The rather large boom you heard this morning came out of Yards Brewing Co. in Philadelphia.
Basically, the only production brewery in the city is breaking up. Great reporting about this on multiple fronts:
– Jack Curtin has details has his own site and the Beer Yard (link at his site).
– Don Russell (Joe Sixpack) turns the press release into English:
Founder and co-owner Tom Kehoe is splitting with his partners, Bill and Nancy Barton, and will move the 13-year-old brewery to a new, to-be-chosen location. Production of the beer is expected to continue without interruption.
The Bartons will keep Yards’ hulking brewing facility in Kensington and begin producing a new brand.
The breakup ends an occasionally bumpy, eight-year partnership that saw the beloved brewery grow into the city’s most popular microbrewed brand.
About 200 taverns throughout Philadelphia and the region serve Yards, and its flagship Philly Pale Ale is poured at Phillies and Eagles games.
“We basically had two different philosophies about how to run the company,” Kehoe said yesterday. “It was time for me to move on.”
To recap, when this is over Yards beers will be made someplace else and something else will be made at what was Yards brewery.
Curtin has the full press release and (we expect) will offer more details/commentary in the coming days.
Updated Aug. 7: The Philadelphia Inquirer has an update, more details.
God Speed Yards.
“Hey bartender – gimmie me an ale – Yards Ale”