Hundreds of high-quality craft breweries have faced economic distress during the Craft Beer Apocalypse, with many filing for bankruptcy protection to continue operating and others forced to close.
The craft beer industry faced 385 brewery closures in 2023 and another 399 closings in 2024, according to the Brewers Association.
The industry downturn led to more brewery closures than openings in 2025, with 434 shutting down and 268 opening by mid-December 2025, Brewbound reported on social media.
Among the breweries filing for bankruptcy, several have won awards at the nation’s top beer competition, the Great American Beer Festival, including Kiitos Brewing LLC.
Brewery won 2 gold medals
The Salt Lake City-based craft beer company won two gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival in October 2024 for its Blonde and Pale Ale beers, according to the company’s Instagram post.
Kiitos Brewing, however, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 24, 2026, to reorganize and continue operating, according to Bankruptcy Observer.
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Kiitos Brewing files for bankruptcy
The pioneering craft brewery chain filed its petition, No. 26-22348, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah, listing $100,000 to $500,000 in assets and $1 million to $10 million in liabilities, according to documents from RK Consultants.
Kiitos Brewing did not indicate a specific reason for filing for bankruptcy in its petition.
The debtor’s founder and owner, Andrew Dasenbrock, launched the brewery, located at 608 West 700 South in Salt Lake City, in 2016 using a high-efficiency brewing system, which saves energy and uses 40% less water and 15%-20% less grain, according to Kiitos‘ website.
Kiitos Brewing also only uses aluminum cans, and no glass, in its brewery production, since aluminum is a sustainable metal that can be recycled indefinitely, and production requires far less energy, the website said.
“In fact, canning protects the beer from sunlight and “skunking” better than bottled beers,” according to Kiitos.
Kiitos brews Fonio beer
The brewery, which has a capacity of about 7,000 barrels per year, launched the first 100% Fonio beer in the U.S., using the West African fonio grain and its unique mash press brewing system, Salt Lake City Weekly reported in January 2025.
Kiitos Brewing opened a second location at 1533 South 1100 East, known as its Sugar House Bar location, on Oct. 7, 2025, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
The company did not list or mention the Sugar House location anywhere on its website on April 26. A company spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
Other bankrupt breweries win awards
Other award-winning breweries have filed for bankruptcy this year, including Lock 27 Brewing, which filed its Chapter 11 petition on April 22. The brewery was honored in 2020 with a Bronze Medal for its Wolk Belgian-style Witbier at the Great American Beer Festival, according to American Craft Beer.
San Francisco brewery Olfactory Brewing, which won a gold medal in the Great American Beer Festival‘s Mixed-Culture Brett Beer category in 2024, closed its Berkeley, Calif., taproom in February 2026, and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation on March 4, 2026, facing unsustainable costs, according to social media posts.
Kiitos Brewing’s canned beers:
- Blonde Ale
- Pale Ale
- Amber Ale
- Coconut Stout
- Coffee Cream Ale
- Blackberry Sour
- Pilsner
- Imperial Stout
- Northeast IPA
- India Pale Ale
- Double India Pale Ale
Related: Award-winning toy and game maker files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
