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By the end of this year customers will sip their last goodbye to local craft beer-maker, Shadow Puppet Brewing Co.
For nearly a decade, the company operated out of Livermore and offered a tasting room for its drinks. The brewery also reached its audience at large retailers like Safeway and Whole Foods as well as independent stores and local restaurants.
But on the business side, operations were strained in California’s craft beer industry, according to founder and CEO Brian Blackburn. So as the company’s lease on Arroyo Vista neared an end, the Blackburn family decided to leave the industry and “pass the torch on to somebody else”, he told Livermore Vine.
A transition set for December, the facility buyer is Del Cielo Brewery Co., a Martinez-based craft beer brewery.
“We would like to sincerely thank our amazing and loyal customer base that we’ve built over the years serving NorCal,” Blackburn said. “Surprising and delighting our customers with our new and innovative flavors and styles is ‘why we do what we do,’ and it has been our pleasure sharing that with the community.”
The brewery began operations in 2015, and by mid-2016 it began production.
Since its beginning, the company has been intent on making well-balanced beverages with unique ingredients and flavors that defy expectations of craft beer, Blackburn said.
By October 2016, Shadow Puppet opened its tasting room to the public.
At its daily tasting room, Shadow Puppet served at least 26 rotating beers, hard seltzers and hard root beer all made in-house. These included a number of the award-winners like Lush Nectar Hazy IPA, Kokonati Coconut Porter and Tartbreak Guava Sour.
The tasting room is still the best place to find Shadow Puppet beverages, Blackburn said. That is, until November.
Its scheduled food truck calendar will also be maintained through November.
For now, the company maintains its hours of operation and happy hours schedule, according to its announcement. Any future changes will be communicated to customers.
Special events, like the Oktoberfest Party (Oct. 19) and the Livermore Vinyl Record Show (Oct. 20) will not be affected by the company’s impending closure.
The brewery wants to remind customers to use all gift cards and membership credits and to return at-home Shadow Puppet kegs as soon as possible, according to management.
At the end of a farewell message to customers, the company wrote, “It has been our true pleasure serving you over the years and we look forward to raising a pint with you on the other side of the bar! Cheers!”
