The first beer-related closure of 2024 for the District isn’t a brewery, but H Street’s Craft Beer Cellar. The final day of operation will be Monday, January 8th. It’s a tremendous loss for the area; we echo Denizen’s co-owner, co-founder Julie Verratti’s sentiments that “This is a massive blow to craft beer in DC. Nothing but love for Erika and all she and her team @cbc_dc did for the local industry for the better part of a decade.” We hope owner and founder Erika Goedrich remains involved in the beer scene, but any break she takes will be well-earned.
If you have gift cards, you can redeem them until closing, or at any other Craft Beer Cellar location, and the store is offering a 10% discount on purchases between Saturday, January 6th, and Monday the 8th.
A lack of foot traffic is due to the pandemic and decline in workers near Union Station, concerns about crime and drug use on H Street, and waning interest in craft beer. To this beer media site, the latter factor is worth expanding on. To wit, when the H Street location opened in August of 2016 it was the 24th Craft Beer Cellar store in the United States. Soon there will be only 8, with the founders of the company in tough shape. This closure comes on the heels of news that 2023 saw 420 brewery openings compared to 385 closings and an overall decrease in independently-owned beer produced, per Brewers’ Association data. Less people in the store meant less product on the shelves when combined with distribution issues and the ubiquity of craft beer in both neighboring Giant and Whole Foods chain grocery stores, which purchase more cases of beer and get better deals from distributors.
It’s hard to put into words what Goedrich means for both the DC beer scene and DC Beer the site; we’ve reached out to area breweries and other beer-centric spots for comment and will have article up soon. She generously shared her sales data with us and subscribers to her Craft Beer Cellar emails, unheard of in the business. She would always make time for my questions or conversation, via email and in person. During beer’s #metoo moment, she quietly removed beers from Aslin and Boulevard, becoming a de facto moral compass for which breweries to patronize (both those breweries have made positive changes and are back on shelves at Craft Beer Cellar).
Per the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, Craft Beer Cellar’s license will transfer to High Spirits, LLC, so it’s possible a beer-focused store remains on 3rd and H Streets. We’ll keep you updated.
A press release/email from the Craft Beer Cellar is below.
Craft Beer Cellar DC Closing
01/09/2024
It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that Craft Beer Cellar DC will be closing on 01/09/2024. I arrived at this difficult decision after serious deliberation. The reality is that looking towards the future, financial projections made it more sensible to close than remain open.
The roller coaster ride of emotions that I have been feeling keeps returning to incredible gratitude. Thank you for all your support over the years; for including us in porch hangs, alley get-togethers and block parties, holidays, weddings and even a baby gender reveal (I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous). The pandemic Zoom beer dinners were some of the best times. As I said before we opened, “to me, craft beer isn’t just about the liquid; it’s about the people and the experiences and the memories.” Thank you for including us as part of your family and giving us 7+ years of memories.
A big thanks to our industry partners (breweries, cideries, distillers, distributors) and media who helped us along the way. I appreciate all the help we received from our fellow business owners and managers, especially those on H Street and Capitol Hill/Eastern Market. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a big shout out to all the Beer Geeks who worked here over the years, sharing their beer knowledge and experiences with me and you.
01/09/2024 is the last date that gift and loyalty cards can be redeemed at Craft Beer Cellar DC. You can also redeem gift cards at other Craft Beer Cellar locations throughout the country.
Our hours of operation for our last days will be:
Saturday, January 6: 10am-9pm
Sunday, January 7: 12-6pm
Monday, January 8: 10am – 8pm
We’ll be offering 10% off everything these last days. Come by before we close to grab your favorite beer(s) and share one last beer story with us.
With love and respect,
Erika Goedrich
Owner, Craft Beer Cellar DC
