Bear King Brewing Co. is closing after seven years.
The volatility of the Texas craft beer market has mauled another Hill Country brewery. Bear King Brewing Co. in Marble Falls will close on Saturday, March 7, mere weeks after winning gold in a statewide competition.
Via a release, the owners of the seven-year-old brewery cited financial challenges, including a declining economy and increasing industry costs.
“Closing Bear King is one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do,” J.D. Guidry, brewmaster and co-owner, said in a statement. “This place was never just beer – it was a community that welcomed us since day one.”
Guidry and three siblings founded Bear King in early 2019, naming the brewery after a mythical, half-man, half-bear creature said to stalk the area centuries ago. The spot quickly became popular for its beer garden featuring lawn games and frequent live music.
Over the years, it also racked up several industry honors. Most recently, the brewpub’s guava IPA, Misty Lady, was awarded a gold medal at the Texas Craft Brewers Guild’s Brewers Cup competition in February.
Bear King will say its goodbyes during a Saturday, March 7 event from 10 am-9 pm with discounted food, free chicken strips for kids, and complimentary chips and queso. All sales proceeds will go to employees, according to the release.
Bear King’s closure is the latest blow for a Texas craft beer community, which has seen a rash of breweries and craft beer bars cease operations in the last few years. A late 2025 Texas Standard report said that more Texas breweries closed than opened in 2024, an industry first.
With Bear King leaving the scene, the Marble Falls area will now only have two breweries – Double Horn Brewing Co. in downtown, and Save the World Brewing Co. just north of town along US-281.
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Fischer & Wieser sells jams, sauces, mustards, and other condiments.Fischer & Wieser/ Facebook