An undercover agent from the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control was able to sell alcohol described as stolen to staff members at the Brown Jug and also to purchase illegal drugs from other bar patrons with bartenders' assistance, and now the bar is super closed forever. The ABC confirms to Hoodline that they have indefinitely suspended the liquor license at the long-running Tenderloin booze den, where the establishment's phone number has been disconnected. Yelp users also reported the closure.
A member of the bars-that-open-at 6 a.m. club, the Brown Jug (496 Eddy at Hyde) has reportedly operated since 1941, according to Tenderloin blog Up From The Deep, although judging by the location's unique musk, you might be forgiven for assuming it was even older.
The ABC conducted its independent investigation over the course of five months. The agency's undercover agent allegedly sold the "stolen" liquor to multiple bartenders' and staff and reportedly involved the bar's owner, too. Samson Christopher Eric Baker of San Francisco, one bartender, allegedly facilitated the sale of cocaine, connecting the undercover agent with another patron. He was arrested when the ABC contacted SFPD on June 2.
Hoodline observes that talk of the Brown Jug's closure had been swirling before the ABC investigation was completed, digging up this tweet as evidence.
Time is fast running out. The Brown Jug will be closing down forever in 2 or 3 weeks, a month at most, & the future looks grim. 8^((
— Me and My Shadow (@tobiemarx) May 26, 2016
The Brown Jug's liquor license was suspended on June 16 and is not eligible for reinstatement. The best owner Max McIntire can do would be to transfer the license to another business at a new location, and any bar hoping to serve booze at 496 Eddy will need to wait a year to apply for its own license.
