USA, MA: Craft beer sales increased in Massachusetts

Despite declining overall beer shipments in Massachusetts through the first six months of 2013, craft beer sales continued their upward surge according to recent data from the Beer Distributors of Massachusetts, Brew Bound reported on September 19.

Beer sales to Massachusetts distributors totaled 1,651,012 barrels for the period ending May 31, 2013, down 1.6 percent from the same period in 2012. But shipments of craft beer, which currently arrives to nearly 16 percent of all beer sold in the Bay State, are up 14 percent through May.

Brian Murphy, the director of sales and marketing for Massachusetts Beverage Alliance, said he expects sales of craft beer to continue accelerating through the last half of the year.

Murphy blamed the softness of domestic beer shipments, which were down 4.6 percent through May, on bad weather and poor sales in the first quarter.

20 September, 2013