Old Colony Brewing, the small craft brewery that has poured pints out of downtown Whitman for years, is shutting down for good. The brewery at 599 Washington St. is set to cease operations on October 3, capping a run that saw it become a fixture of the town's center.
The closure was first reported by Boston Restaurant Talk, which covers the Boston-area restaurant and bar scene and reported that Old Colony Brewing experienced rising costs alongside declining sales. The outlet did not specify the exact financial figures behind the decision, but the combination of higher expenses and softer demand tracks with a broader squeeze hitting small breweries across the country.
Old Colony Brewing describes itself on its own website as “a small craft brewery that is located in Whitman, MA,” inviting visitors to “come have a pint or grab a Crowler or 4-Pack to go,” according to oldcolonybrewing.com. The brewery moved into its Washington Street space in Whitman's town center in 2020 after previously operating on Route 18, giving it a visible home in the middle of downtown for the better part of six years.
A Familiar Face Behind the Taps
Photos taken outside the brewery in the summer of 2021 show Dennis Nash identified as the owner and brewer of Old Colony Brewing, standing outside the same Washington Street storefront, according to The Enterprise News. Those images captured the exterior of the brewery as a downtown Whitman staple, long before this month's closure announcement surfaced.
What becomes of the Washington Street space, and who exactly is running the brewery's final days, remains unclear based on available reporting. What is confirmed is the date: the brewery is scheduled to pour its last drinks on October 3, giving regulars just days to stop in before the taps go dry for good.
A Rough Stretch for Craft Beer Nationwide
Old Colony's struggles echo a difficult year across the industry. Total U.S. craft beer production fell 4% in 2025 to 22,034,000 barrels, with 60% of breweries reporting declines, according to the Brewers Association. The trade group also reported that craft beer's retail dollar value slipped 2.8% year over year to $28.0 billion, while the number of operating craft breweries nationwide dropped 2.9% to 9,578.
New brewery openings sank to just 300 in 2025, down from 518 the year before, even as closures also eased somewhat to 481 from 591, per the same Brewers Association data. The craft brewing workforce shrank too, losing 6,000 jobs, or 3%, year over year to land at 191,000. For the first time, more craft breweries are closing than opening nationally, the Brewers Association has found, according to FOX6 Milwaukee.
That station's report points to rising costs for raw materials and shipping as key pressures squeezing small breweries' profitability, compounded by a 2% nationwide drop in beer sales in 2024. The same account notes that more drinkers are opting for to-go orders and delivery instead of settling in at brewery taprooms, a shift that can hollow out the on-site sales many small operations depend on.
Old Colony Joins a Growing List of Closures
Whitman's brewery is far from alone among Massachusetts and regional operations shutting their doors in recent years. Cambridge Brewing Company announced its closure in 2024, as reported by Wicked Local, and the same outlet reported that BearMoose Brewing Company in Everett announced it would close in April 2025.
Beyond Massachusetts, Epicure Brewing in Norwich announced its closure after nine years, according to CT Insider, while City Steam Brewery in Hartford closed after 26 years in business, as the New Haven Register reported. Further west, Lefty's Brewing Company in Greenfield announced back in 2019 that it would close its doors, according to WWLP.
For now, Old Colony Brewing's final countdown stands at October 3, giving Whitman residents one last chance to grab a pint, a Crowler, or a four-pack before the small craft brewery becomes another entry on that lengthening list.
