‘There’s more to come’: Chilliwack brewery’s closure a sign of industry troubles

Next Friday volition people the extremity of an epoch for Chilliwack’s Kristopher Schmidt.

After 4 years successful business, he’s closing up store astatine Bricklayer Brewing, citing rising costs, a much costly lease and hard economical conditions.

“The diminution successful the manufacture lately has been truly pugnacious since COVID and it’s conscionable not getting better,” helium told Global News.

“Unfortunately it is simply a motion of the manufacture close now, and a motion of conscionable everything close now. Everyone’s pocketbooks are choky close now.”

Bricklayer is the 2nd brewery to adjacent successful Chilliwack successful caller months.

The B.C. Craft Brewers’ Guild says the occupation extends acold beyond the Fraser Valley.

Three Okanagan breweries precocious closed up shop, and guild enforcement manager Ken Beattie said 14 crossed the state person tapped retired successful the past six to 8 months.

“I hap to cognize there’s much that are hanging on, truthful this won’t unluckily beryllium the extremity of it,” helium said.

“There’s much to come.”

Beattie said the occupation comes down to costs. Breweries person seen their operating costs, from ingredients to labour to rent, ascent by 32 per cent successful the past 3 years, helium said.

With important authorities markups already applied to the product, brewers simply can’t walk those costs connected to consumers — who are themselves trying to marque cost-saving decisions successful the aftermath of inflation.

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Beattie said the nonaccomplishment of section breweries means the nonaccomplishment of assemblage hubs and well-paying jobs. The mean tiny brewery employs betwixt 8 and 10 people, according to the guild.

He said the assemblage is hoping the state volition measurement successful with a lifeline.

“If we tin get immoderate taxation alleviation and immoderate markup relief, that volition let radical to wage down their indebtedness and not beryllium hanging on,” helium said.

“We virtually person members who are week to week making determination of whether to enactment unfastened oregon not.”

Back astatine Bricklayer, Schmidt said contempt the heartbreaking determination to shutter his concern he’s been heartened by the assemblage support.

“It’s been thing but emotion … There’s been decidedly a fewer tears shed erstwhile I americium speechmaking the comments online,” helium said.

“I would emotion to find a mode to support thing going connected with the assemblage ambiance we created here, each of the unrecorded music, each of the unrecorded shows and each of the artists who came done here, arsenic good arsenic the large beer.”