In a move that should surprise exactly zero people, Beer Nation has been closed for nonpayment of rent, three weeks after workers first told KPRC about bounced paychecks, and two months after it opened.
It’s bad news for anyone wanting a crisp, refreshing Bud Light or Michelob Ultra — two of the first four beers that were listed on the menu — only to be greeted by a notice on the pub’s front door stating, “Locks have been re-keyed.”
Beer Nation’s owner, Scott Hait, also ran a pub in Indiana that shuttered shortly before its landlords sued over delinquent rent. Hait and his lawyer, Trent Stephenson, wouldn’t speak with us earlier this month, nor would manager Larry Kakos. We reached out to Stephenson and Kakos on Friday, but they’re apparently still giving us the silent treatment, which makes us sad.
Hait, who lives in Michigan, was one of several defendants who settled a fraud lawsuit last month, agreeing to pay $200,000 to a court-appointed receiver.
The real victims here, though, are fans of Puddle of Mudd and Sponge, two bands that Kakos had wanted to bring to Beer Nation’s planned music hall. We’d like to spill some low-cal Michelob as a tribute, but we’ll have to get it somewhere else.
This article appears in Happy Hour Guide 2017.
