I always prefer to announce the opening of new breweries on the prairies. Alas that has been a bit thin recently (although there are a handful in the final stages of preparation). But sometimes I have to announce closures. In this installment I tell of the demise of Airdrie’s Fitzsimmons Brewing and the complicated situation at Situation Brewing in Edmonton.

Earlier this week, Fitzsimmons’ owner, Cody FItzsimmons, announced that they will be closing the brewery at the end of April. They are planning a month of special events to mark their closure. Cody indicated to the local paper that he felt it was time “to begin a new chapter”. Fitzsimmons was the first brewery to open Airdrie, which now also has Balzac Brewing, Atlas Brewing and 948 Brewing.

I suspect the tightening market In Alberta over the last couple years squeezed Fitzsimmons. They were always locally anchored, with limited provincial distribution. Having four breweries in the bedroom community of 70,000 likely divided the local market. Fitzsimmons were unable to stretch their branding across the province to create more leg room and, so, got pinched. Cody hints that he may embark on a new project involving Ready-to-Drink beverages and hard seltzers. We will see what happens with that.

Up in Edmonton, last month brewpub Situation Brewing sold off its brewing equipment and is “out of the beer making biz”, according to owner Wayne Sheridan. For the moment the restaurant remains open and Sheridan is negotiating with a potential buyer to take over the operation, including the name and beer brands. I am told the potential owner is interested in re-installing a brewhouse in the space and re-establishing the space as a brewpub.

As of writing, no deal has been finalized.

Sheridan indicates that COVID-19 just hit the business too hard and the return of customers was too slow to keep the operation afloat. Situation opened in 2016 with a classic brewpub business model. Offer a full food menu with house-created beer only available at the restaurant. They offered growler fills to-go and sold the occasional keg to another vendors, but the goal was to draw people into the space. Situation’s high traffic location – just off Whyte Avenue in the heart of the bustling Old Strathcona district – seemed ideal for such a venture.

The first couple years seemed to go well. The place was busy and both the food and beer received positive reviews. Then COVID hit. Closures, capacity restrictions, and consumer hesitancy all combined to dry up in-restaurant sales. Early in the pandemic, they did start putting product in cans for both curbside sales and retail distribution. But they moved to cans around the same time many other on-premises-reliant breweries made the switch, meaning they entered a very crowded market. It wasn’t enough.

Given the ongoing negotiations I am intentionally avoiding the term “closure”, since we may very well see Situation arise again under new ownership. Plus the restaurant is still open. But the original ownership and business model has come to an end. We will wait to see what happens next.

I close by reminding people that brewery closures are not a sign of the end times for craft beer. It is a sign that the Alberta industry is maturing, which means breweries are going to fall by the wayside. I also think it is the delayed effects of COVID. You can’t go two years with disrupted markets and not see some negative consequences.

I am sad to see Fitzsimmons and the OG Situation go. But the beer industry in the province will go on.