City Lights Brewing temporarily discontinues retail sales as it upgrades equipment

City Lights Brewing has temporarily halted wholesale distribution, meaning the brewery's popular Coconut Porter and Hazy IPA beers are either sold out or quickly disappearing from retail shelves and from behind bars.

City Lights owner Robin Gohsman confirmed in an email that the brewery had temporarily suspended wholesale distribution as it prepares for a rebrand, which will include adding equipment for nonalcoholic brewing.

"The craft beer industry as a whole is rapidly changing as the market continues to shrink," Gohsman said in an email. "Breweries everywhere are coping with changing consumer preferences and post-pandemic market dynamics."

He said the brewery plans to create its own nonalcoholic brews and would like to contract brew in the nonalcoholic space as well.

In the interim, City Lights is focusing on their special events side of the business with plans to play host to events during the Republican National Convention, Gohsman said.

He did not say when City Lights might resume wholesale distribution.

Local liquor stores were mostly out of City Lights products by the end of May.

Discount Liquor in Waukesha and Milwaukee both had six-packs of City Lights' Mexican Lager and Irish Red Ale as of May 24, but the stores were out of everything else, according to Marie Gregufka, who co-owns the stores and run their beer departments.

She said City Lights' Coconut Porter was a popular beer for the store. Discount Liquor always carried kegs of Coconut Porter and filled special orders of it as well — until retail kegs were discontinued.

"That was one of my better-selling darker beer-barrels," Gregufka said. "It's a shame. You never want to see a local have issues like this."

At Ray's Wine and Spirits, 8930 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa, the store only has single cans of City Lights left, which can be added to a build-your-own six pack, according to Lucas Kasal, Ray's assistant beer director.

"We don't have any packaged product from them left," he said. "The last time we were able to get anything was March 15."

At Otto's Wine and Spirits, 3476 N. Oakland Ave., City Lights beer has been off the shelves for almost a month. The store has replaced it with a new product, according to store manager Chris Oelke.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee's City Lights Brewing temporarily discontinues retail sales