Necromancer Brewing Co. closing, 2nd location won’t open

Necromancer Brewing Co. in Ross is closing.

And that means Midnight Whistler Pub in Greenfield won’t be opening.

The decision was announced Monday in an Instagram post.

The microbrewery and brew pub was open for three years and Midnight Whistler, a second location, was planned to open in the former Hough’s Taproom in Greenfield.

“It’s an unfortunate financial decision, and one we do not make lightly,” the post said. “Between operating costs that continue to rise, and the overall state of the industry — there isn’t much room for error.”

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A Feb. 13 Instagram post by Necromancer indicated there was an issue with a liquor license, which renders them unable to sell or package beer.

“I’m so proud of our team and all the work they did at Necromancer and our community,” Necromancer owner Ben Butler said. “They truly made an impact that won’t be soon forgotten. This decision has nothing to do with them or their efforts. There are obviously a lot of loose ends to tie off, which will be an arduous process.”

Midnight Whistler, also the name of a beer brewed at Necromancer, was supposed to replace Hough’s, a staple in the neighborhood for nearly two decades. The vision was to have English styles available such as Necromancer’s World Beer Cup winning English Style Pale Ale, or Indiana Brewer’s Cup Dark Mild, Butler had told TribLive.

Butler said not being able to renew the license, which is $3,000, due to various factors, isn’t the primary reason for closing. There are several taxes and the cost of yeast and grain has gone up by 500% over the past 18 months, he said.

As for the Hough’s location, he said the building presented unforeseen issues that they could not get over and it became too much.

“We ran out of money,” Butler said. “And we couldn’t continue operating this way. We had some missteps that we couldn’t recover from. This was a financial decision. This is not a high-margin business. It is difficult to make ends meet.”

He said for those people who paid money to be in the mug club at Midnight Whistler, his intention is to give refunds — though that could take some time.

“They paid for something they didn’t get and I want to get them their money back,” Butler said. “That is the right thing to do.”

Before it closes for good, Necromancer’s 2257 Babcock Blvd. location will be open from 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday. All beer will be free to consume or take with a limit of one case per person.

There will be a virtual tip jar where proceeds will go to the staff. Merchandise and glassware will be for sale.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s website states that liquor cannot be sold without a license, but it can be given away.

“It is legal to give away free beer as long as it’s truly free,” Butler said. ”You can’t charge a cover fee or have a people buy a ticket to get in. It is in the (Liquor Control Board) code.”

He said he was told he could be put in jail if he tried to sell beer without a renewed liquor license and that the inventory can’t be transferred to another business owner.

He said there is a lot of beer.

Shawn Kelly, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board in Harrisburg, confirmed that without a valid liquor license, beer can be given away.

However, he added that it “can be complicated.”

By free that means free, he said — no cover charge, no free beer with the purchase of a meal.

He can’t speak specifically about Necromancer, but said an establishment also needs to not be violating any territorial agreement entered into, such as with another business that sells the beer.

The beer has to be properly registered and produced lawfully. He said the liquor control board does not police this, the State Police Liquor Control Enforcement does.