JACKSONVILLE BEACH | After debuting just shy of two years ago, a Jacksonville Beach gastropub known for 24 craft beers on tap and its signature Bison-Wagyu beef burger closed abruptly during Mother’s Day weekend.
Jekyll Brewing, at 131 1st Ave. N. in Jax Beach Town Center, shut its doors at the end of service on May 10, confirmed the manager, who declined to give his name.
In addition to the Jacksonville Beach location — was the first and only one outside of Georgia — the remaining four locations of the Alpharetta, Ga.-based restaurant and microbrewery were set to close for good on May 11.
Michael Lundmark, founder, owner and CEO of Jekyll Brewing, told the Times-Union in a text that rising costs and plummeting sales doomed the business.
“Costs went up 45% and sales went down 50% due to [the] overall economic downturn of the past two years. This was simply unsustainable,” Lundmark said on May 10.
“My heart breaks for our staff, and I pray they will all find something good from this change in their own households. I wish it were different,” Lundmark said. “I’ve been told God won’t give us more than we can handle. Prayers and well wishes to all that touched our brand in a positive way.”
Opening in June 2023, the Jacksonville Beach restaurant offered a menu topped by the Bison-Wagyu Beef burger. The restaurant also featured a renovated Airstream travel trailer as the centerpiece of its second-floor bar.
“Jekyll Brewing is so much more than a brewery. We are a brewery, a distillery, a winery, a coffee roaster and an executive chef-run kitchen,” Lundmark previously told the Times-Union back when the Jacksonville Beach location prepared to open.
Jekyll Brewing opened its first craft brewery in 2013 in Alpharetta. The brand paid homage to what was believed to be the first brewery of the Deep South, which was built on Jekyll Island — about 73 miles north of Jacksonville — in the 1730s.
In February, Jekyll Brewing “ceased all keg production, launching an industry rumor mill of impending closure,” reported Beer Street Journal, an online publication focused on craft beer.
Tough times continue for craft breweries: Jekyll Brewing the most recent casualty
It’s not getting any easier for Jacksonville-area craft breweries. Jekyll Brewing becomes the latest to call it quits.
Shutting off the taps since 2023:
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tapped out: Another Jacksonville-area craft brewery closes its doors
Reporting by Teresa Stepzinski, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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