Cains, the Liverpool-based brewer and pub operator led by the Dusanj brothers, was wound up with debts totalling more than £8m.
The company owed more than £5m to HMRC when it called in liquidators to the business.
The brewery owed HMRC £5m for excise duty, VAT and PAYE and also owed 44 other creditors a total of £3m.
It is the third time the company has collapsed in 15 years and almost 40 staff are believed to be affected and have told there is no money for redundancy.
More than £100,000 worth of beer left inside vats in the brewery will have to be destroyed.
A separate firm, Brewery Village also run by the Dusanj brothers, plans to redevelop the site.
It hopes to create a multi-million pound Brewery Village in the area, incorporating shops, a cinema, hotel, spa, gym and other attractions as well as apartments.
