USA, ME: Maine beer production rises 56 percent in 2 years

Beer production at Maine breweries is going up, Bangor Daily News reported on September, 23.

The Maine Department of Public Safety says breweries last year produced 6.4 mln gallons. That's up 30 percent from 2010 and 56 percent from the 4.1 million-gallon output in 2009.

Maine's beer producers are made up of relatively small craft-beer breweries. Shipyard, the state's largest brewery, accounted for more than 4 mln gallons in 2011.

Shipyard spokeswoman Tami Kennedy said that Maine's numbers reflect a national trend that shows locally produced beer becoming more popular.

While Maine-made beer production is going up, sales of some of the mainstream, mass-produced beers are going down in Maine. Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Coors and Pabst all saw their distribution numbers in the state go down from 2010 to 2011.

26 September, 2012