Buff Brew Shutters
Houston beer shocker: Sawyer Yards brewery shutters after landlord lock out
Buff Brew has closed.
Another Houston craft beer brewery has poured its last pint. Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company has been locked out of its facility in Sawyer Yards for non-payment of rent, CultureMap has learned.
Sawyer Yards owner Jon Deal served Buffalo Bayou CEO William McLucas with a notice of default at noon. Via that document, he terminated the brewery’s lease on its building at 2101 Summer St. Deal tells CultureMap he didn’t want to take this step but felt he had no other choice.
“They were deep in default. All of the stories and games and rabbits that came out of hats, it was time to end it. So we terminated,” Deal says.
The closure brings an abrupt end to what had once been a promising success story. Founded in 2011 with the stated mission of being Houston’s most creative brewery, Buff Brew (as it was commonly known) moved to a massive, 28,000-square-foot brewery and restaurant in 2019. The space featured a rooftop patio with a view of the downtown skyline, a 200-seat restaurant, and enough production space to brew up to 50,000 barrels per year.
Bryan Neely, an HR consultant who had been serving as Buffalo Bayou’s chief of staff, tells CultureMap that when he looked into the business he determined it wasn’t viable.
“There was just enough of a struggle with profitability that was just not going to allow us to stay open. The business was good. It was inconsistencies of revenue,” Neely says. “We had a situation where if you look at the craft brew sector it has experienced some loses. It was hard to sustain that business model when you had less and less craft beer being sold.”
He added that employees received their final paychecks today and many had already found new positions.
As Neely notes, Buff Brew’s closure is only the latest in a wave that has crashed into Houston’s craft breweries as consumer taste for beer has declined. Earlier this year, Ingenious Brewing closed after more than five years in business. Black Page Brewing Co. and CounterCommon Beerworks & Kitchen each ceased operations after less than a year in business. Bayou City Hemp Company purchased 8th Wonder Brewery last year to expand production of cannabis-infused beverages. Nationally, the Brewer’s Association’s 2023 Year in Beer annual report reported that more than 385 craft breweries closed last year.
Buffalo Bayou had other struggles as well. As has been thoroughly documented by various media outlets, the brewery defaulted on payments to investors who used the NextSeed crowdfunding platform and has been sued by shareholders who allege that McLucas committed fraud when he acquired the business. Another lawsuit by financial services firm Pimuro Capital Partners alleges the brewery owes it $94,000 for work it performed in 2021 and 2022. That case is scheduled for trial in April in Harris County’s 190th District Court. Co-founder and former CEO Rassul Zarinfar parted ways with the company last year.
Arash Kharat left his role as Buffalo Bayou’s executive chef in 2022 to take a position with Blood Bros. BBQ. He stopped by the brewery this morning to reminisce with former co-workers. Despite today’s closure, he’s proud of his time there and the food he served.
“I could go on and on about the stupid things but when I was there it was awesome,” he says.
Deal and his business partners have substantial real estate holdings throughout Sawyer Yards. They’ll begin working next week to find a new tenant for the building. He added that employees who need to retrieve personal items can contact him for access to the building.
“We’ll make sure that whatever is in there is going to be great for Sawyer Yards. It will be well run and well funded,” Deal says.
