Necromancer Brewing is Closing Permanently

We reported on February 13th that Necromancer Brewing was Temporarily Closing…. well, it is now officially permanently closing. There was talks of their “ongoing issues” with their liquor license, and how they were having issues with getting it renewed, and they made their Facebook post stating that they would be temporarily closed due to that. It seems there was more issues than just a liquor license behind the scenes, and they are permanently closing. So a funeral is to be held at the Necromancer Brewery – 2257 Babcock Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237, and free beer will be given away – on Thursday and Friday of this week (2.22.24 and 2.23.24).

Come to Our Funeral

Necromancer Brewing posted to Instagram (not Facebook) about their announcement of permanent closure, and told everyone to come to their brewery on Thursday (2.22.24) and Friday (2.23.24) to “celebrate” and to come to their funeral.

Their announcement reads:

Our time has come.

After taking time to pause this past week and evaluate our future, we’ve come to the difficult decision to close our doors.

We’re so proud of our team and all they’ve accomplished these past nearly 3 years. Our closure is no reflection of the quality of their work, their dedication, or the blood, sweat, and tears put into Necromancer. It’s an unfortunate financial decision, and one we do not make lightly. Between operating costs that continue to rise, and the overall state of the industry – there isn’t much room for error.

This closure unfortunately also means that our plans for Greenfield’s Midnight Whistler Pub will not come to fruition. We’d like to thank the Greenfield community for their support and excitement, and we truly hope that the neighborhood gets the watering hole it deserves in the very near future.

We respect the hell out of the breweries in our community who will continue the legacy of beer making in this city. It’s an immense feat to bring beer to your glass. We encourage you to continue to support others in Pittsburgh’s brewing community. It’s a tough industry.

This week we’ll be open Thursday and Friday from 4-10pm for one last go.
– All beer will be free to consume or take. Limit 1 case per person.
– Any on-site consumption must be done responsibly.
– We’ll have a virtual tip jar. 100% of all proceeds will go to our staff. If you grab a 4-pack, or pint, please contribute.
– And all merch and glassware will be for sale. Inner Circle and Founder’s Club members will be able to reserve up to (2) cases of beer and 2 free items while supplies last.

Please come and say goodbye.

Thank you for your support over the years. We are honored to have been a part of your lives – however big or small.

Necromancer Brewing – Instagram Post

News of Their Closing and Reactions

Their Facebook account still doesn’t have a permanent closure post, and their last post is dated February 13th, announcing the temporary closure.

Necromancer Brewing was open for a little under three years and Midnight Whistler, a second location, which was planned to open in the former Hough’s Taproom in Greenfield are both closing.

A beer blog for the state discussed in “detail” with the ownership about their reasons for closing. Which for most people reading, only raised more questions, concerns, and even outright red flags. The owners stated the costs of liquor license, fees, and other things, as well as putting emphasis and blame on the government and state…. rather than possibly where its due. (More like financial decisions, regarding the opening of the second taproom, the remodeling of their current location, and much more.)

Two Reddit posts; one in the Pittsburgh subreddit and one in the Pittsburgh beers subreddit posit more information, albeit mostly hearsay, but there is more to glean from this than the obviously one sided blog post. The reddit posts can be read here:

• RIP Necromancer Brewing (subreddit – Pittsburgh)
• RIP Necromancer Brewing (subreddit – Pittsburgh Beers)

A news article by TribLive also provides more information: Necromancer Brewing Co. closing, 2nd location won’t open.

Butler said not being able to afford renewing the license, which is $3,000, is only part of the scenario for closing. There are several taxes and the cost of yeast and grain has gone up by 500% over the past 18 months, he said.

As for the Hough’s location, he said the building presented unforeseen issues that they could not get over and it became too much.

“We ran out of money,” Butler said. “And we couldn’t continue operating this way. We had some missteps that we couldn’t recover from. This is not a high-margin business. It is difficult to make ends meet.”

Necromancer Brewing Co. closing, 2nd location won’t open

There is a lot to pack through the comments section on those two reddit posts, as well as the news article. There seems to be a lot of varying thoughts on the brewery, and the owner – in particular Ben Butler. One commenter stating that Butler and the other owner (Butler had 75% shared interest, and the other owner had 25%) didn’t talk for the past year, and only communicated via lawyers.

