(KRON) -- Berkeley's Triple Rock Brewery -- the longest continuously operating brewpub in the nation -- has announced it is closing. When the beloved downtown Berkeley taproom and brewpub first opened its doors back in March 1986, Ronald Reagan was president, "Sara" by Bay Area band Starship was no. 1 in the charts, and the Michael Keaton film "Gung Ho" was tops at the box office. I was mistaken for an AI software engineer. The salary offers were insane The brewery was founded by brothers John and Reid Martin who were just 25 and 28 at the time. First opened as Roaring Rock Brewery, it was unbelievably one of just the first five brewpubs to open in the U.S. following Prohibition. The long-running brewery was a pioneer in the craft beer industry, both locally and nationwide. "In the early days, many times we would have to explain what a 'brewpub' actually was," said John in a press release. "The City of Berkeley didn't understand it and told us that our microbrewery needed to be in an industrial part of town, not in the Downtown business district." Reid chimed in, adding, "you have to remember that in those days there was very little small-batch beer made in America, it was almost all industrial stuff produced by huge breweries." The brothers made the decision to close the brewery because they both want to retire. "After 40 years, we are ready to spend less time navigating the day-to-day and more time exploring some of the other things we have put off along the way," explained John. The long-running brewery served as a proving ground for a generation of Bay Area brewing talent. Shaun O'Sullivan who founded 21st Amendment Brewery, Rodger Davis of Faction Brewing, and Christian Kazakoff of Canyon Club are just a few of the brewers who began their careers at "The Rock." The brothers plan to keep the brewpub open through the end of the Cal fall semester. The Martins, who also own the building, say that the property will likely be offered for sale or lease. If you want to stop in for a final pint, Triple Rock Brewing is located at 1920 Shattuck Ave. in downtown Berkeley. ...read more read less