Well… We’re Down Another Local Taproom, BC’s Liberty Closes.

Written By: The Gnarly Gnome

10/03/2024

I’ve written and erased this post at least four times already. It’s been a journey trying to get my thoughts out onto the page. The announcement came pretty suddenly this week: BC’s would be closing their original location over in Liberty Township immediately. It wouldn’t be a drawn-out “goodbye party” to the space, no big event, nothing but a locked door after the end of business that day.

It’s sad, and it’s sudden. As beer drinkers, we haven’t really had time to process the news properly, which is what I’m attempting to do by writing about it. I need to process with you.

Why BC’s Liberty Mattered So Much

To really understand why some of us beer drinkers in Butler County had such an emotional tie to this place, you have to head back in time to get a picture of what things were like when they opened their doors in 2016. There were few places to grab a great beer in the area. DogBerry had just opened its doors recently (the sting of them closing still hasn’t had time to go away before this news hit); we had Jungle Jim’s, Dingle House… a couple of bars scattered around that had a good selection of beer. It was nothing like it is today.

Drinkers found The Lodge very quickly and made it their spot. It opened as a bottle shop just as much as it was a place to fill a growler – but very quickly after they opened their doors, people started hanging out. It was a craft beer bar, a place to meet your friends, a place to gather.

Remember when that was half of the reason we would go to places? Just to spend time with friends, old and new? We went to places specifically to talk about what we were drinking. We bellied up to find new things that we hadn’t taste before. There was a special joy in sharing things you loved with other folks who hadn’t tasted it, yet. BC’s was built around those ideas, and it was a wonderful time.

The Long Road

BC’s spread to two locations on different sides of town. They refined the idea of creating a space for drinkers to gather with each other. The whole team got really good and creating not only a comfortable space for beer drinkers, but really good at fostering a community.

Behind the scenes (or maybe right under our noses) the industry has been dramatically changing and the BC’s team started to realize that the next logical move for them was to open up a brewery of their own. Plans were put into motion and a long process began of launching BC’s Brewing Company.

This was all happening right as we weathered a global pandemic (remember that?) – and with the changing climate of the industry, the focus needed to launch a brewery, rising costs, it all meant that their location in Montgomery was forced to close its doors in August of 2022.

Of course, the brewery project moved along, and while it took way longer than any of us wanted to to, the doors finally opened in June of 2024. That gets us to where we are today.

Why The Lodge in Liberty Township Needed To Close

The brewery has been doing great. The BC’s beers have been met with praise, excitement, and fans that used to go to both Montgomery and Liberty Twp are now calling the new taproom home. Which is awesome… but it also means that in addition to less customers through the Liberty Twp doors due to industry trends, they’ve also been losing customers to themselves.

It eventually doesn’t make financial sense to keep things operating. Their official statement is as follows:

It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing the closure of The Lodge after today. While this decision is a difficult one to make, we feel it’s best for the overall health of BC’s Brewing Company. The Lodge has suffered a slow decline over the last few years and that only became worse with the opening of the brewery. While we assumed there would be a short term cannibalization we did not expect that to be as permanent as it has been. The Lodge had a great 9 year run and it will always have a special place in our story and hearts, but it has become unsustainable.

The community you all have built over the years has been inspiring and nothing short of amazing. We will cherish the good times we shared and your embrace of BC’s from day one. We appreciate each and every one of you that raised a glass in our establishment and allowed us to be a part of your life.

This move will allow us to focus all our energy on the brewery and growing the BC’s brand from there. The timeline for this closure will move quickly as our liquor license is set to expire. Today will be the last day we are open to the public. We have so many fantastic memories from this place, and we are sure most of you do too! While in the short term this move sucks, we know it is the right thing for the brewery and BC’s brand to flourish. Cheers to all the great times and memories, and to many more in this new chapter!!

It’s not a decision that you can blame. It makes complete logical sense… but it still isn’t fun.

Here’s My Takeaway

When a place that we love closes, it hurts. We all love seeing new breweries open up, we all love seeing the places that we already love growing, evolving and getting better. It’s hard to try to say that Cincinnati Beer is anything but leaps and bounds superior in quality, quantity and in experience than it was 10 years ago.

So… what is it?

I think beer itself is something so deeply tied to emotions, to past experiences, and to stories that we latch very deeply to the places and the people around us. When something changes, we suffer a loss emotionally that isn’t really what we might expect. The places that we call “our spots” are more important to us than even the things that we drink in them.

Sure – BCs is still around. The brewery is great. The people are still there, the beer is still there… but it’s ok to let yourself feel the loss of a place that was special to you.