Much talk on their Facebook, Instagram, as well as craft beer groups (and those reddit posts) is about the mug club memberships, which was paid just a bit ago. People paid 75-200$ for varying levels of memberships, and just under two months ago, for this upcoming year. Many of these customers feel blindsided and upset about the way the closing has been handled.

Liquor License

Anyone can use the PLCB website to view and look at liquor license records, as well as violations and other things by breweries. The search on the site lets you do it by county, city, license, name of operation, or owner(s). The results on the Necromancer Brewing shows that their license expired Dec. 31st 2023, though they have an active brewery storage license good for 2024.

He said he was told he could be put in jail if he tried to sell beer without a renewed liquor license and that the inventory can’t be transferred to another business owner.

He said there is a lot of beer.

Shawn Kelly, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board in Harrisburg, confirmed that without a valid liquor license, beer can be given away.

However, he added that it “can be complicated.”

Necromancer Brewing Co. closing, 2nd location won’t open

So it appears they are able to host their free beer give away on Thursday and Friday, as long as it remains completely free. They also need to be careful of where patrons go with the beer and how they consume it on property.

Necromancer Brewing

Necromancer Brewing was a safe space and very positive for the LGBTQ+ community. They received national news attention with the release of their “Gayer” beer. Some in the Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh beer reddit communities have stated that Ben Butler used this as a means to an end, rather than true support and altruistic motives for the community. Either way, they were a positive force for good in the LGBTQ+ community, and it is disappointing to see the brewery lost and the community to lose this support, safe space, and inclusive environment.

The following information comes via Untappd.

Necromancer Brewing is a nano brewery from Pittsburgh, PA. They have 167 unique beers and over 20,000 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.89 (as of 2.13.24). Their Untappd description reads: “trends + familiars + resurrections ”

You can follow Necromancer Brewing at these social media pages:

• Necromancer Brewing – Official Website
• Necromancer Brewing – Facebook
• Necromancer Brewing – Instagram
• Necromancer Brewing – Untappd

Brewery News

Interested in finding out about many other brewery openings, new locations, closings, movings, and in general brewery news? You can check out our links below:

