USA, IN: Lafayette Brewing Company to close its doors for good on December 20

Lafayette Brewing Company, a Main Street staple in downtown Lafayette for 32 years, said Wednesday it will close its doors after business on Dec. 20, jconline.com reported on December 3.

In a Facebook post on the local brewery's page, owners Greg and Nancy Emig said they are humbled and honored by the support the Greater Lafayette community has shown the business over three decades.

When the Emigs opened the brewery in 1993, the Lafayette Brewing Company, 622 Main St., was one of about 200 independent brew pubs across the United States.

"We are honored by the small role we could play in craft beer’s uprising, and more importantly, the role we played in our community," the Emigs said in their Facebook post. "Downtown Lafayette has made a stunning transformation over the past three decades, evolving from a Main Street with every other building vacant into the vibrant and bustling model downtown we have today."

In a 2018 interview with the Journal & Courier, Greg said by that point the brewery had crafted about 400 to 500 brews, with the Black Angus Oatmeal Stout as the No. 1 seller.

Greg's start in the brewing business, he said, came when he was tending bar at the Knickerbocker Saloon while studying at Purdue University.

"Back then that was about the only place to get a variety of beer styles, which attracted a lot of the local home brewers," he said in 2018. "I was a 22-year-old kid tending bar, listening to their stories, and it kind of hit me that this was something I could do."

In their Facebook post on December 3, the Emigs said they hope their brewery played a part in Main Street's growth in recent decades, nodding to its employees, both past and present.

"We count (our employees) as part of our family and wish them only the best. They also spawned a pretty sizable extended LBC family along the way," the Emigs said. "And finally, a big 'CHEERS!' to everyone who stopped in over the years to enjoy a pint, a meal, live music, a Winter Warmer or just good conversation. To all those who made it possible for us to live our dream, we send much love."

Attempts to reach Greg Emig on December 3 were not immediately successful.