Covered Bridge Brewhaus, located at 506 N. 8th St. in Shamokin, will close its doors on December 31 after 11 years in business.

Owner and brewmaster Eric Kuijpers and Cindy Popewczak shared the news in a video posted to the brewery’s Facebook page on November 5, saying they felt “it wasn’t right to just make a Facebook post.”

“It all started on a Thursday. This Thursday, December 31st, after 11 years, it will all end on a Thursday,” Kuijpers said. “We’re on the same boat as a lot of businesses and I’m not going to find excuses. The main reason is that in the last couple of years, traffic has been down and the costs keep increasing.”

The pair said they plan to “close in style,” with events planned over the next two months, and asked fans to keep an eye on the brewery’s Facebook page for announcements.

They also noted they own a building on Shamokin’s main street, and while they can’t recreate the taproom, “it’s not our time to leave Shamokin.” They asked the community to let them know what they’d like to see in a place. No plans have been announced.

“Support all of our local businesses because at the end, it’s only together that we can build a village,” they said.

The History Of Covered Bridge Brewhaus

Kuijpers, a Holland native, began homebrewing because he missed the variety of Dutch beer and eventually moved his brewery from his garage to the 8th Street storefront.

Brewing in small 120-gallon, direct-fire batches, the brewery grew from a single 12-seat room to three connected storefronts, including a Speakeasy that opened next door in 2019. Popewczak, a Shamokin native, designed the rooms. Its best seller has been Ho-butt, part of the brewery’s Coal Cracker series.

The closing makes Covered Bridge the second Shamokin brewery to announce it is shutting down this year, following Lost Mined Brewing in June.

To stay up to date on closing events, follow Covered Bridge Brewhaus on Facebook.