• Crystal Ball Brewing Closing
• Stoudt’s Brewing Closing
• Full Pint Brewing Closing
• Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion
• Other Half Brewing Company Opening Friday 2.18.22 in Philadelphia
• Midwest Coast Brewery Opening
• Boulevard Presidents Steps Down Amidst Allegations
• Brewery Opening: Howling Henry’s (Hummelstown)
• Brewery Opening: Highway Manor (Camp Hill)
• Brewery Opening: Rotunda Brew Pub (Hershey)
• Is JB LoveDraft’s Opening a Brewery?
• Tattered Flag at Hollywood Casino – Grantville – Opening Their 5th Location
• JB LoveDraft’s Grand Opening (Mechanicsburg)
• ZeroDay Opens Their New Tap Room (Harrisburg)
• Victory Brewery Fire and Explosion (Kennett Square)
• Sign of the Horse Brewery is Expanding in Hanover (Taking Over the Old Miscreation Brewery)
• Brewery Tour: Couch Brewery (Pittsburgh)
• Brewery Visit: Mellow Mink (Mechanicsburg)
• A Sneak Peak at the new Rubber Soul Brewery (Hummelstown)
• Rubber Soul Grand Opening (Hummelstown)
• VooDoo Lancaster Closing
• River Bend Hop Farm and Brewery Closes
• Homaide Brewing Says Goodbye To Their First Home
• Grand Opening of Hemauer Brewing (Mechanicsburg)
• Rally Point Tap Room Opening – Cox Brewing Company – Elizabethtown
• Spigot Brewing Closes
• Full Pint Brewing Closes
• Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion
• Mikkeller Brewing NYC Closes Permanently
• Pilger Ruh Brewing Needs Your Help (Pottsville)
• Official BBQ (Pizza Boy Secondary Location) (Rutherford)
• Aslin Beer Co. Now Ships to Pennsylvania
• Boneshire Brew Works to Open Second Taproom in Harrisburg (Harrisburg)
• Aslin Beer Company Confirms Expanding to Pittsburgh
• Rural City Beer Company Coming to Beamstown PA
• Grand Opening of Forest and Main’s New Brewpub
• New Bells-gium – New Belgium Owned Company Buys Bell’s Brewery
• Human Robot Expanding to Jenkintown
• High Road Brewing Company Coming to Camp Hill, Pennsylvania in Summer 2022
• YAH Brewing’s First Can Drop
• RAR Brewing’s Star Wars Can Drop
• Arboretum Trail Brewing Company Opens Their Doors Tomorrow
• Macklin Brewing Company in Development
• Michaux Brewing Company Grand Opening
• Shy Bear Brewing Announces Two New Locations
• Newfangled Brew Works Announces Closure
• Fourscore Beer Company Celebrates Their 3rd Anniversary
• Penn Brewery Announces Sale and Owner’s Retirement
• Voodoo Brewing Company To Open Brewpub on North Shore of Pittsburgh – August 27th
• Truth Beer Company’s Grand Opening
• Sobel’s Obscure Brewery’s Grand New Location and Opening
• AleCraft Brewing Company Expands Into Pennsylvania
• Boneshire Brew Works Celebrates 6th Anniversary
• Funk Brewing Company – Elizabethtown Brewery – Fire
• Funk Brewing Company – Elizabethtown Brewery – Fire Update
• Victory Taproom in Kennett Square Re – Opens
• Pour Man’s Brewery Is Moving Their Tap Room
• Qatar Bans Alcohol Sales at World Cup 2022
• Second Sin Brewery Company Celebrates Third Anniversary
• Round Guys Brewing Company’s Brewpub in Lansdale is Getting a Revamp
• VK Brewing Officially Opens at Historic Ship Inn
• Rocket Frog Brewing Company Announces Closure on December 11th
• Co – Hops Brewery and Cannery Appears to be Closed
• Where to Watch the USA vs Netherlands World Cup Game – in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia
• Liquid Noise Brewing Company Announces the Show is Ending (Brewery Closure)
• Looks Like Homaide Brewing Company Might Be Done (January 2023)
• Old Soul Brewing Starting up in Waynesboro Pennsylvania
• Cox Brewing Company Returning to Their Roots
• Helping the Hemauer Family
• Cellar Works Brewing Closing Cooper Station
• Imprint Beer Company Unveils The GNARCADIUM
• Blueprint Brewing Company Announces Their Closing on March 31st
• Pilger Ruh Brewing is Expanding into Gettysburg
• Back Porch Brewing Grand Opening
• Jigsy’s Old Forge Pizza and Brewpub is Expanding into Hershey
• LoveDraft’s Brewery Sabotaged
• Homaide Brewing Company Resurfaces
• Sign of the Horse Brewery Announces Closure of Zeichen des Pferdes and Re – Branding
• Mount Gretna Craft Brewery in Palmyra Announces Closing Immediately
• The Englewood Announces Re – Opening
• AB InBev Closes Cleveland’s Platform Brewing Company
• Full Tit Brewing Closing
• Camp Hill Brewery – High Road Brewing – Plans Scrapped
• YAH Brew is Coming to Hershey in Spring 2023
• Bespoke Brewing Moving and Expanding
• BrewDog Pittsburgh Has Closed
• Isle of Que Brewing – The Que Brew Crew – Has Announced Their Closing
• Fermentery Form Announces Temporary Closure
• Separatist Beer Project Announces Temporary Closing of Both Locations
• Fermentery Form Cited for Failing Health Inspections
• Guinness Brewing is Closing Their Maryland Production Facility
• Cox Brewing Company Celebrates 8th Anniversary
• Human Robot Expands into the Schuylkill
• Despite Being Closed – Fermentery Form Selling Bottles Tomorrow
• Cape May Brewing Company Acquires Flying Fish Brewing Company
• Our Town Brewery Expanding into Philly
• Smoketown Creekside – Brewery Operations For Sale
• Founders Announce Closure of their Detroit Taproom
