Bluffton just lost one of its best hangouts, or it will on December 31. Lot 9 Brewing Co. announced on Wednesday that they will be closing their tap room on Red Cedar Drive effective December 31st.

Two friends started Lot 9 in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, and it grew into the kind of place locals pointed visitors to without a second thought. Tucked into a light industrial park, with a rotating lineup of food trucks parked outside, it went from hidden gem to one of the busiest spots in town. They were also the first brewery in the Lowcountry to brew a Slow Pour Pilsner, which tells you a lot about how they did things.

For my money is was the best beer on either side of the Savannah River. I kept waiting for some of it to find me in Savannah.

In their post to social media, owners say they spent the past year in a legal fight, and that the POA ruled food trucks will no longer be allowed on the property under a new lease. With no kitchen in the building, they say the taproom can’t keep going without them. They also say they hope the Lot 9 spirit finds another way forward. So there is hope. It’s just that no one knows what hope looks like right now. We shall see.

Their plan for the last two months is simple: drink the place dry. The tanks are full, and there’s house-made root beer and black cherry soda, plus cans, crowlers and merch to stock up on.

So go. Pull up a stool and pour one for the road. I know I will.

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