Schenectady

The Bier Abbey on Union Street in Schenectady was shut down Tuesday afternoon in a seizure by the state tax department over nearly $700,000 in unpaid sales taxes.

The Belgian-style pub, where patrons sat in church pews, opened in 2012 and offered one of the largest selections of specialty beers in the area.

On Tuesday, however, the pub was closed down by the Department of Taxation and Finance, which changed the locks and posted an orange "seized" sign on the front door.

The state has the right to auction off the pub's property if the bill is not paid off, although nothing will likely happen right away, tax department spokesman James Gazzale said.

"We did seize the business today," Gazzale said Tuesday. "Seizure is always a last resort."

It would appear that the tax department has been trying to resolve the issue behind the scenes for months, which Gazzale said the tax department tries to do before seizing a business. The tax department originally issued a $692,068 tax warrant against the pub back in May. Gazzale said the bill, which is for taxes owed dating back to 2015, is now up to $698,597.

Owner George S. Collentine, who lives in New Fairfield, Conn., according to state records, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

A sales tax bill of roughly $700,000 would indicate that the pub was doing fairly well in terms of cash flow — with millions of dollars in annual sales — although no revenue figures could be confirmed.

lrulison@timesunion.com • 518-454-5504 • @larryrulison