Information is very limited at the moment, but we are pursuing a story about the sudden closing of Pyramid Alehouse, the popular brew pub on K Street downtown.
We have contacted the company's corporate office in Seattle for an explanation. So far, the only thing we know is what's posted on the local pub's Facebook page:
"As of today, Monday, March 4, the Sacramento Pyramid Alehouse has permanently closed its doors. It's been an amazing 10 years and we want to thank all of our loyal customers who have become friends."
Along with the now-shuttered Sacramento location, Pyramid Brewing has what it calls "alehouses" in Berkeley, Walnut Creak, Portland and Seattle. The timing is odd, to the say the least, coming a day after the end of the very successful 4th annual Sacramento Beer Week.
Here's an update:
We're not getting a lot more from corporate, but here's s a lengthier statement about the closure.
"The Pyramid Sacramento Alehouse business has declined due to economic, social and competitive factors affecting downtown businesses in the area. The Sacramento location will close on March 4, 2013. Employees have been notified and offered severance," said Glenn Hancock, Pyramid Breweries.
"We want to thank all of our Sacramento employees for their hard work and years of service and the Sacramento community for their patronage," said Hancock. "Pyramid Breweries will focus resources on Alehouse locations with breweries in California, Oregon and Washington, along with our successful location in Walnut Creek. Brewing beer and creating an experience around beer is at the heart of what we do."
Note the mention of the poor economy, along with other "competitive factors." Hard to say which sunk Pyramid. The location may have played a role, too. That said, the best places in town are really humming, despite what the leading economic indicators suggest. We went to Magpie Cafe for brunch on Sunday and couldn't get a table. We went to Red Rabbit recently for dinner and the wait was over an hour. Hot City Pizza during Beer Week? The line was out the door. And I was just in Santa Rosa, where folks stand in lines for up to seven hours to drink Pliny the Younger at Russian River Brewing. Sure, this economy is tough for many. But what it does more than anything is magnify weaknesses.
Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.
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