When Cambridge Brewing Company opened in 1989, it had three beers on the menu. Now, ahead of its Dec. 20 closing, the menu has nearly two dozen beers.
The brewery announced its planned closure in an Instagram post on Saturday. The post did not give a reason for the closure, but owner Phil Bannatyne told the Boston Globe that he wanted to retire.
“A huge thank you to everyone who was a part of our dream,” the post read.
The post states that one of the goals of opening the brewery 35 years ago was to expand “the possibilities of craft beer.”
“We were the first commercial brewery in this country to produce Belgian-style beer, one of the first to employ multiple yeast strains in-house, and even intentionally invite wildlife into our brewery,” the brewery’s post read.
Another important goal in opening the brewery was to establish a community meeting place, “a place where our customers could take a break from their busy lives, reunite with old friends, make new ones and leave us in their care.”
“For 35 years, we’ve welcomed millions of guests and witnessed fun family gatherings, awkward first dates, college reunions, running sprees, fraternity parties, rowdy bar crowds and countless other occasions,” the post read. “It’s our accomplishments that we’re most proud of.”
As the brewery grew, its goals changed, including efforts to make the brewery more energy efficient and to be a “good community stakeholder” by contributing to nonprofit organizations.
The brewery plans to continue offering patio season, festbier and a new fall menu during the final four months.
“35 amazing years,” the post concluded.
