Award-winning Deadwords Brewing (Website) in the West Lakes area of Orange Blossom Trail is calling it quits next month, according to a recent report by WFTV.
The popular brewery, located at 23 N. Orange Blossom Trail [GMap], filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 1, 2023, a move that the owner and former attorney at Darden Restaurants, David Satterfield, said was meant to rearrange the debt so they could continue to move forward.
At the time, Satterfield, who was also responsible for hand-building the beautiful furniture in the brewery, shared that there were no plans to shut down the space, saying “We’ve had a rough go financially for the past year, and my personal ability to keep it afloat dried up.”
Deadwords issued a statement earlier today sharing that it would close its doors permanently on April 27, 2024.
“The decision to close follows several months of negotiations with the brewery’s landlord and the inability to reach a feasible arrangement to enable the brewery’s continued operation at its current location.” The prepared statement went on to share that the COVID-19 pandemic, massive delays, cost overruns, industry headwinds, and “the slow implementation of the Parramore Main Street” program were also to blame for the brewery’s closure.
Deadwords also expressed its “deepest gratitude to the Orlando community for its unwavering support and warm welcome.”
The name for the brewery was inspired by a 4,000-year-old beer recipe called the “Hymn to Ninkasi,” Ninkasi being the Sumerian goddess of beer. The song is believed to have been written down in 1800 BCE, but is likely much older and is believed to have been passed down through generations of beer makers via oral history traditions. The name is a nod to the civilizations that consumed beer that are no longer around and the dead languages they once spoke.
