Bald Birds Brewing Company paid $582,828 in owed wages and damages after a Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry investigation found state wage-law violations at the company’s Lycoming and Montgomery County locations.
The company’s Montgomery County operations included taprooms in King of Prussia and Audubon, both of which closed this summer.
According to a corrected announcement issued by Labor & Industry, the department recovered:
$518,105 in owed wages for 124 workers
$64,723 in damages for 108 of those workers
The two amounts total $582,828.
The department corrected its announcement after initially reporting a higher amount as unpaid wages. The figures above reflect the state’s corrected release.
More than 50 complaints prompted state investigation
Labor & Industry said its investigation began after the department received more than 50 employee complaints this year concerning late payments.
After reviewing those complaints and auditing the company’s payroll records, investigators determined that Bald Birds failed to pay employees on time over a period of several months.
In the most recent instances cited by the department, payroll was not issued for five weeks for many workers.
After the department intervened, Bald Birds paid the owed wages and damages to the affected employees.
“When employers fail to pay workers on time, there are consequences,” Labor & Industry Secretary Nancy A. Walker said in the announcement.
The department did not provide a breakdown showing how many of the affected workers were employed at each Bald Birds location.
King of Prussia location closed in July
Bald Birds took over the former Workhorse Brewing facility at 250 King Manor Drive in King of Prussia early this year.
In January, owner Joey Feerrar described the new location as an opportunity for Bald Birds to expand its beer production, contract-brewing partnerships and presence in the King of Prussia community.
The company then announced in July that the location would close July 31.
“The facility just wasn’t the right fit for our manufacturing model,” Feerrar told Breweries in PA at the time.
Feerrar said the company planned to concentrate on manufacturing and production at its other facilities. Bald Birds subsequently closed its original Audubon taproom on August 30.
The state’s announcement does not establish whether the payroll problems contributed to either closure.
Upper Merion Area Spotlight contacted Bald Birds on Monday and asked whether the company disputes any of the state’s findings, what caused the payroll delays and whether financial issues played any role in the King of Prussia closure.
No response had been received as of publication. This story will be updated if the company responds.
Earlier settlements disclosed in SEC filing
A separate May 2026 annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission provides additional information about two earlier financial disputes involving Bald Birds.
The annual report was filed by Cape Cod’r Inc., a separate beverage company that identifies Feerrar as a board member and shareholder. The filing includes a section titled “Litigation and Settlement History of Board Member” that discusses disputes involving Feerrar as the owner and principal of Bald Birds.
According to the filing:
Feerrar entered into an $83,805 settlement with CAPTECH Financial in June 2024 following a default under a real property Master Lease Agreement involving brewery equipment. The settlement terminated the lease and released the related security interests.
A breach-of-contract lawsuit involving EBF Holdings and a Bald Birds Revenue-Based Financing Agreement was resolved through a $175,000 settlement. The filing says the claims were then dismissed with prejudice.
The two disclosed settlement payments totaled $258,805.
The SEC filing describes both matters as fully resolved. They were negotiated settlements, not court judgments. The filing also says a third dispute was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff in 2023.
Separate Montgomery County case remains pending
A separate commercial lease dispute involving Bald Birds’ former Audubon location remains pending in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.
Because that matter has not been resolved, it is not included in the financial totals reported above. Upper Merion Area Spotlight will revisit the case after the court issues a ruling.
Reporting note: This story was prompted by reporting published by Breweries in PA. Upper Merion Area Spotlight independently reviewed the Pennsylvania Labor & Industry announcement and SEC filing cited above. The state’s corrected wage figures are used in this report.
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