The country’s largest beer company is closing its last Bay Area brewing facility. Anheuser-Busch announced Thursday morning it’s shutting down operations at its Fairfield plant early next year. The Budweiser plant has been called the heartbeat of City of Fairfield after serving it for 49 year s. Thursday, workers and the community learned it’s closing for good. “Shock, shock, and surprise just very sad, sad for my coworkers sad for everybody that’s already retired,” said Christine Peters, a Budweiser employee. Longtime Budweiser employee Christine Peters describes how many are feeling after learning Fairfield’s Budweiser brewing facility will be shuttering. Peters got the news when she came into work Thursday morning. She’s worked at the plant nearly her entire career. “It’s meant everything started here as a kid 20 years old. I’m a few months away from retirement,” Peters said. Anheuser Busch notified the City of Fairfield this morning that the plant is among three locations across the country that are shutting down after conducting a thorough review. In a statement it says it’s shifting operations to other facilities, saying, “These changes will enable us to invest even more in our remaining operations and in our portfolio of growing, industry-leading brands.” “They said it’s a done deal. They didn’t wanna talk to the city manager anymore or me. They just said it’s done,” said Catherine Moy, Fairfield mayor. Fairfield’s mayor calls Budweiser’s departure a huge hit. She says it’s been a great partner through the years, funding the city’s first police dog, bringing its signature Clydesdales to town for special events, and providing good paying jobs. “Anytime we needed something in the city we could go to Anheuser Bush Budweiser right out here,” said Moy. “Obviously it’s a pretty cool thing to have a Budweiser facility in your town and a big part of Fairfield’s identity has been that for a long time,” said Dave Zellers, Fairfield director of Community and Economic Development. Fairfield’s director of Economic Development says the city is already thinking about what’s next. He says the facility has green power generation on site and a huge capacity for water and sewer, ideal for another manufacturing company to move in. “A lot of interest in Solano County right now with ship manufacturing possibilities, manufacturing possibilities. You have a site that has a lot of assets that are going to be necessary to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there,” Zellers said. The city says it’s also focused on helping the 200 workers’ transition. The workers and community are trying to soak in the news the plant will be going dark early next year. ...read more read less