Closure of Cork’s Franciscan Well a symptom of a struggling microbrewery industry

Owner Molson Coors has also offloaded brands in the US, writes Emer Walsh

Sat, 22 Nov, 2025 - 00:54

Emer Walsh

With their bright colours and modern logo designs decorating the bar taps of Cork’s busiest pubs, Franciscan Well brands are a familiar site for revellers.

This week, the maker of popular craft brands Chieftain, Rebel Red, Well Hazy, and Shandon Stout confirmed this week that they would be ceasing production in the new year, with the Franciscan Well Brewery closing its doors after a legacy spanning more than 25 years on Leeside.

Originally founded by Cork publican Shane Long in 1998, the Franciscan Well was a pioneer of what in late years would become a buoyant, homegrown craft beer industry.

Mr Long started the brewery at the brewpub on North Mall, which is unaffected by the closure announced this week.

Its impressive early growth caught the eye of many large brewers, with an already award-winning brand portfolio offering what appeared to be a lucrative opportunity for an international buyer looking to establish a foothold in Ireland.

In 2013, US brewer Molson Coors acquired the company for an undisclosed sum, outlining immediate plans to expand the company’s output. The transaction marked one of the first big deals by a drinks multinational for an Irish craft beer brewery.

Brewery founder Shane Long said:

When I sold the brewery back in 2012, I could have gotten five times more money, but I chose Molson Coors because of their values — they were a family-run business, like ourselves.

“I thought it would help the brand live on.”

Molson Coors did get behind the Franciscan Well brands, and production moved to a larger premises in Cork's docklands, as the company looked to make a wider impact in the Irish and UK market.

The microbrewery industry

The entire craft brewing industry also flourished. A niche field until the 2010s, the industry started to take off in 2014, as reflected in the number of microbreweries claiming relief from Alcohol Product Tax (APT).

Figures from the Revenue Commissioners show that there were just five claimants of this relief in 2005. This number swelled to 53 less than a decade later, in 2014, and then soared once more to 90 in 2020.

However, a challenging market, plagued by rising business costs and changing consumer habits, has seen a shift in the industry’s upward trajectory, which is being felt across Ireland and further afield.

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The industry has been under serious pressure in recent years. “Breweries are closing all over — it’s a really tough time for the drinks industry as a whole," Mr Long told the Irish Examiner.

Revenue figures show €46m in tax relief has been claimed under the microbrewery relief scheme over the past six years but there are now just 74 companies claiming the relief, 16 fewer than at the 2020 peak, as changes in the craft industry are more apparent.

Despite heavy investment in the Franciscan Well brewery by Molson Coors, which included its rebrand in 2022, new product developments in 2023 and the launch of its Docklands Series in 2024, the company said it had not been able to grow the brands to the level needed to sustain the brewery as part of its Britain and Ireland production network.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce we will cease production of the Franciscan Well brands early in the New Year and as a result, propose to close our Franciscan Well brewery in Cork,” said Molson Coors said.

It added that the decision “had not been taken lightly” and was made in the face of a challenging craft beer category, as well as other economic pressures impacting its customers.

Some 15 jobs will be lost as a result of the closure. A consultation process has begun for impacted staff, with Molson Coors seeking redeployment for all displaced employees where possible.

Shane Long (left) at Original 7 beverage company based at the Franciscan Well brew pub on Cork's North Mall, with Steve Guiney (right). Mr Long started the brewery at the brewpub on North Mall, which is unaffected by the closure announced this week. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

This is not the first brand to be cut from Molson Coors’ portfolio. Recent years have seen the company, which also produces brands such as Coors, Aspall and Carling, offload several breweries across the US, shutting down its own craft label too.

“Things are so tough right now across the drinks industry, Molson Coors themselves have sold off several brands in the US,” Mr Long tells the Irish Examiner.

Across Ireland, the industry is contracting. In July, Killarney Brewing and Distilling Company confirmed it would cease operations following the unsuccessful conclusion of its examinership process.

Despite initial success largely underpinned by US interest, the brewery and distillery underwent a significant extension in its later years, establishing a state-of-the-art facility in Fossa in 2021.

But a challenging few years marked by the pandemic, construction overspends and the threat of tariffs led to the eventual closure of the company after it failed to secure a crucial investor.

This year also saw the closure of Roscommon’s Black Donkey, known for its Sheep Stealer and the Underworld series, after 11 years in business, with the owners citing commercial pressures and legislative constraints in their decision to cease production.

Announcing the Franciscan Well’s closure, Molson Coors, which is headquartered in Chicago and Montreal, said it “understands the special place the brewery and brands have in the local community”, adding that it “remains open to conversations with interested parties about the future of the brewery and brands”.

Franciscan Well bar

Molson Coors had previously returned ownership of the microbrewery on North Mall, part of the Franciscan Well bar, to Mr Long, which he says is “busier than ever” producing its Original 7 range that includes its Revolution IPA, Hazy Pale, and Wonderland drinks.

“We’re brewing more now than we did when we first sold back in 2012,” said Mr Long.

“Thankfully, the bar is performing really well — it’s been an incredible November, so I suppose we’ve been lucky that way.”

While Molson Coors are open to finding a buyer for Franciscan Well, Mr Long admitted he is not hugely hopeful. “Believe me, I would only be delighted if someone came forward with an offer. I’ve put my life into this, and I would love for it to continue,” he said.

“Things are so tough right now across the drinks industry. Molson Coors themselves have sold off several breweries in the US. I’m not hopeful that they could find a buyer — I just can’t see it. I think this is the end of the brewery’s era.”

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