Whiner Beer Company, a brewery located in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood, will close its doors on March 29 after nearly ten years in operation. The announcement was made by co-founder and brewmaster Brian Taylor through a social media post.
“The last few years have been so difficult but we gave it our best shot,” Taylor wrote. “We could write a bunch of reasons why we are closing but it’s a familiar story in the brewing industry. The Chicago craft beer scene is one of the best in the world. We are happy to be included in it for so many years. Working side by side with countless creative people is what makes craft beer so great.”
The closure follows challenges faced during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, which changed consumer habits and affected many breweries nationwide. Whiner Beer Company specialized in barrel-aged beers inspired by Belgian and French traditions and operated out of The Plant at 1400 W. 46th St., an incubator promoting sustainable food production.
In recent weeks, other local breweries have also announced closures. Alarmist Brewing shut down its Far Northwest Side location earlier this month after a decade in business, while Illuminated Brew Works stated it would close on June 28.
Alarmist owner Gary Gulley previously told Block Club that his business struggled to recover from the pandemic as overall alcohol consumption declined across the country.
Taylor explained that Whiner had not experienced any growth since COVID-19 hit, despite seeing significant increases each year prior to the pandemic. Efforts to stabilize finances included contract brewing for other companies, but distribution fell sharply by late 2024, forcing greater reliance on taproom sales which were insufficient to cover costs.
To support operations, SomosMonos Cerveceria—a woman- and Mexican-owned startup—was brought into the taproom space as Whiner tried to regain distribution accounts over the past year. However, Taylor noted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in late summer and early fall led to a steep decline in taproom visitors: “And when the ICE raids occurred in late summer, early fall, our taproom just became a ghost town here in Back of the Yards,” he said.
Speculation about Whiner’s future increased after an online auction listed all of its equipment for sale earlier this week.
Founded by Taylor and his partner Ria Neri—both alumni of Chicago’s Siebel Institute of Technology—the brewery became known for creative label designs featuring animals like cats and its flagship Le Tub wild saison beer.
Taylor expressed hope that SomosMonos Cerveceria might continue operating at The Plant but did not provide further details about their plans.
Before starting Whiner Beer Company, Taylor helped establish Goose Island Beer Company’s wine barrel aging program. Both founders studied at Siebel Institute of Technology, which itself recently announced plans to relocate from Chicago to Montreal due to financial pressures stemming from both the pandemic and changes to student visa policies under the Trump administration.
Whiner will host several events before closing—including a goodbye party with live music on March 28—as well as themed nights earlier that month.
“We’re really hoping all our fans over the years will come, have one last Le Tub with us and say goodbye,” Taylor said. “I’m actually bartending a lot so I’ll be able to see, hopefully, all our old fans. It really was an amazing time in Chicago brewing here and we made a lot of friends along the way. So hopefully we get to see some, have some beers together and talk about the good times.”
