Ohio’s beer industry among top in nation
By Eric Schwartzberg, Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The state ranks sixth in the nation when it comes to making, distributing and selling the popular beverage, which provides more than 82,000 jobs, pays nearly
That's according to an economic study jointly commissioned by the
Beer also poured
"In 1976, somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 breweries were left in America," McGreevy said. "Today, there are more than 2,500 breweries in America. There's a lot of activity out there."
For every one job at a brewery or beer importer, there are 45 jobs created in supplier industries and in local communities nationwide, he said. Those jobs come from the agriculture, business and personal services, construction, finance insurance and real estate, manufacturing, retail, transportation and communication, travel and entertainment and wholesale sectors.
"We estimate that 2 million Americans in some way are behind getting the beer from the farm to the bar, essentially," McGreevy said.
Rolling out the largest amount of barrels in
Last year, employees of the St. Clair Twp. brewery produced more than 9 million barrels of beer and are on track to do the same this year, Quinn said.
The brewery makes 62 brands, of which approximately one-third are MillerCoors brands, Quinn said. That's a far cry from the three or four Miller brands from when it started operating in 1991.
The only brewery in the country that produces more beer for
Access to a skilled workforce is also part of the location's appeal, as is being centrally located to major highways.
When it comes to sales,
"We have products that we believe are attractive to a very broad audience, and I would have to say if you look at the state of
As for the upsurge in craft brewing on the local and national level,
The company even has a component of its organization --
"Certainly we recognize that is something that a consumer is interested in and so we believe that we have products that meet that need," Quinn said.
Smaller brewers are betting the same holds true for their own businesses.
Nationwide, craft brewers sold about 10.6 billion barrels of craft beer during the first half of 2014, an 18 percent increase over the 9 million barrels sold over the same period in 2013, according to the
When state legislators a few years ago made it easier to open breweries in
"But it's the strength of the craft beer culture and the craft beer movement that are driving the growth," MacDonald said.
A local business tapping into the brewing bonanza is
"History shows us that communities of a certain population can support local, non distributed breweries," Ney said. " When coupled with a farm to table concept, there is an opportunity for a truly local gastronomic experience. That local first philosophy is what we seek to employ and is the road we encourage others to take."
Among the surge of entrepreneurs seeking to slake the thirst for craft beers are
"The equipment is actually very small," Meyer said. "Some folks might refer to it as a really fancy home brewing setup."
DogBerry Brewing will use a one-barrel brewing system and its fermenter will hold two barrels, giving the business the capability of doing a double batch for year-round beers. Each barrel produces 31 gallons of beer. Meyer said the business hopes to makes about 220 barrels in the first year.
Meyer said the explosion of suds-related sales is simply "because it sells."
"It's hot," Meyer said. "There's a big craft beer movement and I think the more that people are exposed to it, the more they realize that that yellow, fizzy, nasty beer isn't good enough for them anymore."
Buying local is a big part of the craft beer movement, he said.
"People want to get things that are fresh, they want things that are made locally and when you can get that with good quality and flavor, you get a little more for your money that way," Meyer said.
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