USA, WA: Bellingham’s Illuminati Brewing to close down

Illuminati Brewing will close Saturday, June 15, the Bellingham Herald reported on June 11.

The company said it was ending a two-year run of creating handcrafted brews and food. The brewery opened in 2017 at 3950 Hammer Drive in the Irongate business park.

In a news release, owner Chris Luna said they were unable to overcome the business challenges to keep it going. Luna had purchased Illuminati from Bill Kimmerly earlier this year. Kimmerly had moved Masquerade Wine Company in late 2016 and started Illuminati in early 2017. Masquerade closed earlier this year.

“I hope everyone comes by to raise a pint and recall the good times we had here. We’d also like to find new jobs for our six fantastic employees,” Luna said in the news release.

According to its website, Illuminati has 14 beers on tap and a food menu that includes sandwiches, burritos and pork ribs.

Illuminati Brewing is open 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Thursday and an hour later on Friday and Saturday.

This is the first brewery closure in recent years in the Bellingham area. Since 2012 it’s been a period of growth for the industry in Bellingham, which will still have a dozen breweries after the closure. More are coming: Stemma Brewing is expected to open in the coming weeks at 2039 Moore St., while Other Wonders Beer is planning to open next spring in the Sunnyland neighborhood.

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