Craft Beer closure
Revered Fort Worth craft beer brewery Panther Island Brewing to close
Craft beer from Panther Island Brewing.
A beloved family-owned brewery in Fort Worth is closing: Panther Island Brewing, which has been brewing craft beer for more than a decade, will close its doors this weekend, after what they call "11 unforgettable years."
Spokesperson Johnnye Soles says that this weekend — February 6-8 — will be their last full weekend of taproom service, and they'll be closed next week.
"But we’ll gather for one final toast at a farewell event on Friday, February 13 from 6-10 pm," she says.
Named after the city’s Panther Island district, PIB was a family-owned microbrewery offering craft beers, a laid-back taproom, local events, and a strong community vibe along the Trinity River.
The brewery was founded in 2014 at the height of the craft beer craze by Ryan McWhorter and his family, north of downtown in what was then an isolated area with not much around it.
They surely changed that, attracting folks in droves who visited for their creative brews such as the award-winning Allergeez - American Wheat Ale, Tailgater-American Blond Ale, Sweet Fang-Chocolate Peanut Butter Milk Stout, and the whimsically titled Road Trip Snacks-English Brown Ale (made with Buc-ee's Beaver Nuggets) — plus seasonal beers such as their Summageez-American Wheat Ale and Queso Blanco-Mexican-Style Lager.
Their acclaim included making the top 10 list of best breweries in CultureMap's 2023 Tastemaker Awards. "We found our space in the market and won awards for our beers," Soles says.
Their spacious warehouse-style taproom also became a destination for live music, food trucks, and themed events such as fitness and cooking classes, music bingo, and open mic night – all paired with a frosty pint.
Soles says it's not the usual lease or landlord issue.
"Between the current climate and economy, there were a lot of factors," she says. "As a family, we agreed that this was the best path to move forward. It's just our time, and we wanted to go down swinging."
In a Facebook post, the family offered their thanks to "everyone who worked with us, the artists and musicians who filled our space with life, the fellow brewers who inspired us, and the incredible Fort Worth community who supported us from day one," before inviting everyone to come raise a glass one last time before the doors close for good.
