The Brewer’s Art, the Mount Vernon brewpub and restaurant that has been an anchor of the Charles Street corridor for 30 years, closed abruptly Monday, according to employees.

Owner Volker Stewart informed employees by text message Monday that he was closing effective immediately due to financial problems, according to screenshots shared with The Banner.

“It is with a very heavy heart that I need to inform you that Brewer’s Art will be closing its doors permanently as of today,” Stewart wrote to employees.

“The financial strain of the last few months has worsened in recent weeks and made it impossible to continue,” he wrote. “We have run out of money. I cannot pay you, please do not come in.”

Stewart did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The fate of The Brewer’s Art’s line of craft beers brewed at the restaurant remained unknown Monday. Court records show that the state placed an $85,000 lien against the brewpub in December.

Employees said they were shocked to learn of the closure. “We were all just there yesterday,” said general manager Rachel Strahler. “This is crazy.”

The Brewer’s Art, which opened in 1996, was a favorite of local residents and out-of-town visitors for its locally brewed beers, including its signature Resurrection brown ale, duck fat fries studded with rosemary and sea salt, and decadent burgers.

The restaurant, located in the 1100 block of Charles Street, featured a cozy dining room, an elegant upstairs bar and a dark and funky downstairs bar.

Stewart opened The Brewer’s Art in 1996 in a space that formerly held an antique store, according to a Baltimore Magazine article marking the brewpub’s 20th anniversary.

“Baltimore has always been loyal to us,” he told the magazine. “I’m really grateful after all these years.”

Kelly Dudeck, executive director of The Brewers Association of Maryland, said many breweries are in a precarious spot financially due to rising costs, declining sales and debt incurred during the pandemic.

“I’ve been working with Maryland brewers for over a decade, and this is the worst I’ve seen,” said Dudeck. “A lot of folks are hanging on by a thread right now.”

Costs for supplies, packaging, rent, utilities, insurance and labor have all risen over the past several years, Dudeck said. Tariffs and supply chain issues have further exacerbated brewers’ struggles.

Meanwhile, customers seem to be cutting back on their spending on craft beer, said Dudeck.

“Even the places that feel too established to fail” — like The Brewer’s Art — “aren’t immune right now,” she said.

Talis Frouge, who had worked at The Brewer’s Art since graduating from the Maryland Institute College of Art in June, said he enjoyed the artists, musicians and creatives who worked at and patronized the restaurant.

“The three different areas attracted super-different crowds,” Frouge said, adding that although business had been a little slow, he was shocked by the news of the closure.

“No one knew it was this bad,” he said.

Strahler, whose husband also worked at The Brewer’s Art, said the restaurant employed about 20 people. She said they are devastated by both the sudden closure and the news that they will not be paid.

“Not only did we not get any heads-up,” said Strahler, “but he’s now telling all of us that we’re not getting paid this week for the past two weeks of labor.”

Dudeck, of the Maryland Brewers Association, said she mourned The Brewer’s Art on both a professional and personal level.

“It was an institution for a lot of us, including me,” she said. “I hung out in the basement all the time. ”If people would visit me from out of town, that’s where I would take them."

She said winters are a particularly hard time for local breweries, especially when the snow and ice keep patrons at home.

“If you love a brewery, winter is when you need to support them the most,” she said.

Banner reporters Christina Tkacik and Giacomo Bologna contributed to this story.