AUSTIN, Texas — According to the owners of Adelbert's Brewery, the small business will close at the end of October because the landlord sold the property earlier this year.
"When I went to renew my lease in [the first fiscal quarter], the landlord said, 'Oh no, we're not renewing because, you know, they're tearing down the building, so you have to be out by the end of the year,'" Scott Hovey said. "It was like a little bit of a shock to us because, you know, we were doing well with, you know, traditional lines with cool packaging, you know, soda, coffee, energy drinks for other people. And then, you know, of course, with Austin FC ... we got a lot of local traffic, you know, every game day. Finally, after 11 years, we're having some good sales years."
Scott Hovey and his wife, Ramona, opened the brewery in 2011, naming it after Scott's late brother, Del, who passed away in 2000.
"He was an avid beer drinker and a great storyteller," Scott Hovey said. "We just named it in honor of him."
Scott Hovey started the brewery after his wife bought him an at-home brewing kit for Christmas one year. He jokes that he's just like every other local brewery owner.
While the area has obvious signs of redevelopment, Scott Hovey thought he wouldn't have to sell or move for awhile.
"We knew The Domain development out here with all the office high rises and apartments, eventually it would come and consume us," he said. "This is an old building. You know, we're just leasing here. So I knew at some point that was going to happen. I didn't expect it quite this soon. I thought I have another three to five years before it reached us."
Scott Hovey will be closing down his brewery for good on Halloween. Despite being forced to close, the brewery staff is taking it in stride.
"Why not? You know, life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, right?" he said.
"We have a chance to celebrate, but how many times have we seen businesses just have to close the doors?" Ramona Hovey added. "And we wanted to celebrate these 11 years and all the people that have supported us through this."
"We finally just said, 'Screw it, let's go out on our own terms!" Adelbert's General Manager Sean Farmer said. "We chose October because it's the last good month for breweries anyway."
Farmer created new stickers and T-shirts leaning into the closure, while also listing a countdown clock on the brewery's website. The stickers pull from pop culture references and don't hold back from showing disappointment at the closure. One sticker reads "Office Building killed the BREWERY star," while another says "Sometimes you win, sometimes you become a parking lot.'
"Even to the end, we're doing kind of ridiculous things," Farmer joked.
Farmer and the Hoveys brewed their last beers a couple of months ago and are now selling everything they have before the closing date. With Austin FC down the street from the brewery, they plan on hosting one final hurrah ahead of Sunday's playoff game.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: