The owner of an Aberdeen craft beer shop has announced it will close its doors for a final time in the coming weeks.
Noble Hops Craft Bottle Shop in Great Western Place will cease business once it has cleared remaining stock.
Owner Chris McLean announced he would be shutting up shop, posting on Facebook “with a heavy heart”.
The 28-year-old said demand had dwindled over the last year, after enjoying a busy six months following the opening.
Mr McLean told The Press And Journal: “It comes down to money at the end of the day.
“It has reached the point that I am not selling enough to continue – the demand just doesn’t seem to be there.
“Sales have been in decline for the last year and December was actually the second quietest month I had all year.
“That was a big sign that prospects weren’t looking great, especially since January and February are notoriously quiet months in the drinks trade.”
With the north-east’s burgeoning craft beer industry, including brewers like Brewdog, Six Degrees North and Fierce, Mr McLean opened for business in June 2018.
The Rosemount resident admitted: “A lot of people seem to be short of money and with beer being a luxury item, it’s understandable.
“Big supermarkets taking in craft beer in bulk means they can sell it for prices lower than I could ever justify.
“You could look at craft beer as a bit of a bubble – it has definitely boomed.
“But it is hard to tell whether this situation is due to that bubble bursting or whether people just can’t afford craft beer just now.”
His loyal customers took to social media to express their disappointment.
One praised Mr McLean’s “wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm”, and pushed for him to continue working in craft beer in some capacity in the future.
Another added that the shop was “just brilliant” and would be “such a loss to the craft beer scene” in the north-east.