Marble Brewery is closing the doors on its Northeast Heights taproom in Albuquerque by the end of December, ending a decade-long run at 9904 Montgomery NE as the company says the building's rent has become too costly to sustain. The closure affects eight staff members, and comes as the craft beer industry nationwide continues to shed breweries faster than new ones open.
Rent Pressures Finally Force a Decision
According to KOB, Marble Brewery announced Wednesday that it would close its Northeast Heights location by the end of December, with the company stating the rent of the building was “not sustainable.” The brewery said keeping the taproom open would have financially burdened the company and its two other Albuquerque locations, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Marble has reportedly dealt with rent issues at the site for a year and a half before reaching this decision.
The Heights taproom has been open for ten years, per KRQE. Marble's Downtown and Westside locations will remain open, and events and rentals already booked at the Heights site through December will still go on, the station's report notes. The brewery also said it will continue specials and local collaborations throughout 2026.
Staff Offered Other Roles, Downtown Property Listed for Sale
Eight staff members are affected by the closure, per co-owner Jarrett Babincsak, and employees have been offered the choice to discuss opportunities to remain with the company in other locations or roles, according to an email from Babincsak cited by the Journal. Separately, Marble has listed its Downtown facilities for sale, with the Journal reporting the move is designed to keep Marble as a tenant there while raising capital for expansion.
Marble underwent new ownership at the start of 2025, when a group led by Bert Boyce and Babincsak finalized a management agreement and moved to complete the purchase of the brewery, according to abq.news. Babincsak said in August that Marble is navigating industry headwinds by focusing on quality beer and community building, and the company said the closure, while upsetting, was the right call — adding that customer support has kept Marble on the right path and that it intends to stay that way.
A Tougher Market for Craft Beer Nationwide
Marble's retrenchment arrives amid a broader contraction in craft brewing. Nationally, brewery closings outpaced openings for the second year in a row in 2025, and openings declined for the fourth consecutive year, according to the Journal's coverage of New Mexico's industry headwinds. The Brewers Association reported that the number of operating U.S. craft breweries fell 2.9% in 2025 to 9,578, while new brewery openings dropped sharply to 300 from 518 the year before even as closures also declined, to 481 from 591. The trade group noted that hospitality-driven models like brewpubs and taprooms remained comparatively resilient even as the broader market corrected.
New Mexico has already seen a harder version of this story play out. Bosque Brewing closed its six remaining statewide taprooms after a federal judge dismissed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, the Journal reported, though Bosque beers continue to be brewed at Marble and sold in stores. Industry watchers point to market saturation, changing consumer tastes and rising costs as the drivers behind the downturn, a dynamic also described by the Los Angeles Times in its coverage of California breweries like Triple Rock and Stone Brewing's Escondido flagship closing amid similar pressures.
