Ferndale's Axle Brewing Co., which operates the Livernois Tap, will close at the end of the month.
The two-year-old company made the announcement on Friday on Facebook, citing a "steep climb ... to profitability." However, it may not be the last you hear of its brews. Its ownership is looking for a buyer, and the final month will include the release of the Wolf Tone Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.
From Axle:
We struggled early on to gain momentum in distribution, so we focused our energy and resources on creating a place that would reflect our values, aspirations and define our brand. We built a family friendly, inclusive gathering place where creative food, great beer and hospitality lived in harmony.
We definitely took “The Long Cut” which inspired our flagship IPA’s name. We had a steep climb from where we began and we do not see a clear path to profitability with our current cost structure and very lean margins on the distribution side of our business in the near term. We are grateful for the support from the city of Ferndale, our neighbors and the resilience of our staff during the 6 months of road construction we endured last summer and fall, but it definitely took a toll on our revenue and arrested the substantial momentum we had rolling into our first birthday last June.
We’ve had a few conversations with companies we respect about partnering or acquiring us, but it’s important for us to entertain all possible options & be transparent about our intentions in order to work thru the process openly. We want our loyal guests and partners to have the opportunity to say goodbye, our team to have a graceful transition, and for us to honor commitments we’ve made, so we will be spending the next month celebrating as we determine what’s next. Our goal is to secure a strategic partner or buyer that shares our values and interest in this vibrant community with the infrastructure and scale to succeed in the amazing space at 567 Livernois that you’ve all helped us create...
This has been an incredibly difficult decision. We are so proud of our team and what we’ve accomplished together. We are truly grateful to everyone who cheered us on and look forward to thanking everyone over a beer in the next couple of weeks.
So… prior to our “last call for now” at the end of the month, we will release the highly anticipated 2019 Wolf Tone Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout in both bottles, draft & 4 packs of cans! We will host another wedding and many surprises and events in the coming weeks. We will work with our distributers to insure our friends in the bar & restaurant community can continue to serve Axle products during the transition.
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