REHOBOTH, Mass. (WLNE) — A Massachusetts brewery that burned down in February announced on Saturday that it will not be reopening.
“Although extremely difficult, we have made the difficult decision not to rebuild,” Anawan Brewing Company wrote in a social media post.
“The reasoning behind my decision is largely a combination of many carefully considered factors; the mental, financial and emotional toll is truly too heavy for me to personally attempt an opening again.
The company noted that rapidly rising construction material costs, impending economic recession, scarcity of brewing ingredients, and financial hardship were key factors in the overall decision to close permanently.
Anawan Brewing Company took five years to build and burned down in just five hours on February 12.
The fire broke out shortly before 3 a.m. and firefighters called it a total loss.
In April, the Rehoboth Fire Department said the cause of the fire was officially “undetermined”.
“The Rehoboth and State Fire Investigating Team could not rule out several potential accidental causes, including an electrical event or the burning of oily rags, which you may have seen caused several fires over the past few weeks,” the statement read.
The department said the fire was not started due to foul play.
After the fire, dozens of local businesses and breweries came together to raise funds for Anawan Brewing Company.
“The support from each of you will never go unnoticed and I will be forever grateful to our supporters and that we can call you all family and Rehoboth home,” the Anawan co-founder wrote on Saturday, Steven Johnson.
“We ask that you raise your glass one last time and remember all the good times you had at Anawan rather than the bad news, well done everyone!”
