Orf Brewing Closes Permanently Effective May 30

Sunday, May 30th marked the final day in business for South Austin’s Orf Brewing. Owner and head brewer Chris Orf cited “the ongoing challenges, headaches, and hassles of running a small business in a hyper-competitive market” as reasons for the closure. One of the smaller breweries in the bustling South Austin beer scene, Orf Brewing carved out a niche with their innovative hybrid ales that combined global influences and traditional styles.

Fortunately for craft beer fans, Orf Brewing’s space at 4700 Burleson Road will continue to be a brewery. The new occupant is the Elon Musk-inspired Starbase Brewing, which plans to begin production later this summer with an eye toward citywide distribution in the fall.

A full message from Chris Orf about the decision to close the brewery and the future plans for the space is below:

It’s been a solid run for Orf Brewing, but the time has come to move on. It was a thrill to see my original hybrid ales on tap at Austin bars or on the shelves at Whole Foods or HEB or other local stores. It was great fun participating in the Texas Craft Brewers Festivals. The support and encouragement from the local brewing community has been wonderful. Doing my own live comedy shows at my own brewery was the best. Life Goal achieved! I am truly grateful for the craft beer fans who became friends and the critics who made Orf an Award-Winning Brewery. My partners and I simply reached a point where the ongoing challenges, headaches, and hassles of running a small business in a hyper-competitive market were not worth the payoff. (Say it with me: Covid sucks!) Rather than continuing on in such circumstances, it made more sense to sell the brewery to somebody else and get out with my sanity intact. That’s exactly what happened: Keep an eye out for Starbase Brewing, which will be taking over the same space that Orf Brewing transformed from a run-down warehouse into an industrial-chic hidden gem. Orf will still be hanging around the Austin craft beer scene, and now maybe he’ll even be able to relax a little and enjoy some of the many delicious locally produced offerings from others. Thanks to everybody out there who supported and enjoyed Orf beers over the years!

Stay festive,

Orf