Yeah. It really does say "We apologize for any convenience this may cause." A sad tale, and one which could lead to all kinds of bootless speculation. Here's my take. The pub is in an inconvenient spot, it always was; and it does not fall into Coastal's plan or desires. A-B doesn't do pubs; Ram's Head does their own. This thing was a thorn in their sides. It took them a while to realize that...and then they closed it. Too bad for all the regulars, guess they'll just have to go somewhere else. "We apologize for any convenience this may cause.""The closing of the brewpub will allow Old Dominion Brewing Company to focus on its primary objective - producing authentic, high-quality craft beers and sodas.
This decision will have no impact on other operations of Coastal Brewing Company. Brands under both the Old Dominion and Fordham names will continue to be distributed and marketed along the east coast of the U.S.
We apologize for any convenience this may cause."
(Update: it's been changed, and now says "inconvenience." Typo? Or snarky in-joke?)
9 comments:
They changed it to inconvenience. I'm not sure if it was a typo or a snarky remark they thought better of. I'm guessing the latter.
Wow, that was quick. It hit the DC-beer e-mail list this afternoon, I blogged it, and...bang.
Me, I vote for stupid typo. As an editor, I'm all too familiar with that kind of thing: been there, seen it, done it!
How sad...OD was one of Virginia's finest brewpubs and brightest spots for craft beer..now just a memory.
I was actually there fairly recently (for the first time). Besides being nearly impossible to find, it was in a sad state. We went on a Saturday night around 7:30 and it was empty. 2 or 3 people at the bar and one table in use. We were shocked to find Budweiser products on tap too (and, while we were having dinner, a group of 4 college aged kids did come in and buy pitchers of Bud). The beer was average at best - too many "favored" stouts and porters on tap. It's sad to see any brewpub close, but I think this one had hopefully seen better days.
Steve,
A-B owns 49% of Coastal Brewing, which owns ODBC (Fordham/Ram's Head owns 51%). So the Bud's not so surprising.
At a mere 5 minutes from my company's office I will miss the place just the same.
The owner (Rams Head guy) only drinks Miller Lite; what does that tell you? I feel sorry for the brewers who are trying to put out interesting beers like the Beachhouse and specials. The lager is fine, but it's no $6.00 a case better than Yuengling, and will certaintly suffer in taste when it's brewed in Dover's water.
"Brewed in Dover's water"? It's the pub that closed, not the brewery behind it. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.
No, you're right Lew, the brewery hasn't closed.... yet. But they are working on it. The brewers told me they have already shifted some production of brands over to Dover, like OD's Aviator. Their problem is they literally can't give the Ashburn brewery away.
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