Crosstown Brewing Company in Memphis served its last customers on October 17, 2026, and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on October 21, 2026. The closure affects a well-known local brewery and taproom at Concourse Avenue, and the court paperwork gives a clearer picture of the financial strain behind the shutdown.
What closed, and when it happened
Action News 5 reported that Crosstown Brewing Company closed after nine years in business, with a farewell gathering at the brewery on October 17. The station said owners marked the final day by thanking customers and the community that formed around the brewery. The taproom had operated near Crosstown Concourse in Memphis, and local drinkers knew it for beers including Traffic IPA.
NewsBreak’s cited reporting and local coverage identify the operating company as Crosstown Brewing Company, LLC, not Crosstown Concourse itself or other nearby businesses. That distinction matters because the bankruptcy case applies to the brewery business entity. Public court tracking also shows the filing was made in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
The bankruptcy case was filed as Chapter 7, case number 26-25793, on October 21, 2026, according to court tracking cited by local reports and bankruptcy docket services. Chapter 7 is a liquidation chapter, not a reorganization case designed to keep the business operating. As of the latest available reports, the taproom is closed and no completed sale of the brewery’s brands or equipment had been established.
What the bankruptcy paperwork says
Memphis Business Journal reported that the filing listed about $2.5 million in claims. That total included about $1.33 million in secured debt and about $1.17 million in unsecured debt, according to the petition figures cited in local coverage. The same reporting said the brewery estimated its assets at less than $50,000.
Among the secured claims, NewsBreak’s referenced summary, citing Memphis Business Journal, listed roughly $796,500 tied to Renasant Bank and about $327,200 connected to a Small Business Administration disaster loan. The filing also identified a lease-related claim of about $100,600 involving Crosstown Master Tenant LLC. Those figures come from bankruptcy disclosures and do not determine what creditors will ultimately recover.
Public docket reporting shows a Chapter 7 trustee has been identified and that a creditors’ meeting was set for November 23, 2026. That means the case is still at an early stage. For customers and local beer fans, the practical point is simpler: the brewery has stopped operating, and the legal process now shifts to sorting assets, debts, and creditor claims through liquidation.
Why the brewery said it could not keep going
Local reporting tied the closure to rising costs and weaker sales. NewsBreak’s source material, citing WREG and Memphis Business Journal, said co-founder Will Goodwin described inflation pressure and declining sales as major obstacles. He also said most of the brewery’s roughly 20 employees had already moved to other jobs by the time the closure became public.
The reporting also notes a major loss inside the company. Co-founder Clark Ortkiese died in July 2025, and Memphis Business Journal reported that Goodwin said he ultimately had to choose between taking on more debt or ending the operation. The brewery continued for more than a year after Ortkiese’s death before the final closure and bankruptcy filing.
For Memphis diners and drinkers, the food angle is the disappearance of a brewery taproom that had expanded its offerings with a kitchen in 2024, serving pizza, wings, and other pub food, according to the source material. The larger lesson for home cooks and local consumers is how quickly food and beverage businesses can change when borrowing costs, ingredient expenses, and customer habits move in the wrong direction at the same time.