Vancouver, Washington taphouse and beer store Ben’s Bottle Shop has closed amidst prolonged negotiations with a potential new owner according to sources. Whether the closure is temporary or permanent remains to be seen.
Ben’s has been an important mainstay of the North Bank craft beer community since founders Tim Augustin and Ben Christly first opened the doors on Christmas Eve in 2015. Ben’s Bottle Shop has twice been named the Best Beer Bar in Washington by CraftBeer.com and has been a finalist for USA Today’s 10Best beer bars in the U.S. Located at 8052 East Mill Plain Blvd Vancouver WA 98664, Ben’s includes a banquet room has been the host of North Bank Beer Week’s popular Beer Can Derby Races, and regular showcases and organizational meetings.
Ben’s Bottle Shop boasts 24 rotating taps and 20 coolers of packaged beer, mead, sake, and cider. However customers have been commenting on online forums for months that those cooler shelves have been emptying out without restocks.
The New School reached out to Ben’s owner Tim Augustin to see if the rumors were true and seek clarification on if the beer bar would be reopening under his management or potentially a new owner, “I dont know at moment it sucks but working on several things still,” said Augustin…