Well, despite not opening their Roxborough location (Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion into Philly), it looks like Night Shift Brewing will still be coming to Philadelphia and Pennsylvania after all.

They have made a distribution agreement with Penn Beer Distributors to bring their beers into Southeastern Pennsylvania. Penn Beer Distributors used to occupy the Domino Lane building before moving to Hatfield, Montgomery County in 2019. Penn Beer should begin distributing and delivering the Night Shift Brewing beers in mid-November (2020). They currently also distribute for some other big breweries such as Budweiser, Becks, Victory, and Yards.

“Night Shift partners Rob Burns, Mike O’Mara, and Michael Oxton were applying for building permits for a vast building at 401 Domino Lane when the nation began to shut down. “We got concerned with the project,” Burns said. “We didn’t know what the future would hold, and we had to protect the mother ship before we extended ourselves further.” So that project was scuttled, though they officially say it’s “on pause” because they would like to open a plant in the Philadelphia area some day.” (Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer Online.)

For the Philadelphia and South Eastern Pennsylvania area this is great news, as Night Shift Brewing is consistently some of the highest quality beers on the East Coast. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, pandemic, and subsequent quarantine and lockdown they had to forego their 10$ Million dollar expansion that was originally going to bring them lock, stock, and barrel into Philadelphia.

You can read more about their cancellation of their expansion here: Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion into Philadelphia.

And you can read The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s online edition news article about Penn Beer Distributors and Night Shift Brewing’s distribution agreement here: Night Shift Brewing is Coming to Philadelphia After All Thanks to New Distribution Deal.

For more articles on breweries opening and brewery industry news, check out these articles:

• A Sneak Preview of Rubber Soul Brewing (Hummelstown)
• Midwest Coast Brewing Opens (Chicago)
• Rally Point – Cox Brewing Taproom Opens (Elizabethtown)
• Boneshire Brew Works to Open Second Taproom in Harrisburg (Harrisburg)
• Irv’s Pub Rebranded as Rotunda Brewing Pub (Hershey)
• Official BBQ (Pizza Boy Secondary Location) (Rutherford)
• Pilger Ruh Brewing Needs Your Help (Pottsville)
• Highway Manor Brewing Co. (Camp Hill)
• Grand Opening: Rubber Soul Brewing Company (Hummelstown)
• Tap Room Opening: Howling Henry’s Brewery (Hummelstown)
• Is JB Lovedrafts Opening a Brewery?

And you can also read about some recent brewery closings here:

• Stoudt’s Brewing Closing
• Crystal Ball Brewing Closes
• Voodoo Brewery Lancaster Closes
• Spigot Brewing Closes
• Full Pint Brewing Closes
• Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion
• Mikkeller Brewing NYC Closes Permanently

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Cheers!

-B. Kline

In more sad news, during these ‘dark’ times, we have (even) more unfortunate news. Not quite on the level of the Full Pint Closing or Crystal Ball Closing or Stoudt’s Announced Closing, but Night Shift has announced their canceling their expansion into Philadelphia. This is disappointing news for many; especially Pennsylvanians and Philadelphians.

Back in August 2019, Night Shift Brewing announced they were going to be pushing into Pennsylvania; with a Philadelphia brewery and complex. In August 2019, they posted on Instagram: “2019 has been a wild ride. Thanks to all our thirsty fans, we opened Lovejoy, launched coffee, and today announce our new Philadelphia brewery. With an Everett expansion also in the works, that’s three new brewhouses in 12 months! Hard to believe this all started with a 15 gallon homebrew kettle. Love y’all.”

Sadly though, time has not been kind to Night Shift Brewing. Where 2019 was a wild ride, 2020 has been an even more wild ride, and particularly an unpleasant and nasty one. (For them as well as the industry a whole; and to be honest, for pretty every human on the face of the Earth at this point.) So, unfortunately, the plans for the Night Shift Brewing complex in Philadelphia will be no more.

In a press release this morning, Night Shift announced that they were canceling their expansion into Philadelphia.

“It is with great personal sadness that we at Night Shift Brewing have made the incredibly hard decision to cancel our Philly expansion project. 

For over four years, we worked to find our second “forever home” and plant roots in our hometown. Last year, signing that lease agreement for our space in Roxborough, PA was an absolute high point. We were more excited than ever, and the early welcome we got from Philadelphians exceeded our wildest expectations. We couldn’t open it fast enough.” They announced in their Press Release.

They have cited COVID-19; the novel coronavirus and the pandemic as being the main impetus for this cancellation and halting of their growth into Philadelphia. “It wasn’t meant to be. The COVID-19 pandemic shook our business to the core, and obviously almost everything outside of it. We’re lucky that we’re still in operation and able to see ourselves coming out of this crisis intact. But pushing forward on our Philly project has become too dangerous, threatening a potential collapse of NSB if we don’t pull the plug now. So, hard as it is, that’s what we’re doing.” Stated Night Shift co-founders Rob Burns, Mike O’Mara, and Michael Oxton.

This is disappointing news to be sure, as their production facility was expected to brew roughly 60,000 barrels of beer; bringing their capacity total up to 100,000 over their three different locations. In comparison, in 2018 Lord Hobo brewed 37,800 barrels, Tree House brewed 44,300, and Jack’s Abbey brewed 49,000 barrels. Night Shift is still expected to break the 40K mark this year despite COVID and despite not opening the Philly location.

You can read more about their announcement from their page itself: “Philly News – Night Shift Brewing.”

SOURCES:

(Announcement of Expansion)

• Night Shift Brewing Looking to Expand Into Philly (Boston.com)
• Boston’s Night Shift Brewing coming to Roxborough with 130,000-square foot facility (Philly Voice)

(Announcement of Cancellation)

• Philly News Update (Night Shift Brewing – Press Release)
• Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion (Breweries in PA)

For more information on other breweries that have closed in recent months, you can check out our articles on Stoudt’s Brewing, Full Pint Brewing, and Crystal Ball Brewing.

• Stoudt’s Announces Closing
• Full Pint Announces Closing
• Crystal Ball Closes

We have also covered several brewery openings in recent months as well.

• A Sneak Peak at Rubber Soul Brewery Opening in Hummelstown
• A Grand Opening for Hemauer Brewing
• Midwest Coast Brewery Opening
• Rotunda Brew Pub Opening

Thank you for reading everyone. Please check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages, and please hit the subscribe and follow buttons on those various platforms as well as here on our blog. Thanks and cheers!

-B. Kline