Hunters Point's Speakeasy Ales & Lagers To Cease Operations

Hunters Point's Speakeasy Ales & Lagers To Cease OperationsPhoto: owlin aolin/Flickr
Allie Pape
Published on March 10, 2017

One of San Francisco's largest and most popular local breweries, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, is ceasing operations as of today, according to a post on its website. Its brewery and taproom in Hunters Point are now closed to the public

Speakeasy was founded in 1997, and grew to become one of San Francisco's largest breweries. Its beers, including Big Daddy IPA, Prohibition Ale, and Payback Porter, can be found at restaurants, bars, and corner stores throughout the city, and are sold in 13 other states as well. 

In 2015, Speakeasy announced an ambitious $75 million plan to expand its capacity from 15,000 barrels to 90,000 barrels per year, adding a 60-barrel brewhouse and eight 300-barrel fermenters. Had it reached its goal, it would have become one of the largest breweries in the Bay Area.

Speakeasy's brewery and tap room. | Photo: Speakeasy/Yelp

However, that plan seems to have gone south, due to what the statement describes as "difficulty securing capital investment and outstanding debt obligations."

In the statement, co-founder Forest Gray notes that Speakeasy "is financially insolvent and requires new capital to move forward. Whether that will happen is unclear, but I do hope the brewery and brand will persist."

But for now, the cans and bottles on store shelves are the last of Speakeasy's output. If you're hoping for a final taste of Big Daddy or Prohibition, pick one up before they vanish.