Exhibit 'A' Brewing announces it's closing in Framingham, will reopen in western Mass.

FRAMINGHAM — Exhibit 'A' Brewing , known for such beers as The Cats' Meow, Hair Raiser, Goody Two Shoes and Briefcase Porter, has announced that it has closed its Morton Street taproom and will move its operations to western Massachusetts.

"As we think about our core values, long-term goals and strategize for the future, Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing has made the difficult decision to move both our brewing operations and taproom to a new location in Williamsburg, Massachusetts ," the company announced in a Facebook post. "As part of this transition, we have closed our taproom on Morton Street. Although we are sad to say goodbye to where we initially laid our roots, we could not be more excited for what is to come!"

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Williamsburg is a town of about 2,500 people just north of Northampton in Hampshire County.

Exhibit 'A' Brewery founder Matthew Steinberg declined to comment further on the decision, including whether employees in Framingham would be offered jobs in Williamsburg.

Exhibit 'A' cites pandemic, licensing issues as challenges in Framingham

The company opened its doors in 2016, moving into the original brewery of Jack's Abby Craft Lagers . It hosted numerous events and fundraisers, had an outdoor beer garden and often had live music.

In the announcement, Exhibit 'A' discussed some of its challenges.

"Throughout this journey, we faced several challenges and have been so proud of the swift navigation and adaptability of our staff," the Facebook post reads. "Most recent and notable are the pandemic and licensing challenges to reopen our beer garden and a planned patio that never materialized. We have loved this space, our neighbors, the community and most importantly the friends we have made during our time here. We are so lucky to have been embraced by the community and fans of Exhibit 'A' since we opened our doors."

The Williamsburg location will have both indoor and outdoor spaces for public and private events, along with what Exhibit 'A' described as a "beautifully landscaped patio for a beer garden."

"There will be no interruptions of availability of our beers in the marketplace," Exhibit 'A' said.

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Several breweries remain in MetroWest. Jack's Abby's beer hall is on Clinton Street. Tackle Box Brewing, Lost Shoe Brewing Company and Flying Dreams Brewing Company are all headquartered in Marlborough. Lookout Farm Brewing Company is in Natick. Cold Harbor Brewing Company is in Westborough and Medusa Brewing Company and Clover Road Brewing Company are each in Hudson.

It's not known what will happen with the Exhibit 'A' building at 81 Morton St., which is owned by Exhibit 'B' Realty LLC, of Holliston. No contact information is available for them.

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Exhibit 'A' thanked its patrons for their support.

"Thank you to our amazing staff, customers and friends, 81 Morton St., Framingham, truly was a wonderful community and it wouldn't have been the space it was without all of you," the Facebook post reads. "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of the memories shared and look forward to seeing you at our new location in Williamsburg, MA."

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedloca.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Exhibit 'A' Brewing announces it's closing in Framingham, will reopen in western Mass.