LA Craft Beer Scene Rocked By Sudden Closures of Mumford and King Harbor Brewing
Two prominent breweries that have helped anchor Los Angeles County’s craft beer scene for the past decade have closed seemingly overnight, sending shockwaves through Southern California’s tight-knit beer community. Mumford Brewing, based in downtown Los Angeles, announced its closure late last week, with King Harbor Brewing ending operations on New Year’s Eve.
Young craft beer fans are familiar with Mumford, a standout brewery that has accelerated over the past half-decade to become one of the most popular taps in town. The small but mighty room on Boyd Street attracted beer drinkers and was also home to countless food pop-ups, which made the surprise closing announcement feel all the more unexpected to patrons and associates alike.
Mumford’s Instagram page had the following farewell in part:
The last few years have been tough for business and tough for the industry in general. At this point, we have made the difficult choice to close our doors. It’s been 7 and a half years since we opened and we really appreciate the people who have supported us along the way, our customers, our staff, the breweries we’ve partnered with and everyone who’s helped along the way.
The closing announcement came so quickly, ownership says they still have some beer in stock at the venue, meaning some “on-site dates” for tap room access and take-out beer may be available in the coming weeks – and then that’s it.
King Harbor Brewing Co. in Redondo Beach. King Harbor Brewing Co.
Down in the Redondo Beach area, King Harbor simultaneously closed all three of its locations with just a few days’ notice. This included the brewery itself, as well as the taproom and shops of the Riviera village. While perhaps less heralded than other notable South Bay breweries like Smog City, Monkish and El Segundo, King Harbor was seen as a prominent local player with a loyal fan base—at least until the closing announcement on social media , the day after Christmas 2022. “It’s been a wild ride, but the time has come to close the doors for good,” the post simply reads.
This isn’t the first time LA County craft brewers have aired their struggles publicly. Van Nuys-based British brewer MacLeod has been vocal on social media about supply chain issues, slower sales and other problems lately, even going so far as to close its Highland Park taproom and pizzeria for one time. Indie Brewing, located across the river in Boyle Heights, somewhat quietly closed its doors for good early last year as well, while others like big names Mikkeller and Modern Times have shuttered Downtown operations in recent years.
That said, it’s not all doom and gloom. Other local breweries continue to either open in greater Los Angeles (as is the case with relatively new Benny Boy Brewing in Lincoln Heights) or find ways to grow and expand. El Segundo Brewing’s sister restaurant Slice & Pint will soon double its pizza and beer footprint, while LA Ale Works has grown from the brewery’s original space to a new room in Culver City’s Ivy Station development somewhat lately.
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