Hoster Brewing Co., one of oldest business names in Columbus, is closing – again.
A statement issued Sept. 23 by Dan Meyers, who resurrected the 190-year-old Hoster brand in 2021 with a brewery and later a taproom on the East Side, said the operation will close Oct. 31. Hoster will distribute its wholesale kegged beer until the end of 2026 or until its supply runs out, he said.
"The hospitality industry is facing an incredibly challenging climate, with rapidly rising ingredient, material and energy costs," Meyers said in his announcement. He said changing consumer habits – alcohol sales and consumption are down – are "making it difficult for independent breweries like ours to continue operating sustainably."
Hoster began brewing beer in Columbus
in 1836, when German immigrant Louis Hoster opened a brewery on Front Street. What became the L. Hoster Brewing Co. produced 300,000 barrels a year by the start of the 20th century, but it shut down in 1920 after the start of Prohibition.
The Hoster name's first revival came in the 1990s in the form of a brewpub at High and Hoster streets in German Village, but that bar closed in 2001. Meyers bought the rights to the Hoster name in 2004 and began brewing its signature Gold Top beer through agreements with other local brewers.
In 2021, he took over the location of another former local brewery at 653 N. James Road and opened the taproom there in 2024.
"We have been honored stewards of the Hoster legacy," Meyers said in a Hoster news release. He said he hopes to find a new home for the brand, possibly with another local brewery.
"We sincerely hope this is not the end of the Hoster legacy," he said.
Follow Dispatch dining reporter Bob Vitale on Instagram at @dispatchdining. You can reach him directly at rvitale@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Hoster Brewing Co., a 190-year-old Columbus brand, is closing again
