Monster Energy closing Deep Ellum taproom and brewery in Dallas

Image credit: Deep Ellum Brewing Co.

After more than 12 years in business, Deep Ellum Brewing Co. is closing its doors in the Dallas neighborhood for which it was named.

Founded by John Reardon, Scott Frieling and Jim Piel, Deep Ellum debuted in November 2011, and in doing so, it became the first new brewery to open in the City of Dallas since the late 1990s. The company's opening day manifesto was centered around a bold and unapologetic attitude geared towards "Total Beer Domination."

Over the years, the brand and its popularity grew to the point where Deep Ellum attracted the interest of outside buyers, and eventually a decision was made to sell the company to CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective in 2018. That relationship soon soured, however, leading Reardon to sue CANarchy in mid-2020 for a failure to make payments based on the original terms of the agreement. His association with the Collective was terminated soon after.

In the midst of all this, Deep Ellum launched a second location dubbed as Funkytown Fermatorium in Fort Worth, which opened in March 2019. Due to mitigating factors that venture folded a year later, its closure essentially coinciding with the aforementioned lawsuit.

Meanwhile, Deep Ellum continued to operate, though CANarchy as a whole was acquired by Monster Energy in January 2022. That event notwithstanding, moves made by Monster concerning other CANarchy brands in subsequent months perhaps foreshadowed today's news.

A social media post suggests the production of Deep Ellum's beers will be moved to other facilities remaining under the Monster umbrella:

"After 12+ amazing years of brewing and serving our beers in Deep Ellum, we've made the difficult decision to close our taproom and brewhouse. From the great folks who've worked here to those who've joined us for a pint or a show, we'd like to thank everyone that's been a part of our journey.

Rest assured - the Deep Ellum story is not over. Our beers will remain available throughout Texas, and we look forward to sharing them with our fans for many years to come.

While our hearts are heavy with this news today, our love for Deep Ellum will always run deep."