ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Strangebird, a local brewery, is fighting to stay afloat in what seems like a dying industry.
Jeff Ching, managing partner of Strangebird, spoke about the difficulties breweries are facing. Ching said the recent closures of breweries like Fifth Frame, Black Button, and Heroes have sparked conversations among partners at Strangebird.
“They were a great brewery in town. They did it for a long time, and so it’s kind of it’s a little bit of an eye opener to see your peers closed down,” Ching said.
He also said these closures are a reminder that businesses need to be adaptable. 2025 trends show Americans are drinking less across the board. A gallup poll reported 54% of Americans say they drink alcohol, the lowest percentage in 90 years.
Ching said there was a boom in craft beer breweries in the mid-2000s, and business was initially good. However, the pandemic caused many businesses to struggle. Strangebird, which opened in 2021, managed to survive and is now thriving five years later.
To avoid the fate of other breweries, Strangebird is diversifying its offerings by introducing non-alcoholic beverages like kombucha and a broad food menu to draw customers in.
Ching says rising tariffs pose another challenge.
“Tariffs have had major consequences for us,” said Ching. “We see that with all of our raw ingredient pricing coming in, we buy a lot of grain from Canada comes in or excuse me hops coming from overseas. Cost of goods. Meat prices for the restaurant component are, like, the highest that I’ve ever seen them in my time in the industry.”
Some customers at StrangeBird told News10NBC they don’t drink at all or very little, saying the appeal of breweries is the food, open space to host bigger parties, and the community aspect like playing board games with others.
None of the people I spoke to even mentioned alcohol as the driving force for why they came.
In addition to brewery closures, Beers of the World also announced it is closing its location in Henrietta this week, citing changes in the economy and beer industry as reasons for the closure.
READ MORE: Beers of the World’s Henrietta location to close in February
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