Proclamation Ale Company closes after lawsuit, pandemic pressures in Warwick

Proclamation Ale Company is shutting its Warwick brewery after 12 years, a loss that reaches beyond one taproom and into the hard economics facing mature craft breweries trying to survive a tighter market. Lori Witham said the brewery had been silently battling a number of hardships before deciding to close, and the company said the move followed a costly lawsuit by a minority partner that drained financial resources, along with post-pandemic challenges that made steady operations harder to maintain.

The announcement landed Friday, May 1, 2026, and it closed a chapter that began in early 2014, when Dave Witham founded Proclamation as a nano system in West Kingston, Rhode Island. The brewery later opened a much larger Warwick facility in December 2017, building a recognizable presence in a state where local beer fans came to know Proclamation as one of the names shaping the modern scene. The company describes itself as a woman-owned brewery in Warwick, just a few blocks from T.F. Green Airport.

Dave Witham’s death after a cancer diagnosis added another layer to the brewery’s story. WJAR reported that he was widely known for helping shape Rhode Island’s craft beer industry, and Proclamation has said his vision, along with Lori Witham’s support, helped establish the brewery’s place in state beer culture. For many regulars, the closure means losing not only a brand but also a familiar taproom and a business that helped define the state’s craft identity during its growth years.

The shutdown also fits into a wider shakeout. Reporting on the closure said Rhode Island still has nearly 30 operating breweries, but Proclamation was one of three in the state to announce closures around the same time, alongside Ravenous Brewing Company and Crafted Hope Brewing Company. Nationally, the Brewers Association said the U.S. craft beer industry saw 399 closings and 335 openings in 2024, a reminder that even established breweries are still exposed to rising costs, legal fights and demand shifts that can quickly erase years of brand-building.

WJAR reported that Proclamation’s taproom would remain open until inventory runs out or operations can no longer continue. For Warwick drinkers, that leaves a brief last chance to walk through the doors one more time, and for the rest of the industry, it is another warning that reputation alone no longer guarantees a brewery’s future.