CLEVELAND — A major Northeast Ohio brewery is closing its doors, with Platform Beer Co. shutting down its Cleveland tap room and ceasing production on all but three of its beers.
A Platform spokesperson confirmed the closing to 3News with the following statement:
"As we navigate through the changing industry and operational challenges, it has become clear that Platform’s production and commercial efforts need to be focused on three beers: Haze Jude IPA, Odd Future Imperial IPA, and our new Canalway IPA. We are grateful to be part of the Ohio beer community and look forward to continuing to provide local beer drinkers with the IPAs they’ve come to love."
Platform Beer Co. was founded by Paul Benner and Justin Carson in 2014, the same year that it opened its taproom located at 4125 Lorain Ave. The company, which had become known for its locally-themed brews, also opened taphouses in Columbus and Cincinnati -- which have since closed -- as well as a sour-production facility on Sackett Avenue in Cleveland known as Phunkenship.
"In speaking with the other craft brewery founders in Brewers Collective, we know partnering with Anheuser-Busch means we will have the resources and the autonomy to bring our vision for Platform Beer Co. to life,” Benner said in a news release at the time. “Being able to continue leading the day-to-day operations was an important factor in our decision and we have no doubt that this partnership will benefit our loyal staff and passionate customer base."