Strange Colt Announces Closure of Brewery

In Brief:

Strange Colt Brewing in Niceville is closing as its owners focus on Pirate City Brewing in Fort Walton Beach.
Niceville’s brewery scene has shrunk to just one, 3rd Planet Brewing, as the craft beer industry faces challenges from market changes and inflation.
Statewide, Florida breweries have seen a wave of closures in 2023 due to evolving consumer preferences and increased competition.

The owners of Niceville’s Strange Colt Brewing announced that they would be shuttering the doors of the gastropub in order to focus on their new project, Pirate City Brewing in Fort Walton Beach.

“While this chapter is coming to an end, the spirit of Strange Colt will live on as we shift our focus to opening Pirate City Brewing, our new, sister brewery in Fort Walton Beach,” a post on Facebook noted.

The brewery opened six years ago in Niceville under the ownership of Dr. Tom Streeter. The brewery was sold last year to another ownership group.

Craft breweries have seen changes in the Niceville area and around the state of Florida. Earlier this year, Bayou Brewing on Partin Drive morphed into a taproom.

The changes are not just local, either. According to Florida Beer News, a trade site for the sunshine state, “It seems like a week cannot go by without news of a brewery opening or brewery closing.

Persimmon Hollow closed their Horizon West location in November. Pinglehead Brewing in Orange Park (Jacksonville Area) closed. Lemon Street Brewing of Jacksonville announced their closure. Tampa’s Zydeco Brew Werks announced their sudden closure. Beach Island Brewery of Dunedin closed, but Hook & Ladder Brewing is taking its place,” The publication wrote, “Altered Craft Distributing – the startup distributor who began to grow small brewers in the Tampa Market – abruptly announced they were going out of business.”

They say it has to do with eight variables:

a maturing craft beer market
changes in consumer desires
Inflation
Exploration of consumers outside of beer
Younger drinkers don’t drink beer
Pandemic inflation
Competition in the marketplace
Distribution is harder.

In addition, Paste reports that 2023 was a roller coaster year for craft breweries in the US in general. They cite a report from the Brewers Association that says more than 385 breweries closed in 2023 alone while another 420 opened.

The closure leaves 3rd Planet Brewing as the city of Niceville’s sole brewer. Just two years ago, there were four: 3rd Planet, Strange Colt, Bayou and Props.