Southwest Florida craft beer fans started 2026 without two popular breweries, which shut off their taps permanently near the end of the year.
Both Crazy Dingo in Fort Myers and Scotty’s Bierwerks in Cape Coral ran into lease problems, they say.
But that’s not the only issue bedeviling the small brewer. According to a Gallup poll recently, alcohol consumption is the lowest it has been in the poll’s 90-year history. Health concerns are a factor, say medical experts. But so is economics, said Paloma Hromalik, director of the Florida Brewers Guild and a 10-year veteran of the industry.
"I think people are drinking less because prices are higher than they were before, let's say pre-COVID. I think after COVID, things changed a lot for the industry. People are maybe going out less," Hromalik said.
Craft brewery closings continue to outpace openings, according to a June 2025 report by the Brewers Association, a national industry group. And lease affordability isn’t just a local problem, either.
"Prices for leases are getting higher, so in recent years a lot of breweries are having a difficult time renewing the leases," Hromalik said.
Rising equipment and ingredient costs are also an issue.
"The supplies are more expensive. Cans usually come from either Canada or international. There's some from here too, but grain is international too, and that's more expensive with tax. Groceries are more expensive. So I think all around we're struggling right now," Hromalik continued.
More choices in beverages may be affecting the craft beer market also, in both good and bad ways.
"There's also more variety of drinks. There's the seltzers now. So a lot of brewers are getting into those. There's THC. Some brewers are doing that as well. So I think maybe just more options for drinkers."
Brewers are also watching closely state legislation that would allow small breweries to cut out the middleman and self-distribute, as they can in nearly 40 other states.
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