Say so long to Strange Brew? What the popular South Austin music venue and coffee shop first described as a temporary closure last week increasingly appears to be permanent, with its doors still locked and a "for lease" sign now posted in the parking lot. Employees and musicians were taken by surprise Thursday when landlord Republic Commercial Properties locked the doors of the business.

Strange Brew, the South Austin coffee house and music venue that has become one of the city's top rooms for a wide variety of local acts in recent years, was "temporarily closed due to financial issues" on Thursday but will be open this weekend, an employee of the venue confirmed Thursday afternoon. The club was open Wednesday for its regular weekly appearances by pianist Chris Gage and rock band Wrenfro, both of whom confirmed that their shows went on as scheduled.