USA, MA: Lefty’s Brewing Co. to close forever on April 14

Lefty’s Brewing Co. — the Franklin County microbrewery known for its Wedding Daze Stout and Doc’s Double Whammy IPA among other beers — will close forever on April 14, MassLive.com reported.

A notice on the brewery’s website, leftysbrew.com, says that it will have a going-out-of-business sale at its taproom on 301 Wells St., Greenfield.

In just a few hours on March 29, the closing notice garnered more than 300 messages of thanks and support from fans and customers.

“We are so sorry to say goodbye, but we must,” owners Bill "Lefty" Goldfarb and wife, Melissa Goldfarb, wrote in the statement. “We are so sorry to say goodbye, but we must. We do hope you respect our privacy at this time. But have no worries. We are very much looking forward to what’s to come for our family. Melissa has also been experiencing health issues that encouraged our decision to take life by the bullhorns and live to the fullest.”

The Goldfarbs encouraged fans to clean out the Lefty’s supplies at package stores or to get one of the last kegs available. Anyone with a Lefty’s keg has until May 15 to return it or Lefty’s will keep the deposit and the customer can keep the keg.

The Goldfarbs also told customers with gift cards to use them before April 14. They cannot honor them after that date.

Lefty’s began in a small Bernardston space in 2010. Bill Goldfarb already had years of practice as a home brewer — his parents gave him a brewing kit as a Christmas gift — before making a business of it.

A roofer at the time, he took business courses at Greenfield Community College while he wrote a business plan and got ready to open Lefty’s.

Bill Goldfarb earned the nickname when working as a roofer. But both Bill and Melissa are left-handed.

The Goldfarbs moved the business to Greenfield in 2011 where they opened the taproom and eventually expanded its hours to five days a week.

Over the years the Lefty’s taproom hosted game nights and special events. Goldfarb participated in local beer festivals.

The website lists five “team members” working at Lefty’s in addition to the Goldfarbs.

Lefty’s, a perennial on many local “Best of” reader poll lists, has created and sold beer in more than 50 flavors and its available in taverns and on package store shelves statewide.

“We were so blessed to be supported and shared, even receiving requests for our brew nationwide,” the statement reads. “We seemed to achieve more than we thought we ever could.”

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