Pretoria Fields Brewery leaves downtown Albany, regulars reflect on good times at the taproom

ALBANY – After nearly a decade in downtown Albany, Pretoria Fields Brewery served customers for the last time at the brewery’s Pine Avenue Location on Friday.

The owners announced on a social media post that Pretoria is relocating its brewery and taproom operations to its farm location outside of Albany in unincorporated Dougherty County.

“We’ve chosen to return to our farmhouse brewery roots,” the post read. “The decision required careful consideration. We adore downtown Albany, and we are deeply grateful for the community’s support through the years.”

The post said Pretoria will resume business at the farm taproom beginning Wednesday.

No further information about the downtown closure and future location were given, and the brewery’s owners declined an interview with The Albany Herald.

This closure comes at a time when downtown revitalization is a buzzing topic for the city of Albany. The city recently announced the opening of Bee Smoothie in space on the same block as the old brewery location among other recent business grand openings in the city’s downtown. A rendered image for an expanded Flint RiverQuarium hangs at Riverfront Park.

Projects are underway for the renovation and re-opening of Albany’s Gordon and St. Nicholas hotels.

Pretoria Fields Brewery was a trailblazer in taking the risk to open in Albany’s downtown in 2017. The brewery took up almost half of the 100 block of Pine Avenue and was considered an “anchor” business to many as it drew foot traffic downtown with weekly karaoke, live music and other events.

Pretoria also looked out for the Albany community in times of need.

The brewery hosted fundraisers for local nonprofits like the Albany Humane Society. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, the business used its brewing equipment and large supply of isopropyl alcohol to produce thousands of bottles of hand sanitizers, which it provided to the public and shared nationwide.

It provided a space for local small businesses to sell their products at Sunday market events.

Albany’s downtown manager, Lequerica Gaskins, declined an interview about the brewery’s departure from downtown. She provided the following statement:

“The city of Albany extends its best wishes to Pretoria Fields as they transition back to their roots at the farm. While their presence in downtown Albany will be missed, we are deeply grateful for the lasting impact they have fostered here.

As Pretoria Fields moves forward, we are receiving strong interest from other businesses eager to expand their footprint in this key downtown location. This transition presents an opportunity for growth and continued investment in Albany’s downtown, and we look forward to welcoming new partners into this thriving space. We thank Pretoria Fields for their invaluable contribution to our community and wish them continued success in their next chapter.”

The taproom was open during its regular hours in its final week downtown, hosting a Halloween Market Oct. 27, a Halloween bash and Bingo on Thursday and karaoke on its closing night, Friday.

Customers filled the tables in the outdoor space, and a few groups enjoyed karaoke inside.

Donna Murphy, an Albany resident and self-proclaimed Pretoria regular, was joined by friends as they enjoyed one last drink in the downtown brewery. Murphy said she’d been a patron since the brewery opened.

Murphy said she loved the atmosphere Pretoria provided with its outdoor seating, pet friendliness and great bartenders providing a great place to meet up with friends and to bring visitors from out of town.

“I loved this venue, and I loved this taproom,” Murphy said. “We only have one brewery in Albany, but we’re very proud of it. I’ll miss it.”

She said Pretoria opening was a catalyst for more growth in downtown Albany.

“It was very positive for downtown, and I think closing it will impact downtown in a negative way,” Murphy said.

She called the last Friday at Pretoria “bittersweet.”

Murphy said Pretoria’s beer is good, but it was the environment it curated downtown that made it better. She said time will tell if she visits the new farmhouse location.

Steve G., an Albany local who asked that his full last name not be included for work reasons, said Pretoria felt like one of the safer spaces in downtown Albany because the taproom environment was much different than a bar environment.

He said he came to Pretoria on its opening day downtown, and the family-friendly atmosphere drew him into the taproom as a regular. He said the business brought something unique to the Albany area. He and his friends called themselves “craft beer connoisseurs” and raved about Pretoria’s beer.

Steve G. said he was disappointed to hear it was closing its downtown location and hopes something similar moves into the space. He said he’s already contacted other breweries.

“I’m going to miss this place,” he said. “If you’re here for the opener, you should be here for the closer.”

Sam Samson, an Albany resident, joined Steve G. for the last night. He said he visited the taproom at least once or twice a week to enjoy live music.

“Before this place, there was no reason to come downtown,” he said.

Samson said he plans to check out the farmhouse location when it opens.

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