One of the early trailblazers of the microbrewery craze is shuttering on January 31, as Larkspur’s Marin Brewing Company is the latest restaurant and brewery to go bottoms-up during the pandemic.

Way back in 1989, most of us thought the most innovative thing happening in the beer industry was a new Super Bowl ad campaign called the Bud Bowl. This notion of “craft beer” was yet unknown to most of America, and one of California’s first microbreweries had just opened in Larkspur. KPIX points out that at that time, “there were only 25 microbreweries in California, but now there are more than 1,000.”

KPIX points that out as they bring us the sad news that Marin Brewing Company is closing after a nearly 33 years in business. The Larkspur restaurant with an on-site microbrewery will serve its last beers, burgers, and pizza on January 31.

The above Instagram shows co-founders Brandon Moylan and Craig Tasley opening the place on April 1, 1989. The farewell announcement is full of supportive and sympathetic comments from other microbreweries and brewpubs, like 21st Amendment, Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, and Santa Rosa’s Third Street Aleworks.

This is clearly caused by pandemic-related financial difficulties, as Moylan notes the place is behind on rent, and did not get any relief through the botched government relief program Restaurant Revitalization Fund. “Some of the hardest parts about closing is just knowing that you’re going to have to tell 50 people that they’re not going to have a job anymore,” Moylan told KPIX.

It’s a huge loss for the Bay Area, as Marin Brewing Company is one of those craft brewers that popularizes names of towns through their various beer releases. They’re the brewery responsible such Marin Country referencing titles as Mt. Tam Pale Ale, Stinson Beach Peach, Point Reyes Porter, and very amusingly, San Quentin’s Breakout Stout.

Moylan will, however, keep at it with his other brewpub, Moylan's Brewery & Restaurant, 12 miles north in Novato.

Related: Beer Shortage Hits SF Bars Amidst Supply Chain Hiccup [SFist]

Image: Mimi S. via Yelp