Update: One Brewery Closes While Another Pushes Through Foreclosure
Image: Courtesy Photo
Update, June 2, 2026: Motorworks Brewery posted on its social media channels over the weekend that, after a facing a $1.9 million foreclosure case, its Bradenton, Sarasota International Airport and Tampa locations will remain open.
“We want to take a moment to thank everyone for the incredible support, messages and encouragement over the past few days,” the post said. “We are happy to share that we are now current with the bank and working closely together to resolve the matter going forward.”
However, Motorworks' Orlando taproom—which had a notice posted to its door on May 26 saying the brewery currently owes $12,679.24 in unpaid rent—has closed and information about that location has been removed from the brewery's website.
It's a sad day for Bradenton beer lovers.
3 Keys Brewery announced in a social media this week that it will permanently close at the end of the month, citing the economic slowdown, and Motorworks Brewing is facing eviction from its Ninth Street West facility.
Motorworks Faces Eviction Due to Foreclosure Case
Twelve-year-old Motorworks Brewing is facing eviction from its Ninth Street West facility because of a $1.9 million foreclosure case, according to the Bradenton Herald.
Until recently, the brewery was still raking in accolades: this year, its ThaIPA and Headlight Lager won good medals at the 2026 Best Florida Beer Championship, and 27,000-square-foot brewery is known for its popular beer garden (the centerpiece of which as a 150-year-old oak tree), live music and food truck gatherings. The Bradenton brewery and event space opened in 2014; in 2020, the company opened another taproom in downtown Orlando. That location has closed, too, and a notice posted to its door on May 26 said Motorworks currently owes $12,679.24 in unpaid rent.
Image: Cooper Levey-Baker
3 Keys Says Slow Economy Has Made Running the Business Impossible
In its social post announcing the closure, 3 Keys ownership cited the economy as the reason it's closing after seven years in business. "“Like so many small businesses, the continued slowdown in the economy has made it no longer possible for us to keep going," the owners wrote. "It is not the ending we envisioned, but we are at peace knowing we gave it everything we had and that you were with us every step of the way." The brewery will be open through Sunday, May 31, for visitors to stop by for one last drink.
Sarasota Craft Breweries Aren't Immune to Turmoil, Either
Bradenton's craft beer scene isn't the only area that's faced turmoil in recent months. Last October, Big Top Brewing closed its Lakewood Ranch location to focus on its two other local outposts, one at Fruitville Commons and one on Cattlemen Road. Big Top was also sued by lenders claiming that it owed $4.6 million in unpaid loans, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
