Old-school LA SoCal brewery known for traditional cask ales closing after 12 years

On a Sunday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley, shattered patrons and employees came together for a going away party of a beloved institution.MacLeod Ale Brewing Co., a cult-favorite Van Nuys brewery — known for its old-school British cask ales and house made pizzas, and neighborhood vibe — announced it’s shutting down on September 27, marking the latest casualty on Los Angeles’ brutal small-business landscape.Founded in 2014 by husband and wife duo Alastair and Jennifer Boase, MacLeod’s was one of the valley’s first craft breweries.“We were not afraid to pick a city that was a little bit shabby.We weren’t snobbish about where we should be,” said Co-founder Alastair Boase told the California Post.

“We thought, ‘Hey, Van Nuys needs something like this.’”The brewery distinguished itself by going all in on “real ale” — with imported English grains, naturally carbonated, cask-conditioned beer.For more than a decade, MacLeod’s brought a steady stream of young, hip Angelenos to a gritty stretch of Calvert St.known best for a string of auto body shops. “It’s sad that we’re leaving and the fact that Budweiser is still here doing fine,” said Boase, referencing Anheuser-Busch’s Van Nuys brewery. The business did their best to make people feel at home — in any way they could.

“We provided a wonderful little community center of sorts.We did darts.

We did cornhole.We did giant Jenga.

We did wonderful board game nights,” Boase recounted.“We hosted birthday parties, going away parties, retirement parties, every kind of celebration you can imagine.And then we opened a pizza kitchen four years in, and then became a world-class pizzeria,” he said.MacLeod’s is one of numerous independent breweries closing its doors, reportedly due declining demand and rising costs.

Those pressures are being felt throughout Southern California’s craft beer industry — and all across the country.481 craft breweries closed across the ...