USA, CO & OH: New Belgium Brewing to start sales in Ohio

New Belgium Brewing said a recent increase in brewing capacity will allow the Fort Collins, Colo., company to begin Ohio sales in December, The Columbus Dispatch reported on August, 26.

Until then, New Belgium will remain as the largest craft brewer without a presence in Ohio.

Of the top 10 craft brewers in the United States, only two, including New Belgium, are not selling product in Ohio.

Deschutes, which offers labels such as Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale, also is adding capacity - 105,000 barrels a year.

New Belgium’s move into Ohio was made possible after the company expanded manufacturing capacity by 700,000 barrels a year at its Fort Collins brewery earlier this year, Simpson said.

The additional capacity also will allow New Belgium to begin selling in Delaware, Florida and Utah, he said. The company also is building a second brewery, which is expected to open in Asheville, N.C., in 2015 and will add 500,000 barrels a year.

Lack of capacity has been a perennial problem for many craft brewers, which have accounted for the majority of beer-industry growth in recent years.

The craft-brewing industry grew 7 percent by dollars to $10.2 billion in 2012, according to the Brewers Association. Overall, U.S. beer sales grew only 1 percent to $99 billion.

28 August, 2013