BEAUMONT, Texas — Pour Brothers Brewery downtown Beaumont announced they will be closing for good at the end of the week.
The owners said the COVID-19 pandemic has made it tough, and customers simply haven't been showing up like they used to.
The brewery joins a long list of downtown businesses that have shuttered their doors over the last few years. It’s a trend that's concerning many in the city.
The brewery was been busy Wednesday after the announcement.
Customers were coming in and out nonstop to pick up their last-minute cases before they close up.
"The hosts were fantastic. The beer is good. The price is fantastic. Everything about this place we absolutely love," said beer lover Bill Pollitz.
"From a Kolsch, all the way to a Porter, and they've got a couple super hoppy, big gravity beers for people that like those, but they've also got light, crisp delicate beers," Pollitz said.
But unfortunately one of his favorite places is closing.
The owners of Pour Brother's brewery shared the news on Facebook.
"We have had a blast making and serving beer for our community and will miss it greatly," the post says in part.
It's yet another downtown business to close its doors.
The downtown district is in councilman Audwin Samuel's Ward.
He said something needs to be done to attract more businesses and growth downtown.
“Trying to enhance the ability for businesses to want to come downtown .so if we get the people, the people first,” Samuel said. “Then the businesses will tend to go where the people are. So we're trying to do that.”
The owners point to the effects of the pandemic as a major problem saying their customer base has slowly declined.
A situation customers like Pollitz are seeing more of.
"What sucks is, it's the mom and pop places,” Pollitz said. “It’s the local craft breweries the restaurants, the one-offs, that aren't surviving the plague. And the chains survive because they get the corporate support. That's fine you can go there if you don't mind crappy food and crappy beer."
Unfortunately, the owners didn't want to be interviewed today.
But the customers who spoke with 12News shared how much they will miss having such a unique place to grab a beer.
The brewery closes Sunday and is offering discounts for their final days.
The owners set up a GoFundMe account for members of the community who wish to donate.