ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A longtime spot for craft beer and fun times with friends is set to end operations later this month, but a new chapter for the business – including a larger Lehigh Valley location with more room for indoor and outdoor activities – is likely to start in the new year.
HiJinx Brewing Company’s Allentown taproom will close on Dec. 20 with a “Holiday Sip & Shop and Holiday Beer Blowout” event at 905 Harrison St., Suite 111, owner Curt Keck said.
HiJinx Brewing Company
Brewing operations are set to cease on Dec. 31 at the same site, located inside the Allentown Economic Development Corporation’s Bridgeworks Enterprise Center.
“After 11 years on Harrison Street, we’ve made the tough decision to close the taproom on December 20th, 2025, with full brewery operations ending on December 31st, 2025,” Keck and the HiJinx team announced on the business’ Facebook page.
“But we want you to know one thing above all: This is a pause – not the end of HiJinx. Like many small breweries, we’ve felt the impact of rising costs and shifts in the craft beer world. Even so, the spirit of HiJinx is very much alive, and we’re already exploring what a future chapter might look like – whether in a new location, a new format, or a fresh partnership.”
The HiJinx team is eyeing a new location for the brewery and taproom in the Forks Township area, Keck told 69 News on Monday.
Keck is withholding the possible new location’s address until a lease is signed, and that should occur within the next few weeks, he said.
HiJinx Brewing Company
“I will definitely announce [the address] on the day that I sign the lease,” Keck said.
HiJinx’s Allentown location is no longer “conducive to what people want in the craft beer market right now,” Keck added.
“People want a place with indoor and outdoor space for hanging out and activities, that has ample parking and that is within walking distance of their homes,” Keck explained. “The new location will have all of that should it pan out.”
HiJinx’s Allentown taproom hosts activities such as cornhole, quoits, disc golf, trivia and karaoke, and those would continue at the possible new location, Keck said.
The potential new location would be larger than its current spot, but its brewing system would be smaller, Keck added.
Over the past few years, Keck has noticed a decrease in foot traffic and sales at HiJinx’s Allentown taproom, and he attributes that to a variety of factors, including the economic climate and changing drinking habits and preferences.
In recent years, he’s noticed more people drinking hard seltzers and less people drinking beer and alcohol beverages overall.
HiJinx Brewing Company
The legalization of recreational marijuana in various states, including neighboring New Jersey, has also affected the craft beer industry, Keck said.
“I have a 23-year-old and a 27-year-old, and the differences in intoxicants that they use are very different,” Keck said.
The concept for HiJinx began in 2007 when Keck was homebrewing and imbibing in his garage with friends.
One person in the group suggested that he open a brewery to share the product of his passion with the masses.
After some coaxing, and a few more pints, Keck agreed and said that the brewery needed a name that spoke to the hijinks and fun that took place in his garage.
There was a simultaneous “eureka” expression on everyone’s faces, and HiJinx was born.
In early 2011, the licensing process began and in November 2011, it became official. Brewing began on a one-barrel brewing system in the very same 400-square-foot garage where the idea was born.
After brewing there for two years, the HiJinx crew made the decision to expand and share their beers with a larger audience.
In 2014, HiJinx Brewing Company made the move to its current home base on Harrison Street in Allentown, where it utilizes a 10-barrel brewing system.
HiJinx Brewing Company
In Monday’s social media announcement, the HiJinx team expressed its gratitude to the Lehigh Valley community for supporting its Allentown taproom over the past 11 years.
It also instructed fans to stay tuned for dates and times regarding final events at the Harrison Street location.
“We can’t thank you enough for all the love you’ve shown us over the years – from pints of Wicked White and CitraSqueeze to trivia nights, music events, seasonal releases, and every laugh shared in between,” the announcement continues.
“… Thank you for being part of the HiJinx Family. We’re hopeful, optimistic, and already dreaming about what comes next – and we truly hope you’ll be part of our next chapter.”