Circle Brewing Company closing after 15 years of business in Austin, Elgin

After almost 15 years of business, Circle Brewing Company is closing its kegs and its doors.

The company announced the closure of its Braker Lane location on Instagram and the Circle Brewing website. The brewery said they hope to stay open for at least another week at the Elgin facility on 816 Lexington Road.

While a reason for closing wasn't explicitly stated, the announcement did reference the company's "recurring motif" of having "far too much optimism and not nearly enough money." The first instance of this came during development in 2008, when the team began "raising money two weeks into the financial crisis." The Braker Lane location would then open in 2010.

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"In our first two years of operation, we were so broke that we couldn't even afford to buy yeast," according to the company's website. "But the Austin brewing community and the real spirit of camaraderie was such that we just had to drive out to Blanco and fill up a few corny kegs from our friends at Real Ale."

The brewery's Elgin location opened just this past May after six years of planning, a 2019 purchase of 23 acres and struggles amid COVID-19. Circle Brewing said its team "threw everything we had and then a lot more that we didn't into our move to Elgin."

"Our biggest regret is not having the time to see our vision through and fulfilling the enormous potential we know would have paid off enormously," Circle Brewing staff said of the facility in the closure announcement. "It was a one-of-a-kind concept, a beautifully constructed facility, and located on a plot of land with limitless potential and a wonderfully supportive community. It was so close to becoming reality. We're sorry we didn't have the time to see it to the end."

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As Circle Brewing prepares for closure, the company will hold a fire sale from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily through Friday on "remaining drafts (14 in total), six packs and merchandise."

"As the oldest brewery in North Austin, we hope that during our time we had a positive impact on everyone around us and our community," Circle Brewing staff wrote. "Above all else, we wanted to thank everyone who supported us over the years."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin's Circle Brewing Company closing at Braker Lane, Lexington Road