Luray Brewery Announces Permanent Closure
LURAY, Va. — After nearly nine years in operation, Hawksbill Brewing Company has permanently closed its doors.
The brewery, which first opened in late 2017, was the first craft brewery of its kind in Luray. It became known for beers made with ingredients — including honey and blackberries — sourced from the local region.
Over the years, the brewery served as a popular gathering place for residents and tourists. It regularly hosted holiday celebrations, events such as Oktoberfest, trivia and bingo, and countless fundraisers.
Rumors about the brewery owners potentially not renewing their building lease began circulating in late April of 2026
On May 18, a statement announcing the closure was posted on the brewery’s official Facebook page.
Dear Friends,
After much thought and many conversations, we have made the difficult decision to close Hawksbill Brewing Company.
Our final day of service will be Sunday, May 24.
What began as a small brewery with big hopes became something far more meaningful because of this community.
Over the past nine years, we've shared countless pints, conversations, celebrations, music nights, fundraisers, friendships, and memories together.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who walked through our doors — customers, employees, business partners (food trucks and fellow businesses), friends, pets, and neighbors alike.
Running a small independent brewery has never been easy, but your support made it worthwhile every step of the way.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives and part of this community.
As we approach our final week, we hope you'll stop by, share one more beer with us, and help us celebrate everything we built together.
From the bottom of our hearts,
Thank you for nine unforgettable years.
Hawksbill Brew Crew
Hundreds of comments were posted in response to the brewery’s announcement, with many expressing shock and sadness over the closure.
Others shared messages of gratitude and well-wishes for the brewery owners and staff.
We discovered your brewery 2 years ago visiting from New Jersey, and absolutely loved the location and the beer. We are very sad that the next time we visit you won’t be there. Thank you for making our visits to Luray so wonderful. Good luck in the future. — M.S. Canderan
You have been a cornerstone for Luray downtown businesses. It will be a hole in the heart of tourism and the many things you have done for the county. Make you next adventures be fun as I know there will be more! — N. Sottosanti
I dreaded reading this announcement. I will miss Hawksbill Brewery and I’m grateful for memories of good times there that will stay with me forever. Thank you for being such a fantastic community builder for these past nine years. You’ll always have a special place in our beer-loving hearts. Cheers to the future! — P. Kearns
This breaks my heart. Hawksbill was inclusive of everyone and anyone. When we moved here in 2020, Deanne Firkin Good accepted us with open arms. She made my wife and I feel like part of something much bigger than a brewery. Hawksbill was a meeting house, a judgement free safe zone for everyone. Julie Leffew carried this same paradigm forward. Hawksbill was a town must have, and we would not be as accepted into this community with out it. Thank you for the past 6 years from both of us. You will be missed. Love you all. — D.C. Caldwell
