Miami’s Concrete Beach Brewery to permanently close taproom

After five years of slinging its signature Havana Lager, Miami’s Concrete Beach Brewery says it will shut down its taproom in September, naming the “unprecedented global crisis” of COVID-19 as the culprit.

Concrete Beach, which debuted its taproom in May 2015, broke the news on social media, adding that it will continue selling beer to-go from 2 to 7 p.m. daily until its social hall permanently closes on Sept. 5. Concrete Beach is owned by A&S Brewing Collaborative, a subsidiary of Boston Beer Co. (Samuel Adams).

“They say all good things must come to an end,” Concrete Beach Brewery posted on its Facebook page. “In this bittersweet symphony, we are sad to announce that the Concrete Beach Brewery Social Hall will remain closed permanently.”

But those doors won’t stay closed for long: Splashy beer titan (and fan-favorite) Dogfish Head Brewery will take over Concrete’s space later this fall, opening its first Wynwood taproom at 325 NW 24th St. Dubbed Dogfish Miami, the 11,000-square-foot taproom will serve suds by the Milton, Del.-based brewery founded in 1995 by Sam Calagione. (Dogfish Head, which Boston Beer Co. bought in 2019, already pours its brews in the Concrete taproom.)

Meanwhile, Concrete Beach plans to keep growing its brewing business, specifically with its Havana Lager, although the brewery did not disclose how.

Concrete Beach is one of four breweries in Wynwood, with nearby J. Wakefield Brewing the neighborhood’s last independent brewery. Big beer company Anheuser-Busch InBev (Budweiser) opened its Veza Sur taproom in 2017, while Craft Brew Alliance (Kona, Red Hook) bought Wynwood Brewing Co. in 2018.

Miami-Dade County bars and breweries remain closed, unable to open since March when the region was thrown into statewide lockdowns. Miami-Dade restaurants were able to reopen Aug. 31 at half-capacity dining. In July, the pandemic forced another brewery, Mad Robot Brewing, to permanently close.

The closing of the Concrete Beach taproom, of course, hardly means the end for its craft suds. The brewery relies on Boston Beer Co.’s muscular distribution network, which means Concrete Beach beer can easily found at Publix, bars and brewpubs across South Florida.