Craft breweries close, but losing Cascade Brewing hurts

I fell in love with sour beers, and maybe all of craft beer (and life?) on the Cascade Brewing patio. I remember it like it was yesterday.

It was the Craft Brewers Conference in 2015. We had already been running Craft Brewing Business for a few years, and sure, I did already love craft beer (and life?). But, hot damn! Sitting on that patio, on a perfectly sunny day, sipping these REFRESHING, mind-blowing sour beers – a category I had initially dismissed – is just a moment in time burned in my brain. It is a moment I chase to this day.

And a moment we chased later that same year: Wandering around a bottle shop back here in Ohio, we noticed a ton of Cascade bombers being stocked, distributed here for the first time. I thought for sure I’d never see a Cascade beer ship here. Had to seize the moment and chase that feeling! We had an instant company meeting and decided it was important, as a company, that we buy them all.

So, reading that Cascade Brewing is (likely) closing really hurts.

What happened to Cascade Brewing?

Cascade founder Art Larrance, age 80, died on May 26. And unfortunately, he did not have the business affairs of the brewery in order enough for the family to keep it going. According to The Oregonian:

“A message on the brewery’s website and Instagram page said the closure is temporary, but Alissa Larrance, the founder’s daughter, said she was delivering final paychecks to the staff on Tuesday.

Four years ago, Cascade issued an announcement that it had been sold to a group that included the owners of FlyBoy Brewery of Tigard. That deal, however, was apparently never concluded, Alissa Larrance told The Oregonian on Monday.

She said she was unaware her father still held a controlling interest in Cascade, which passed to a family trust upon his death. She also said her father held the liquor license for the brewery and Cascade Barrel House in Southeast Portland, but it expired 10 days after his death.”

KOIN 6 News reached out for clarification on the closure but, as of Wednesday morning, nothing had been confirmed. The note on the website reads only, “Cascade Brewing is temporarily closed. Check back soon for updates, we apologize for any inconvenience.”

Obviously, this stinks for the family and everyone involved with Cascade much more than it stinks for me, or the “craft beer industry.” But it still stinks. Cascade Brewing, in my mind’s eye, just was craft beer. The ideal I seek as a customer; the ethos I revere as a beer business scribe.

Cascade Brewing was founded in 1998, but became an industry pioneer in 2006 by making the bold move to go all in on sour beers. In 2006! Cascade Brewing is a legit pioneer. They made themselves a destination, an institution. But as awesome as any beer or patio or brand identity is, these are still businesses, run by people (often friends and family) that often need to make complicated decisions with no clear “right” answer.

The craft beer industry lost a real one (if the permanent closure remains), but — hot damn — among 9,600+ craft breweries, at least Cascade made its mark. Long live the Cascade patio beer.

Somewhat related, a reminder to read this piece in our archives about succession planning: