With more than 150 breweries here in Massachusetts, a number that’s tripled in the last five years, we thought it might be interesting to take a snapshot of of the state’s fast growing brewery count to see how each region stacks up. Not counting contract brewers (brands whose beer is brewed at someone else’s facility), there are 134 brick and mortar breweries scattered throughout the Bay State, most of them visitable.
The Central Mass. Region, with 34 brick and mortar breweries (most of which have opened within the last 10 years), is currently the state’s most prolific craft beer region. We’re not sure, however, which region consumes the most beer.
We estimate that at least 25 more breweries will open during 2018, the majority of which will be in the Southeast, likely pushing them into the lead. Each of the other regions is expected to add breweries as well, just not as quickly as the Southeast. By year’s end, more than 100 towns and cities will have their own brewery.
Thanks for posting. Any feedback or opinion on the difference in estimated openings in MA in 2018 vs 2017. I think the estimates for 2017 were somewhere in the mid 50s with 35 or so actually opening. With the estimate for 2018 only 25 what does that say about future growth of market? -Russ
Hey Russ:
It’s certainly difficult to know for sure, but we’d be shocked if there weren’t 25 or more openings this year, possibly more. I’d say it looks to be gong strong for another year or two, not sure after that. Some of the other estimates we’ve seen out there aren’t very well vetted. Every brewery-in-planning we list on our site has been confirmed by an actual would-be brewer that we communicated with. It’s certainly a very dynamic and interesting market right now. Cheers
All of these new business openings is very exciting, isn’t it! Lets do what we can to promote this goodness so that each brewery can remain viable and profitable!
Cheers to Massachusetts Beers!
Christine O’Keefe
Elliot Whittier Insurance
http://www.elliotwhittier.com/brewery-insurance-massachusetts