The Covey: Award-winning brewpub closes

This column started out to be a comparison of the locally brewed Oktoberfest beers, but as of this writing there is one fewer for that list. As of last Friday—quite abruptly, with mere hours notice—Fort Worth’s award-winning brewpub The Covey Restaurant & Brewery closed its doors for good.

On the surface, all seemed well. There was little telling of financial difficulties, or attempts to game the menu, hours or costs to meet a budgetary shortfall. Quite the contrary, as only last week brewer Jamie Fulton brought home a bronze medal from the Great American Beer Festival.

It was not that The Covey was bleeding money but a lease renewal pending in November gave Fulton an opportunity to reassess his four-year-old venture. At the same time, a most promising opportunity came available and he felt now was the time to make his move.

Fulton was approached with an offer to join a Washington, D.C., start-up to be called Farmers & Brewers, a restaurant/brewpub concept opening in 2012 from the Founding Farmers group. He gets in on the ground floor of this venture as a brewer with incentives, as opposed to the pressures and responsibility of running a restaurant while trying to brew.

As long-time fans and patrons of The Covey, the sudden absence of our local brewpub is something that will take getting used to. We have all enjoyed watching the beers in our mugs win national awards and recognition, laughed at and liked some of the experiments, and made some great friends while doing all of the above.

We understand the decision, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it. Texas needs its brewers to stay here, but we wish Fulton success and hope he goes on to represent our state well.

Cheers!
paul@scientist.com