Yankee Brew News Archive

Yankee Microbrewing: a Ten Year Old Industry

Originally Published: 04/96

By: Dann Paquette

The current era of craft brewing began in New England in either 1986 or 1987 depending on who you ask and when you ask them. The first two breweries however are set in stone. The D.L. Geary Brewing Company in Portland, Maine was the first packaging microbrewery and the Commonwealth Brewing Company of Boston was the first brewpub (joined quickly as the second by the Northampton Brewery in Northampton, Massachusetts).

So the industry as you see it stands at about ten years old. Those of you out on the West Coast might want to compare us with where you were as an industry at ten, and others with where you might be at this age. There are currently seventy-four operating craft breweries in the six New England states, forty-five of which are brewpubs.Only two microbreweries and recently one brewpub have ever closed their doors in New England. I have figured in the past that by national standards we should have had between six and seven brewpub closings by now.

Here are a few of the hot regional topics in the Yankee Brew News in the last year or so.

Catamount Outgrows Micro Category

Last year Catamount Brewing Company of White River Junction, Vermont became the first New England brewery to outgrow the "Microbrewing" category and left their neighbor The Mountain Brewers atop the national list in production under that title.

Three New Brewery Buildings Constructed

Last year Vermont brewers Otter Creek and The Mountain Brewers built brand new facilities from the ground to fulfill their expansion needs. New England Brewing Company of Norwalk, Connecticut also built a glistening new building complete with clocktower, fine dining and a museum space. This marks the first time in our industry here in New England that brand new brewery buildings were built specifically to be packaging breweries.

First Brewpub Closing

The first New England brewpub to close its doors, Winnepesaukee Brewing, in Laconia, goes up for sale in New Hampshire.

Miller Buys Stake in Maine Brewer

American Specialty & Craft Beer Company (a division of Miller Brewing) bought half of Portland, Maine's Shipyard Brewing Company.

Boston Beer Stock Offering

Boston Beer Company had a $60 million initial stock offering, becoming the first New England brewer to do so. Six-pack inserts in the company's Samuel Adams brand of beers gave consumers information on how to purchase Boston Beer stock.

Belgian Style Micros Debut in Maine

The first two packaging microbreweries in New England devoted to brewing Belgian-style beers opened in Maine: Allagash Brewing Company in Portland and Sheepscott Brewing in Whitefield.

Cask Ale Spreads

Cask-conditioned beer became visible in some bars other than brewpubs, mostly because of the hard work of two breweries: Atlantic Coast Brewing Company, of Charlestown, Massachusetts, (brewer of Tremont Bitter) and Emerald Isle Brewing of West Warwick, Rhode Island.

Brewpubs Open Second Locations

Three brewpubs opened second locations over the last year: Commonwealth of Boston opened Back Bay Brewing, Brew Moon of Boston opened Brew Moon in Saugus and Gritty McDuff's of Portland opened Gritty McDuff's in Freeport.

And Talk of Opening Even More...

Last year John Harvard's Brewhouse in Harvard Square, Cambridge and Brew Moon of Boston became the first brewpubs to begin talking of opening multiple new sites.

Most Breweries Per Capita

Maine Coast Brewing Company becomes the third brewery in tiny Bar Harbor, Maine.

Bay State Brewing Booms

Massachusetts total grows to twenty-five breweries. Probably ten more to open in 1996.

Nutmeg State Poised for Growth

The number of breweries in Connecticut (only three to date) will at least double in 1996.

West Coast Brewer Building Local Brewery

Much of the buzz around here about "interloper" Redhook building a brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire has died down. However by the time their brewery opens and they're packaging a local product they may have a hard time convincing people they're not owned and operated by Anheuser-Busch. That's the local perception, right or wrong.

Which Old Man?

Presidential hopeful Bob Dole tours New Hampshire's Old Nutfield Brewing Company during his campaign swing. Apparently he had canceled his stop there at one point because his campaign staffers thought Old Nutfield's seasonal offering "Old Man Ale" could cause embarrassment to the Senator. By the way the name "Old Man Ale" refers to the tired New Hampshire tourist attraction "Old Man of the Mountain"--a bunch of rocks on a mountain with a nose.

Koch Gets Bounced from Festival

After being verbally abused by security staffers, Boston Beer Company president Jim Koch was ejected by police from the Boston Brewers Festival for defending his 14 year old son's right to work at his booth.

Vermont Beer in the White House

Catamount Christmas Ale 1995 was chosen as the White House holiday beer.

David and Goliath

Brewers Bierhaus, a brewpub, opens across the town from megabrewer Anheuser-Busch's facility in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

YBN Celebrates Fifth Birthday

Yankee Brew News celebrates five years of chronicling New England's craft brew renaissance. Circulation in that time grew from ten to fifty thousand, and the size of the publication more than doubled.

Pull quote:

There are currently seventy-four operating craft breweries in the six New England states, forty-five of which are brewpubs.