It was 2009 when Kevin Dyer, who had the good sense to recognize the potential for craft beer based on the early years of San Diego’s suds surge, opened the doors to Black Market Brewing. Constructed in a sizable industrial unit in a business park just off Interstate 15, it was the city of Temecula’s first hometown beermaking operation, but it would be far from its last.
Over the next 15 years, inspired in part by the success of Black Market, which did a good job of attracting consumers to its remote location and getting its beers into distribution in both Riverside and San Diego Counties, numerous entrepreneurs opened breweries in Temecula as well as the neighboring communities of Murrieta and Menifee. Those local breweries were joined by taprooms from established out-of-town operations such as Barrel & Stave Brewing (Fullerton), Karl Strauss Brewing (San Diego), Stone Church Brewing (Corona) and Wild Barrel Brewing (Vista).
By 2023 there were 17 breweries and brewery-owned venues operating in that trio of south Riverside municipalities. Fast forward three short years and, while the overall brewery count remains healthy, the landscape has changed significantly. Smaller operations like Electric Brewing, Inland Wharf Brewing and Temecula Brewing have shuttered, but have been replaced by a wave of newcomers, keeping the region’s overall brewery count relatively the same.
What’s most noteworthy is how many of Temecula’s largest and longest-operating breweries, the cornerstone companies that kicked off the city’s craft-beer ascent, have closed. Those operations include Aftershock Brewing, Ironfire Brewing and Refuge Brewery, all of which opened in 2012 and were among Temecula’s most popular and respected beer companies. This leaves Black Market as the lone brewery from the early days…but soon that 17-year-old concern will be gone as well.
Over the weekend, Dyer took to social media to announce that Black Market’s last day of business will be Sunday, November 15.
“Last year the building that we have occupied since 2009 was sold. The investment group that purchased the building did so with the specific purpose of converting those units to industrial condos for purchase only,” noted the social-media post explaining the closure. “We attempted over the last year to negotiate with them on how we could stay. Ultimately those efforts failed, and our lease will not be renewed.”
This isn’t Black Market’s first time dealing with a closure. In 2019, Dyer opened a satellite brewpub in San Diego’s College Area, a mile and a half from San Diego State University. Given the crowded craft-brewing industry, Dyer believed it was important to be “aggressive” in his efforts to expose more people to Black Market’s brand and allow them to experience a wider array of styles going beyond the company’s distribution portfolio.
The venue faced numerous challenges, not the least of which was the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the location opening and closing several times. Dyer eventually closed the business in 2022, stating that he had tried for two years to renegotiate the company’s lease with his landlord. When closing the business, he said he intended to take the brewing and cellar equipment from the College Area location to Texas, where he planned to set up a satellite location. That project never came to be, leaving Dyer’s efforts solely focused on Black Market’s home base over the past four years.
“We want to say thank you to the city of Temecula and all our loyal customers local and afar who have supported us for nearly 18 years.”
From now through November 15, Black Market’s hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m to 8 p.m. on Sundays.
Black Market Brewing is located at 41740 Enterprise Circle North, Suite 109 in Temecula