08/28/2026
Contact Information: Shipyard Brewpub
Fred Forsley
E: [email protected]
Release Date:
August 28, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SHIPYARD BREW PUB IN ELIOT TO CLOSE AFTER 20 YEARS
ELIOT, Maine — August 28, 2026 — After Over 20 years of serving the Eliot community, the Shipyard Brew Pub at Eliot Commons Shopping Center, 28 Levesque Drive, will be closing its doors on Monday, August 31st.
The decision comes after growing financial challenges associated with the property made continued operation of the restaurant no longer sustainable. For over two decades, the Shipyard Brew Pub has been proud to be part of the Eliot community, serving generations of local families, friends and visitors while providing jobs and supporting community organizations and events.
“This is an incredibly difficult decision for all of us,” said Fred Forsley, founder and owner of Shipyard Brewing Company. “We love being part of the Eliot community. We have wonderful employees, incredible customers and so many relationships that have been built here over the years. Unfortunately, given the financial realities at the property, we have reached a point where we can no longer subsidize the business in order to keep it operating.”
Like many restaurants today, the Shipyard Brew Pub has faced a combination of increasing financial pressures, including rising food, fuel, labor and operating costs. Adding significantly to those challenges has been the suspension of payments from the Town of Eliot associated with the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreement connected to the development of Eliot Commons. Since 2010, the TIF arrangement has played an important role in supporting the development and ongoing economics of the property. These payments are an important part of sustaining the property, and ownership believes the amount currently owed under the agreement has grown to more than $100,000 and continues to increase. Ownership remains hopeful that the Town will find a path toward resolving the outstanding payments. In the meantime, their suspension, combined with the broader financial pressures facing the restaurant industry, has created an additional burden that has made continued operation of the Brew Pub increasingly difficult.
Ownership said the hardest part of the decision is its impact on the employees and longtime customers who have made the Brew Pub part of the Eliot community for so many years. The company will make every effort to provide current staff with employment opportunities at the Regatta Banquet Center, Shipyard Commissary Kitchen and other affiliated locations.
“We are heartbroken to close the doors,” Forsley added. “Twenty plus years is a long time, and we are enormously grateful to everyone who has been part of this place — our guests, Mug Club members, employees, neighbors and the entire Eliot community. There are a lot of memories here, and we will always be thankful for the support people have shown us.”
Mug Club members will have an opportunity to pick up their mugs, and Shipyard plans to continue hosting Mug Club events at the Regatta Banquet Center in the near future. Additional details will be shared soon for the Mug Club community. In the mean time if you would like info about Mug Club, please contact Claudine: ([email protected]).
While the Shipyard Brew Pub will cease operations, ownership is actively exploring opportunities to bring a new operator and potentially a new hospitality concept into the space. The goal is to find a path that can once again make the location a vibrant gathering place and employer within the Eliot community.
The Regatta Banquet & Conference Center and The Shipyard Commissary Kitchen, located next door, are not closing and will continue normal operations. The Regatta will continue hosting weddings, celebrations, meetings, community gatherings and other scheduled events.
“We remain committed to the property and hopeful about what can come next,” Forsley said. “Our immediate focus is on our employees and thanking the people of Eliot who have supported the Brew Pub for so many years. We leave this chapter with very heavy hearts, but also with tremendous gratitude for over 20 years we were fortunate enough to spend here.”
The Shipyard Brew Pub plans to close its doors at the end of business on Monday, August 31st. Ownership will continue exploring opportunities for new operators and concepts for the space, with additional information to be shared as plans develop.
About Shipyard Brewing Company
Shipyard Brewing Company is a Maine-based craft brewery founded by Fred Forsley and brewer Alan Pugsley. Since its beginnings in 1994, Shipyard has grown into one of Maine’s best-known craft beer brands, producing a wide range of traditional and seasonal beers while supporting communities throughout Maine and New England.
Media Contact:
Fred Forsley
E: [email protected]
