A short while ago (2011), Rick Arman of the Akron Beacon Journal wrote a book on Ohio breweries, and there were about 50. Well, the Ohio Beer Guide website recently updated the list of craft breweries and there are now over 70 in Ohio. Add to that another dozen or so with pending applications with the Ohio Liquor Control Board, and we may soon have over 80.
A news item from the Brewers Association today reported that craft brewers now control 6.5% of the market, up from 5.7% the year before, and that 6.5% amounts to a little over 10% in sales volume. They reported that the beer industry as a whole only rose by 1%, but craft beer rose by 15% in volume, 17% in sales, and 18% in number of breweries.
The total number of breweries is now about 2403 nationwide. Divide that by 50 states and you get an average of 48 per state. Ohio exceeds the national average and is growing fast. Clearly we Ohioans have a taste for craft beer.
"Beer is a $99 billion industry to which craft brewers are making a significant contribution, with retail sales share hitting double digits for the first time in 2012,” said Paul Gatza, director, Brewers Association. “Small and independent brewers are consistently innovating and producing high quality, flavor-forward craft brewed beer. Americans are not only responding to greater access to these products, but also to the stories and people behind them."
Continue to demand good beer and help the craft beer industry grow in Ohio. Drink Local!
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