Mount Vernon brewpub The Brewer’s Art permanently closes after 30 years

The Brewer’s Art, a long-running brewpub and restaurant in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, closed its doors permanently on Feb. 2, 2026, leaving roughly 20 employees out of work and patrons mourning the loss of a neighborhood staple. A letter taped to the Charles Street entrance thanked customers but did not state a reason for the shutdown.

Staff members said they learned of the closure via text messages from owner Volker Stewart that told employees the business was closing effective immediately because of financial problems; screenshots of those messages have circulated. Public records show the Maryland Comptroller placed an $85,000 lien against the business on Dec. 12, 2025. Those records and the staff notifications provide the clearest pieces of the financial picture so far, but no public statement from ownership has tied the lien directly to the decision to close.

Workers described a sudden and painful end to careers at the brewpub. One employee, Talis Frouge, who joined the staff after graduating from the Maryland Institute College of Art, said, “The three different areas attracted super-different crowds.” Frouge added that business had been “a little slow” and that “No one knew it was this bad.” Another staff member, identified only as Strahler, said employees “are devastated by both the sudden closure and the news that they will not be paid,” reporting that final wages were not forthcoming.

The Brewer’s Art opened in 1996 in a former antique store space and became known for its cozy dining room, an elegant upstairs bar and a dark, funky downstairs bar many patrons called the “dungeon.” The house-brewed Resurrection brown ale, duck fat fries studded with rosemary and sea salt, and “decadent” burgers were part of the brewpub’s long-running reputation as a draw for local residents and visitors alike.

Online reactions captured the pub’s role in community life. Patrons posted memories and recommendations for alternatives, and one noted, “I met my wife there. Our 20th anniversary is in March.” Community threads also traced a decline in vibe and attendance since the COVID pandemic and flagged periods of intermittent reopening, including a recent note that the downstairs bar had reopened after 697 days.

For workers, the closure raises immediate concerns about unpaid wages and benefits, final paychecks and access to unemployment. For Mount Vernon’s restaurant economy, losing a 30-year anchor removes a gathering place that supported servers, cooks, suppliers and neighborhood traffic. The Maryland Comptroller lien and the staff accounts of sudden text-message notification suggest financial distress played a central role, but without an on-the-record statement from ownership or further legal filings, the exact chain of events remains incomplete.

The next steps for employees will likely include pursuing wage claims and checking public records for additional filings. For the neighborhood, the loss underscores continued fragility in the post-pandemic restaurant market and leaves customers and former staff weighing what comes next for a space that served Baltimore for three decades.