SYRACUSE, NY -- J. Ryan's Pub, long one of downtown Syracuse's top destination bars for craft beer fans, is closing March 24.

The news was sudden, said manager Christopher Case, who held a meeting with staff this morning to break the news. "The lease was terminated," he said.

The pub will stay open until midnight all this week, except possibly later on Friday for the Syracuse Orange basketball game, Case said. The last day is Saturday.

The building at 253 E. Water St. across from the Erie Canal Museum is owned by Bob Carvotta. "I'm retired so I have no idea ," Carvotta said when reached today about the bar closing. "I'm out of it."

The pub is owned by Alex Bielecki, who was Carvotta's son-in-law. Carvotta's daughter, Julie Ryan Bielecki, was the inspiration for the name. Alex Bielecki could not be reached for comment.

Carvotta developed the space as a multi-tap beer bar specializing in craft beers and top imports in 1996. It operated then as a branch of MacGregor's Grill & Tap Room, which also has several locations in the Rochester area and Canandaigua.

When MacGregor's closed, the pub operated under different ownership as Kelly Cole's Improper. In 2009, Carvotta oversaw the reopening as J. Ryan's, with the license held by Alex Bielecki.

The bar had 69 taps around a long sort of Z-shaped bar, and was a reliable place to get both top national and regional brands and one of the best selections locally for New York breweries. The kitchen served pub food, including a version of Rochester's famed garbage plate.

The competition for bars serving a good selection of craft beers in the Hanover Square area has increased in recent years, with such spots as Wolf's Biergarten and The Evergreen nearby. Wolf's also competed with J. Ryan's as a home base for Syracuse soccer fans.

But that may not have been the problem.

"It's not financial," Case said. "I wish I could say more."

On its Facebook page, J. Ryan's posted this message today:

"To our friends, patrons and all those who have passed through our doors for the past 8+ years - it is with heavy hearts that we announce this will be our last week of business. We will be closing our doors after last call on Saturday March 24th.

The ownership and staff of the pub would like to thank everyone who spent some time and drank some pints with us here since we opened in 2009. We will be open every day this week from 11am to 12:00pm, and hope that you will come down to have a last pint or two and say goodbye to J. Ryan's and her staff.

We're so glad to have been able to serve the community of Syracuse and thankful to you all for sharing these wonderful years with us!"

Don Cazentre writes about craft beer, wine, spirits and beverages for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.