Acre Brewing Co. in Irvington that culminated in the decision announced Monday to close the business.
In December 2019, a fire damaged their Washington Street taproom. Then came COVID-19, which was devastating for the hospitality industry.
Following those challenges, Black Acre Brewing Co. will close Feb 4., which the owners announced Monday in a Facebook post.
"It's time for our next chapter," Black Acre co-owner Holly Miller told IndyStar, referring to herself and business partner Stephen Ruby.
Black Acre first opened a taproom along Irvington in 2012 and focused on small batch brewing through in-taproom distribution of pints and growlers. Through the years, they expanded to larger distribution, including cans that are distributed throughout the state and beyond, according to the website.
"We know we are incredibly lucky to have been able to be a part of the vibrant community here," the Facebook post stated. "We’ve laughed together. We’ve cried together. We’ve survived floods, fires, and plagues together. We’ve had lots of tasty beers together. We are really going to miss it."
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Shortly after the 2019 fire, the owners opened Black Acre Loft, their downtown Indianapolis taproom, above Greek's Pizzeria. Due to the pandemic, the taproom didn't reopen until March 2021, a year and a half after the fire.
In addition to these substantial challenges, Miller said over the Christmas holidays pipes burst at Black Acre's Bonna Avenue production facility and damaged their reverse osmosis water filtration system. Since then, they haven't been able to make any more beer.
"What we have is what we have," she said. "So we're gonna sell what we have these last couple of weeks.
Black Acre also operates Wilderland Distillery and an outdoor beer garden just a block away from the original brewery location. While Wilderland will continue to sell canned cocktails in liquor stores and anticipates opening a new venue, both the loft and the garden will close, Miller said.
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Plans for a Zionsville Black Acre location, Corvus, were announced in 2019. Though Black Acre once anticipated a 2021 opening, those plans had stalled prior to Monday's announcement. Miller said Black Acre no longer will open that facility.
Miller said she's grateful to have been a part of the Irvington community over the last decade — to have Black Acre be a place for first dates, engagements, weddings or just a grabbing a beer with friends.
"We've been able to really make an impact and be a gathering space for people to celebrate their life," she said. "And so that's been a really amazing thing to be able to be a part of."
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Black Acre Brewing Company to close after nearly 11 years in business
