PORTLAND, Maine — Since 1991, the number of federally licensed breweries in Maine has jumped 3,200 percent.
That number — really, 3,200 percent — is not a typo. And it’s not out of line with what’s happening at the national level, where the number of breweries surged 2,150 percent from 1991 through September of this year, according to federal figures.
The counts show that the national surge in craft brewing and brewery openings has not bypassed Maine. The statistics also don’t account for a brewery’s production volume.
In 1991, Maine ranked 10th for the number of breweries per person. In 2016, the state ranked third in the list. Maine trailed Vermont and Montana. All three are sparsely populated, colder, northern states.
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It’s important to note that the figures likely overstate the actual number of breweries you might see represented on store shelves. The figures count those breweries that have federal permits with the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau, but all aren’t necessarily producing beer.
For instance, the federal figures put the Maine total as of September at 99 breweries while the Maine Brewer’s Guild puts the number somewhere above 80. Still, the overcounting applies to each state and federal permitting is a reasonable indicator, at least, of genuine interest in getting a brewery off the ground.
At the national level, figures show that interest soared in two recent phases, from 1991 through the late 1990s and from 2009 through 2016.
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The interest in Maine tracks with national trends, keeping the state’s ratio of breweries per person among the country’s highest.
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By the latest measure through September, Maine had one brewery for every 13,428 people. The national average was one brewery for every 46,481 people.
See a map of Maine breweries below, compiled by BDN reporter Bill Trotter and updated July 2016.