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Craft breweries have suffered a significant downturn since 2023, which experts have called the craft beer apocalypse.The craft beer industry downturn began with a historically dismal year in 2023, recording 385 brewery closures for the year, the Brewers Association reported.The downturn continued as brewery closures outpaced openings, with 434 shutting down and 268 opening for the year by mid-December 2025, Brewbound reported on social media.Craft beer volume falls 5%Craft beer volume was estimated to be down about 5% from the previous year, according to the Brewers Association’s mid-year report in July 2025, Craft Brewing Business reported. Volume was down about 4% in 2024.Most recently, several Chicago-area breweries have either closed or announced pending closures.Chicago breweries close downAlarmist Brewing, located in Chicago’s Far Northwest Side Sauganash neighborhood, closed its doors on Feb. 1 after over 10 years in business, according to Block Club Chicago.Also, Illuminated Brew Works in Chicago’s Norwood Park revealed that it will close down its business on June 28.

Whiner Beer Company will close its brewery and taproom, suffering a decline in business since the Covid-19 pandemic.Shutterstock

Whiner Beer closes its brewery, taproom And now, Chicago craft brewer Whiner Beer Company said it will close its brewery and taproom on March 29, after suffering an economic downturn since the Covid-19 pandemic.”To all our friends and fans of Whiner Beer Company, the time has come to say goodbye and thank you for the last 10 years,” Brian Taylor, Whiner Beer’s owner, said in a Facebook post. “The last few years have been so difficult, but we gave it our best shot. We could write a bunch of reasons why we are closing, but it’s a familiar story in the brewing industry,” Taylor wrote.Whiner Beer Company, which has operated for 10 years, is located on Chicago’s Southwest Side in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.”Back of the Yards is our home and we will miss the neighborhood the most,” Taylor said. “From the Covid years to the ICE raids, Back of the Yards showed how resilient a community could be.”Sales growth died after CovidWhiner Beer had “not seen a year of growth” since Covid, after earning 20%-30% increases in business every year until the pandemic began, Block Club Chicago reported.The brewery attempted to bolster revenue through contract brewing for other breweries, but distribution plummeted by the end of 2024, requiring the craft brewer to rely more on its taproom sales, which were not enough to cover labor, space, and equipment costs, Taylor said, as reported by Block Club.Whiner brought in a start-up brewery Taylor brought in start-up brewery SomosMonos Cerveceria to increase the taproom offerings and tried to revive its distribution accounts, with not much luck.But when ICE raids started in late summer/early fall 2025, Back of the Yards became a ghost town, Taylor told Block Club.”From our taproom regulars on the South Side to our Le Tub fans on the North Side, we are so thankful for your support,” Taylor said.More closings:Bankrupt restaurant chains permanently close popular locationsMajor retail chain closes 35 stores nationwide, no bankruptcyAnother major retail chain closes warehouse operationsFor its last month in business, Whiner Beer said it is planning several events with a final celebration on March 28.The closing date seems certain, as an online auction for all of Whiner Beer’s brewhouse equipment has been scheduled on BidSpotter.Whiner Beer menu:Le Tub barrel-aged wild saisonHell Kitty Kitty Belgo-American pale aleMiaou Belgian WheatRubrique-A-BracBubble Tub saison with watermelonsBleu Tub sour saison aleEl Tub saison with lime, salt, and cucumberCurb Cutter Noble KolschHop Tub Tart Saison AleFoggy IPAMonsieur Monster Pineapple Berliner Weisse AleChamo Meow Wheat AleMaude Red AleRelated: Luxury furniture store chain closes key location

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.Why we love this dealThe fun thing about accessories and bags is how easy and fun it is to swap them out when you have a new outfit to wear or occasion to attend. Why else would we spend so much of our time building up a collection of earrings, necklaces, clutches, boho bags, and more in a variety of sizes, colors, fabrics, and shapes? But as fun as it is to play around with our accessories, it’s always great to have that one piece that’s ready to grab and go when you are, especially when it comes to purses. With so many items to keep track of, there’s something about having a great go-to bag that always has your essentials ready, perfectly preserved and ready to be grabbed as you’re heading out the door. No need to transfer items from one purse to the next, looking for your wallet or favorite lip product when you’re in a time crunch. Of course, no ordinary bag will do when it comes to finding that perfect purse that works with any outfit, but Kate Spade always has a variety of big bags to make your busy life easy to navigate — and there’s one in particular we think those hunting for the perfect one won’t want to miss out on. A new sale item, the Kate Spade Outlet Thompson Street Satchel Bag is 70% off as a final sale item. Instead of paying the usual price of $429, you can get the purse for just $129 right now. Kate Spade Thompson Street Satchel Bag, $129 (was $429) at Kate Spade Outlet

