USA, MA: Building 8 Brewing permanently closes operations

Building 8 Brewing, one of the area’s premier craft breweries, has permanently ceased operations after almost a decade in business, the owners announced in a Facebook post this week, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported.

The post stated that the brewery, co-owned by Meghan and O’Brian Tomalin, would be packaging its last batch next week and would make final sales of draft pours and canned beers next weekend, July 19 and 20.

The online post gave no details on the reason for the closing, but noted that it “hits hard.”

It also stated that the brewery would “be offered as a turn key opportunity.”

O’Brian Tomalin, who formerly owned Northampton’s Sierra Grill restaurant, did not respond to messages requesting further information this week. The brewery on Riverside Drive in Florence was closed.

Known originally for The IPA, a West Coast India pale ale, Building 8, sometimes written BLDG8, launched to considerable acclaim in September 2015, being the only brewery in Massachusetts to make Beer Advocate’s “Class of 2015” best new breweries list.

With head brewer Mike Yates, it soon doubled its production from 15 to 30 barrels of fresh craft beer a week, selling out in stores from Greenfield to Springfield and Amherst.

Gradually, it gained more retail outlets in eastern Massachusetts, with the aim of building up more out-of-state distribution over time. The beer lineup also expanded to include kettle sours and two more IPAs, The Session and The Hazy.

BLDG8 also added a taproom, allowing it to sell its brews in draft form on the premises.

The closing marks the second shuttering of an area brewery in recent months following the demise of Burgy Brews in Williamsburg. Than included the sale of Brewmasters Brewing Services, which produced numerous craft beers, some under the Burgy Brews label, and others sold under labels such as Opa-Opa, Swing Oil, Scantic and Brewmaster Jack.

10 July, 2024