Bend, Ore. – Oregon’s craft beer industry is slowing down after a decade of explosive growth, but according to a state analyst the outlook is good for microbreweries.
Josh Lehner, of the Oregon office of Economic Analysis, shared those remarks to the annual meeting of the Oregon Brewers Guild in Portland last week.
The number of breweries in Oregon jumped from 76 in 2006 to 218 this year, and there’s fierce competition for a limited number of tap handles and shelf space.
Flagship Oregon beers such as Deschutes’ Black Butte Porter, Widmer’s Hefeweisen and Ninkasi’s Total Domination IPA can be found in restaurants and bars all over the state,
Lehner said. But the state’s five largest breweries now sell only 20 percent of their beer in Oregon.
According to Lehner, medium to large-sized Oregon breweries should be looking to sell out of the state. He acknowledged the strong U.S. dollar hurts sales- a $10 six-pack here cost $13 overseas. But Lehner said, “The path forward is really about reversing that Oregon trail. There is just too much competition and market saturation to be able to reach large production numbers by relying soley on Oregon consumers.”
