{"id":273096,"date":"2026-04-17T20:20:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T20:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/273096\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T20:20:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T20:20:07","slug":"clovis-brewery-incinerati-brewing-co-in-clovis-to-close-this-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/273096\/","title":{"rendered":"Clovis brewery Incinerati Brewing Co. in Clovis to close this month"},"content":{"rendered":"

Incinerati Brewing Co.<\/a> is closing.<\/p>\n

The Clovis taproom and craft brewery is shutting down; its founder headed for a job as a brewer in South Dakota.<\/p>\n

Incinerati joins a small handful of craft breweries in the central San Joaquin Valley that have closed recently, as closures of small beer makers nationally outpace openings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Incinerati has a little taproom on Tollhouse Road, a few tenths of a mile from the intersection with Sunnyside Avenue. It\u2019s still open. It will close Sunday, April 26 \u2014 or when the beer runs out. Whichever comes first.<\/p>\n

Mike Sumaya, who owns the business with his wife, Natalie, and a partner, is selling off the last of his beer and merchandise, including Incinerati glasses.<\/p>\n

The business and its equipment is also for sale.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet in there and get it before it\u2019s gone forever,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The business started about eight years ago, brewing inside a downtown Fresno incubator run by 411 Broadway Ales & Spirits<\/a>. About six years ago, it moved to the Clovis spot.<\/p>\n

Why is Incinerati closing?<\/p>\n

Sumaya worked a day job on top of running the taproom. He was the head brewer at Full Circle Brewing Co.<\/a><\/p>\n

And prior to that, he was the head brewer at Riley\u2019s Brewing Co.<\/a> before a massive fire destroyed<\/a> its brewing operation in Madera. (Riley\u2019s has since resumed brewing and has a taproom in Selma<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Sumaya brewed beer at Incinerati, delivered kegs to bars and cans to local stores all after his day job.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been burning the candle at both ends now and finally had enough,\u201d he said. \u201cThe taproom has been fun as a nights-and-weekends side gig, but it has never gotten to the point where I could quit my day job.\u201d<\/p>\n

The location was also limiting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s far enough off the beaten path; it\u2019s hard to get people to know it\u2019s there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

There were some nights people just didn\u2019t come out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of times, especially on a Thursday, or even on Friday nights, I\u2019m just sitting there by myself for hours,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Challenges facing craft breweries<\/p>\n

Incinerati is not alone.<\/p>\n

Craft beer production fell in 2025<\/a>, according to The Brewers Association. Openings of breweries slowed.<\/p>\n

So far this year, Hop Forged Brewing Co.<\/a> in Hanford announced it was closing<\/a>. Lake Bottom Brewery<\/a> & Distilling closed its Visalia and Corcoran locations<\/a>, including the restaurant, citing economic challenges.<\/p>\n

In early 2025, Sequoia Brewing Co., the restaurant and microbrewery, closed<\/a> its Tower District and north Fresno locations. Both have since reopened under new ownership<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Full Circle announced it would close its taproom and music venue<\/a> on Fulton Street. The brewery is still alive and well, having consolidated operations into its original F Street brewery and expanding with a merger to become the largest Black-owned craft brewery in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a bit of a challenge right now in that whole industry,\u201d said Jason Hatwig, an owner\/partner and one of the brewers in Summer Fox Brewing Co.,<\/a> which has three locations in Fresno.<\/p>\n

The cost of a pint of beer has gone up, due in part to the rising prices of hops, grains, rent, fuel and more, he said.<\/p>\n

People are drinking less<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All of that is hard on craft breweries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s the challenge of being too small. There\u2019s the challenge of being too large,\u201d he said. \u2018\u2019Everybody\u2019s trying to get to this middle spot that seems to be working for people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sumaya said many breweries have found they need to be something else in addition to the beer side of things \u2014 a music venue, or a restaurant, for example.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thinking it would be a good thing to have a quiet little spot,\u201d he said of his location. \u201cIt just wasn\u2019t enough of a draw for a people.\u201d<\/p>\n

So with the lease expiring and a new job available in Rapid City, he decided to make a change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine with knowing I\u2019m really good at … making beer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Mike Mike Sumaya, left, and his wife Natalie Sumaya, pictured in this Fresno Bee file photo from 2019, own Incinerati Brewing Company. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Bethany Clough<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n

Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers\u2019 questions about business openings, closings and other business news. She has a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and her last name is pronounced Cluff.\n <\/p>\n