Marin Brewing Co. Ends 33-Year Run

LARKSPUR, CA — A Marin institution will soon be no more.

Owner Brendan Moylan cited the weight of the pandemic as a pivotal factor in his decision to end Marin Brewing Co.’s nearly 33-year run.

Marin Brewing Co. will close its doors for the last time Jan. 31, two months shy of what would have been its 33rd anniversary.

When Moylan opened the Larkspur business, Marin Brewing Co. was among just 25 California brew pubs. Today there are more than 1,000, Moylan said.

“It certainly is an iconic brew pub,” Moylan said.

The business has become a part of the fabric of Marin’s community. Marin Brewing Co. has donated more than a million dollars to charity, Moylan said.

“We were definitely really connected with the community and it’s heartbreaking to see it all go, but the writing is on the wall.”

Moylan hopes some of the customers will visit his Novato brewery, Moylan’s Brewery and Restaurant (15 Rowland Way, Novato).

“The market has changed, the business has certainly changed over the years and rents have changed,” Moylan said.

Moylan said the final blow was being left out of the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund his business applied for last year.

San Rafael Mayor Kate Colin earlier this month was among 25 current and former mayors from across the county who co-signed a letter urging Congress to replenish the funding.

The nation's urban leaders are warning a failure to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) would be "catastrophic" for local business, potentially setting off a chain reaction that could bring the U.S. economy to its knees.

Around two thirds of the nation's approximately 277,000 restaurants that applied for RRF have been denied, and 86 percent of those businesses are at risk of permanent closure, the letter said.

“The last straw was not being included in the revitalization program,” Moylan said. “It looked very promising, but some people got it, some people didn’t.”

It didn’t help Moylan’s business, which has fallen behind on rent.

“The experience of owning and opening the brewery has been fantastic,” Moylan said.

“The relationships is the most reward part of the business, seeing people enjoy themselves, getting to know all the employees we’ve had. ... We’re heartbroken but we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished."

This article originally appeared on the San Rafael Patch