Those of us who pay attention to this podcast know that the future is uncertain for the craft beer industry overall. But the beer people in Abilene, TX are feeling the bubble burst maybe a little bit more than most cities.

In the first two months of 2023 Abilene lost half of it's breweries. One in January and the other one in February. The had both fought to stay afloat for years and even knowing the other was leaving, neither felt the market in Abilene could support them.

I caught up with Jeff from Pappy Slokum and James from Sockdolager Brewing and they agreed to do a collaboration interview.

They both experienced struggle, strain and the eventual collapse of their breweries. They both cited a market that is unsustainable and distributors that didn’t put their needs first. And they both wished the next generation of brewery owners the best - even if they weren’t sure how they’d get it.

Maybe most importantly, both Jeff and James seemed surprisingly at peace with their decisions to permanently lock the brewery doors and saunter away from the businesses they built from the ground up. Even after describing them as their babies.

I believe the story of Abilene’s Craft Collapse of 2023 is a harbinger of what’s to come in the next few years in the US craft beer industry. Listen in and let me know if you agree.

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