Anchor Brewing Company, the oldest craft brewery in the United States,

 

Anchor Brewing Company, the oldest craft brewery in the United States, announced on Wednesday that it is ceasing operations and liquidating the business due to "a combination of challenging economic factors and declining sales since 2016."  The company employs 61 people and was revived by Fritz Maytag in 1965 when he purchased the brewery and saved it from closure. The brewery was founded 127 years ago, in 1896, by Ernst F. J. Ulmer, Otto Schinkel, and Gustave Pabst. Anchor Brewing's annual sales declined by 20% from $80M in 2016 to $64M in 2022. Anchor Brewing was acquired by Sapporo Holdings in 2017 for $85M. The company's beer will still be sold through the end of July.