The Latest Brews

It’s been over a week since we published my story about Maine breweries as a whole increasing their production by more than 50 percent since 2009, but still the news has some fizz.

Associated Press picked up on it, which probably is how the story came to the attention of New England Cable News and then, more recently, CNBC. Of course, it is beer (Oktoberfest) season, so it makes complete sense that a story about craft beers would prove popular this time of year.

For those whose thirst may not have been slaked by the news stories, I have more stats. When I was working on the story, I put this spreadsheet together to crunch the numbers and to see what came up. It includes figures for breweries not mentioned in the article, and stats for active breweries dating back to 2006.

Sheet 2 (see the tab in the bottom left corner) has annual production totals for each of the Maine breweries that have produced beer within the past six years, and production totals for all Maine breweries for each year from 2006 through 2011. And, if you haven’t already, you can always check out our interactive beer map.

If that’s not enough, you may have to shut off your computers and venture out. Oktoberfest at the Smuggler’s Den Campground in Southwest Harbor is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 6, and the Swine & Stein festival in downtown Gardiner is set for Saturday, Oct. 13. Both begin around midday and last through the afternoon. And, of course, there’s the Maine Brewers Festival, Friday, Nov. 2, & Saturday, Nov. 3 at the  Portland Expo. If you go, have fun and please drink responsibly.

Bill Trotter

About Bill Trotter

A news reporter in coastal Maine for more than 20 years, Bill Trotter writes about how the Atlantic Ocean and the state's iconic coastline help to shape the lives of coastal Maine residents and visitors. He writes about fisheries, marine-related topics, eastern coastal Maine communities and more for the BDN. He lives in Ellsworth. Follow him on Twitter at @billtrotter.