This brewery in downtown Fresno is closing, another shutdown in a sector hit hard by COVID
Zack’s Brewing Co. in downtown Fresno is closing.
The microbrewery in the big space on Fulton Street announced Monday on social media that it has made the “heartbreaking” decision to close.
The owners’ dream of opening a brewery downtown was “cut short,” they said in a Facebook message.
“As we try to pick up the pieces of what is left and begin to accept the reality of this situation, we will gather strength from all the love and support you have shown us over the past 2 years,” it said.
The owners couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Although they didn’t say why exactly the brewery is closing, the coronavirus pandemic has hit the craft beer segment hard.
With people not allowed to belly up to a bar and chat with bartenders, or listen to live music while they sip craft beer, the breweries have had to rely on to-go sales.
Zack’s has been selling cans to go, but it likely wasn’t enough.
Its closure follows the May shutdown of Full Circle Olympic, the craft beer tap room and entertainment venue in the Tower District. Full Circle Brewing Co.’s original brewery is still open in downtown Fresno.
Gail and Steven Zack opened Zack’s in December 2018 in an 7,500-square-foot garage built in 1911. The brewery was part of a flurry of activity on that stretch of Fulton near Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co., with Modernist cocktail bar opening across the street from Zack’s.
Zack’s was known for making craft beer with cheese in it, from its Cruisin’ For A Blues’n double IPA with blue cheese in it, to the Hanamaikai, inspired by Hawaiian pizza with bacon-smoked gouda.
“This is not a goodbye, but instead a hopeful cheers to welcome you all back someday,” the post said, while encouraging people to support locally owned small businesses.
Zack’s will be open for to-go orders from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Beer can be purchased online for pickup or bought at the brewery.