• The Bruery Store D.C. Is Closed
• Founders Brewing Company Sued for Racial Discrimination (Again) Just Before Detroit Taproom Shut Down
• Liquid Noise Brewing Company – New Ownership, New Beer, New Friends
• YAH Brew Grand Opening
• FX Matt Brewing Company Acquires Flying Dog Brewery
• The Beerded Goat Brewing Company Taking over the old NewFangled Brewery
• River Horse Brewing Company Acquires DuClaw Brewing Company
• Carbon Copy Brewing will be taking over Separatist Beer Project’s East Passyunk Location for the Summer
• Anchor Brewing Will No Longer Be Sold Nationally
• The First Hershey Beer and Music Festival Announced
• Cushwa Brewing Company Opening Second Location in Columbia Maryland
• Guinness Baltimore Blonde Beer Production Moving to New York
• Black Rock Brewing Company – Downtown Pottsville – Will Not Be Re – Opening
• Jim Thorpe Brewing Needs Your Support
• Cinderlands Foederhouse Temporary Closure
• Appalachian Brewing Company Coming Soon to Carlisle
• Tattered Flag Brewery and Distillery Is Up For Sale
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• Anchor Brewing Could Be Sold Tomorrow
• Anchor Brewing Company Ceasing Operations and Liquidating Business
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• Allusion Brewing Company Appreciation Party
• Allusion Brewing Company Expanding to the North Hills
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• Getting Sworn In: A Sneak Peek at Sworn Brewing Company
• Arboretum Trail Brewing is Closing Their Taproom
• Mastic Trail Brewing Company Setting into the Sunset – Closing on September 2nd
• A Look at Local Time Brewery
• Second Sin Beer Announces Second Tap Room Location
• Rumor Mill: Snitz Creek Brewing To Take Over Mt. Gretna Brewing’s Old Location
• Howling Henry’s Not Looking to Finish Out the Year
• Brewery Fire Celebrates Their Fourth Anniversary: The Power of the Fourth
• Devil’s Eye Brewing Announces Closure on September 30th
• Walk to End ALZ at Lost in the Wilds Brewing – September 28th, 2023
• 12 Pennsylvania Breweries Collaborate on Buckeye Tears
• Stickman Brews Announces Immediate Closure
• Spring House Brewing to Open The Coffin Bar on Friday the 13th
• Cox Brewing Company Announces Closure at the End of 2023
• High Road Brewing Company Announces Grand Opening Celebration at High Road Taproom in Mechanicsburg
• Circle of Life – A Fond Farewell to North Austin’s Oldest Brewery
• BierHall Brewing Coming to Lancaster
• Smuttynose Brewing and Five Boroughs Brewing Joining Under the Ownership of Finestkind Brewing
• Highway Manor Brewing Has Seemingly Been Closed
• Tree House Opening a Saratoga Springs Location
• Cartel Brewing and Blending Announce Their Moving
• Cartel Brewing and Blending Grand Opening of Their New Location
• Wacker Brewing Announces Upcoming Closing
• Mindful Brewing Company Temporarily Closing
• Highway Manor Brewing Temporarily Closed For Remainder of 2023
• Snitz Creek Brewing is Coming to the Old Mt. Gretna Craft Brewery
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• Liquid Noise Announces Opening Soon
• Jackass Brewing Company Adding Williamsport Location in 2024
• Truth Beer Company Announce New Lancaster Taproom
• Truth Beer Company Opening a Taproom in Lancaster
• Moss Mill Brewing Company of Huntingdon Valley is Closing
• Liquid Noise Brewing Company Sets Grand Opening for December 29th
• Three Beards Brewing Announce Closure
• Ingenious Brewing Announces the Upcoming Closure of their Brewery
• Allusion Brewing is Opening a Second Spot in McCandless Township, Duncan Manor in Allison Park
• Breweries that Opened in Pennsylvania in 2023
• Cox Brewing Company Close Out Celebration
• A New Owner Takes Over Olde Bedford Brewing Company
• North Country Brewing is Closing the Corn Crib at Freedom Farms Farmers Market
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• Aldus Brewing’s Dolphin and Anchor Pub in Downtown Hanover Set for Grand Opening
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• Truth Beer Company is Having Their Grand Opening on Saturday – January 20th
• Wissahickon Brewing Company to Add a Second Taproom
• Hell in a Bucket Brewery is Moving to Marietta
• Smuttynose Brewing to Acquire Wachusett Brewery
• Sign of the Horse Bierhaus is Closing
• Anheuser-Busch InBev Closes Two Craft Brewpubs
• Species X Beer Project Opening Soon in Columbus
• The Alementary Announces Their Closure
• Our Town Brewery Taproom Set to Open in Philadelphia
• Mount Hope Brewfest is Cancelled
• Hoppy Valley Brewfest Announced for Beaver Stadium
• Grist House Brewery Will Be Taking Over the Taproom at Freedom Farms Farmers Market
• Necromancer Brewing Temporarily Closing
• Hysteria Brewing Company For Sale
• AleCraft Brewery Bel Air to Close
• Necromancer Brewing Permanently Closing
• Brewery Closings – Archives
• Brewery Openings – Archives
• The Craft Beer Conundrum: Navigating the Troubled Waters of the Craft Beer Industry

(This article updated on 2.20.24 at 1:00 PM)

 

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