As reported in today’s Bend Bulletin, the Oblivion Brewing brewpub in Bend, Oregon, will be closing after only seven months. However the brewing company itself will remain unaffected. Excerpted from the newspaper:

The partnership that created the pub — owner Jon Sargent and brewers Darin Butschy and Meghann Butschy — agreed to part ways, Sargent and Meghann Butschy said Tuesday. The pub will probably end its short run on Thursday, New Year’s Eve, Sargent said.

“We came to a mutual agreement, and that was fine,” he said. “I’m just wanting to get my stress level back to a normal situation. Even this week, we’ve been slammed; the lines were out the door. It’s not about not being successful; it’s about getting my old life back.”

He operates the brewpub in a leased space at 1005 NW Galveston Ave. under a full-service commercial liquor license. The Butschys, former husband and wife and owners of Oblivion Brewing Co., provided the brewery name and the beer. The brewery, on Plateau Drive, in Bend, operates under a separate license held by Darin Butschy, according to Oregon Liquor Control Commission records.

Sargent said another, similar business is moving into the same space, but he declined to identify it, citing a nondisclosure agreement. He said all Oblivion restaurant employees, about 13, will have an opportunity to work with the new business.

You should read the full article, but the takeaways:

• Oblivion Brewing Company is not going anywhere. In fact they are looking at expanding their brewing operations.
• They themselves did not run or own the brewpub, they were simply partners with Jon Sargent, who also runs Versante Pizza next door.
• Brewpub business was apparently “phenomenal” which makes it all the stranger that “stress” would be the root cause of the closure—considering that a similar business (under NDA!) will be taking over that space.

On the speculation-and-rumor end of it, it sounds as though the business moving in will be another (local) brewery. There are some suggestions on the Facebook thread for the article, but until I see official word I’ll just leave it there.