Courtesy of Kate Spade Outlet

Why do shoppers love it?For the people who want a bag that can go everywhere from the office to weekend plans, this satchel option is the perfect purse for you. Measuring 5.31 inches long and 8.93 inches high, this rectangular bag has pockets, compartments, and more to safely secure your keys, notebooks, lip products, wallet, and any other essentials you want easily within reach. Not only does the inside of the bag have an interior slip pocket, but it also has a middle zip compartment as well as center zip divider that provides storage space and helps keep items more organized when they aren’t being stowed away in one of the compartments. The bag itself has an open top design, so it doesn’t snap or zipper closed, but the pockets and compartments are what help keep more important items safely stowed away, and the purse itself isn’t flimsy to the point where items can easily fall out.The structured satchel bag is made from pebbled leather, which gives it a soft but textured appearance and feel. The elevated, pebble-like bumpy surface, which is created through natural grain enhancement or embossed stamping, is well known for being scratch resistant, having better moisture resistance than other bags, and holding up in quality even after lots and lots of use. Related: Kate Spade Outlet’s fringe crossbody bag nails the latest spring trend, and it’s 64% offThe bag has two handles, with a drop of 4.25 inches, and an adjustable, removable strap that measures 22 inches, which provide alternative carrying options and ways to style it. It comes in seven different colors, ranging from dark black and brown to light, pastel hues. Details to knowMaterial: Pebbled leather.Dimensions: The bag measures 5.31 inches long and 8.93 inches high. The bag has a handle drop of 4.25 inches and a strap drop of 22 inches. Colors: Seven.Includes: The bag has an interior slip pocket, middle zip compartment, and open top center zip divider. It also has an adjustable, removable crossbody strap.Shoppers really love the color variety that the bag comes in, and can’t say enough good things about the ample storage space it offers. The bag is very spacious, with one shopper calling it “roomy” and the multiple compartments help keep folks organized. “It’s big enough but not bulky,” another shopper said. “Great spring/summer purse.”Shop more deals Kate Spade Outlet Kayla Small L-Zip Wallet, $59 (was $189) at Kate Spade OutletKate Spade Outlet Kitt Ksnyl Tote Bag, $75 (was $299) at Kate Spade OutletKate Spade Outlet 454 Large Shoulder Bag, $209 (was $459) at Kate Spade OutletSpring might seem like a fever dream, especially with so many piles of snow stacked up in chilly areas, but soon it’ll be blossoming flowers, warm temperatures, and 60 degrees temperatures. Take a note from that one shopper who called the Kate Spade Outlet Thompson Street Satchel Bag and secure your “great spring/summer purse” before the season even starts.

Samsung (SSNLF) users are growing suspicious. And for good reason. Users are jumpy whenever you mention anything related to security. For the users, it looks like anything that is coming up from the point of “security” these days leads them backward, causing anxiety.That is exactly what Samsung users are getting right now. A second Google Play system update arrived one day after the first, accompanied by a version/date label that, for some devices, appeared to go back on the changes introduced from January 2026 to November 2025. What is the positive news for Google users? The tech giant says the scary-looking part is largely cosmetic.

Google’s update just spooked Samsung users.Photo by Tamer Soliman on Getty Images

The update is real and the date is the messGalaxy phone received the Jan. 1 Google Play system update after a large, unusual gap. Galaxy users also needed to contend with a notably bigger download on some devices (it cited 90MB on a Galaxy S23).Then, on Feb. 20, a second Google Play system update started to hit Galaxy phones globally,  just 1.3MB, leading to a very rare two-day streak. Related: Veteran analyst drops a shocker on CiscoHowever, there is a catch:Some users get the 1.3MB update, but there is a catch; these users still see Jan. 1, 2026, afterward. Others report the date reverts to Nov. 1, 2025, which is somewhat of a downgrade, if you think about it.Google’s explanation is that it’s “display-only,” not a security rollbackAndroid Authority reports Google called the “November” label a display-only issue. What that means is that the date that you saw on screen does not reliably reflect what’s installed. And more importantly, it doesn’t impact device security or performance. More Tech Stocks:Morgan Stanley sets jaw-dropping Micron price target after eventNvidia’s China chip problem isn’t what most investors thinkQuantum Computing makes $110 million move nobody saw comingGoogle’s own Android Security Bulletin also explains why date strings are confusing. For some Android 10+ devices, the Google Play system update date string can match a security patch level. This phenomenon leads to a sense of consistency in version labels across different devices. Related: Mark Cuban’s bombshell AI warning is a reality check for big techWhat is the translation for a normal Samsung user? The label is acting weird. However, weird labels aren’t proof you’re less protected.Why Galaxy users are seeing this at all: Android’s modular update pipelineWithout getting too technical, Android’s Mainline strategy incorporates updates from Google Play. What is the strategy? Well, it is simple. What we need to do is to break down the larger update into small component updates.So, what the company believes is that we need to break key OS components into modules, which can be updated outside the big annual OS release cadence.Related: Nvidia CEO shocks AI community over the one thing he didn’t doIn my years covering Samsung, the burst feels very unusual. Many Galaxy devices appeared to go a long stretch without Play system updates, so the sudden activity is sure to raise eyebrows.What to do on your Galaxy phoneIf you want to check manually, go to the standard menu path:To manually check the Google Play system update, navigate to Settings > About phone > Software information.Related: Trump adviser drops bombshell on Meta, MicrosoftIf you decide to go to settings and hit update and see “November 2025,” the thing to note is that Google says that label does not mean your phone became less secure.If you want to sanity-check your security posture, the more meaningful number, for the larger user base, is the Android security update level, which is separate from the Play system update label.Why this matters beyond a 1.3MB patchOn the surface level, the issue is a minor technical issue, but it is a bigger issue for Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Android ecosystem: trust and clarity. Mainline is designed to make updates faster and more scalable. When users look at their phones and see dates apparently moving backward, even if it’s a display bug, it is bound to create confusion around security, and disorientation is the enemy of confidence.For me, the saving grace is that Google is now on record calling the issue cosmetic. What does it imply for the stock, though? Well, with the kind of market cap Alphabet commands, there is unlikely to be much damage. It is a minor misstep, not anything major.But Alphabet management needs to be on top of such matters. If there are continued missteps, the situation will, eventually, have an impact on the stock. Related: Samsung delivers a hard-nosed shocker to Micron