Stein of the times: Geary sales slip in brew boom
The growth of the craft beer market has caused a slide in production and sales for D.L. Geary Brewing Co., Portland’s first craft brewer, the Morning Sentinel reported.
Numbers provided by the state’s Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations show Geary’s made 34.5% less beer in 2015 than in 2011, compared with Maine’s craft breweries, which produced 113.8% more beer in 2015 than in 2011.
“It’s certainly a lot more crowded than it used to be. We’re up to 75 breweries in the state,” D.L. Geary told the paper.
“Geary’s needs somebody that can push it ahead,” Jason Notte, who writes about the beer industry for MarketWatch, told the paper. “This is Portland’s original brand; they need to update styles and bring in some new styles.
Geary said the brewery isn’t in danger of going out of business.
Earlier this year, members of Maine's craft brewing industry, politicians and related associations met to discuss boosting the $400 million annual industry, which is quickly approaching lobster as a major contributor to Maine's economy.
"We've got a long-term focus on expanding the craft beer industry's impact on Maine's economy, and we will expand upon what happens at this event over the next three to 12 months," Sean Sullivan, executive director of the Maine Brewers' Guild, told Mainebiz in a July email.
The number of Maine breweries is double what it was just three years ago. According to the Maine Brewers Guild, as of Oct. 31, Maine is home to 89 active, licensed breweries that produce hundreds of beers. When Geary opened his company, in 1986, it was the first new brewery to open east of the Mississippi since the federal prohibition on alcohol production ended, the guild’s website says.
Travelocity recently named the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford area No. 4 as a beer destination in the large-metro category. Greater Bangor ranked No. 11 in the small-metro category. Maine was the only state on the East Coast to have two cities within the rankings.
The industry has collateral benefits for the state’s agricultural sector. Buying from local growers and processors is a new trend in Maine as malthouses and local grain growers turn their eyes to the booming market for craft beer and other beverages.
Read more
Brewers, Pingree roundtable aims to expand craft beer impact
Craft brewers soak up locally sourced and processed grains
By the numbers: Largest Maine-based brewers
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments