What’s Going On With Hellbender?

On Saturday, March 19th, 2022, Hellbender Brewing Company announced via Instagram that they would be closed that weekend due to “a critical mass of routine and essential repairs and maintenance in the brewery.” 

As first reported by Barred in DC, this was not the case. In fact, Hellbender’s license to produce alcohol was canceled “by the ABC [Alcoholic Beverage Control] Board on November 18, 2020 because they failed to meet the September 30, 2020 renewal deadline and failed to respond to a cease and desist order on October 28, 2020.” In short, Hellbender had been producing, serving, and selling beer for sixteen months without a license. Yikes. 

Hellbender reached out to the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA), seeking a reinstatement of their license to produce alcohol. ABRA and the ABC Board denied the request on March 23rd, 2022 and Hellbender remains closed for the time being. 

You have questions. We have some answers (and some speculation). 

How did this happen? 

We

…