BEAUMONT, Texas — Southeast Texans have raised thousands of dollars in an attempt to help a beloved Beaumont brewery stay open, but owners are not sure it will be enough.
Many Southeast Texans went to downtown Beaumont to enjoy drinks from Pour Brothers Brewery for what could be the last time. Brewery owners announced on Wednesday that the brewery's doors would close for the last time on Sunday.
Many loyal customers were not ready to say goodbye.
In an attempt to keep the brewery afloat, customers set up a GoFundMe page which has already raised more than $10,000. The page was made to help the brewery obtain a brewpub license, so it can serve food and wine full time.
Joel Hollier, co-owner of Pour Brothers Brewery, said the pandemic was a major setback. The brewery had to shut down for five months in 2020, and Hollier said they have never been able to fully recover from it.
“We were able to open the very last weekend of September of 2019,” Hollier said. “We got shut down the second week of March of 2020, so we only got about five months of being open.”
Once the brewery reopened, owners were forced to adjust to only offering to-go beers. The brewery was only bringing in about half the revenue per week it needed to be remain financially stable.
“Restaurants were shut down, so we're not distributing,” Hollier said. “Bars were shut down, so we're not distributing. It was just sit on your hands and spend money to keep the doors open.”
The owners tried to adapt and change their business model, but Pour Brothers Brewery struggled to stay afloat.
“People, they're not going out as much and it's not just us, it's across the board,” Hollier said. “People are struggling with this right now.”
Hollier will meet with the new owners Monday to discuss their next move, but he believes they will only be able to pay rent for one more month.
“We still have things that we wanna do and so, like I said, hopefully we get a little bit, a little bit more support, so that we can do some of those things,” Hollier said. “But as it stands right now, I don't think it can happen, but we'll see in the next few days."
Many Southeast Texans are saddened by the upcoming closure.
“It just kind of sucks because they've put a lot of work into this,” Melanie Noland, Southeast Texan, said.
Noland believes that the closure should serve as a reminder to support local businesses.
“Instead of going o Houston or wherever else, come down the street, support your friends, support your community,” Noland said. “That's all there is to it.”
The GoFundMe made by the loyal customers aimed to raise $60,000. Brewery owners said the community support is overwhelming and greatly appreciated.
However, there are still many obstacles they must overcome to keep the beloved brewery open.
“There's a certain amount of liquidation that we've done that we're gonna have to recover from, so even if we do have some money, we're going to have to take some time to restock, make more beer,” Hollier said.
Brewery owners thanked everyone who went to the brewery this week and over the years to support it.