Oregon-brewed beer dominated draft lines across the state once again in 2016, according to the Oregon Brewers Guild, which today reported that 64.9 percent of all beer served on tap came from an in-state producer. That’s up nearly 2 percent from 2015, when 63 percent of all draft beer sold in Oregon was made by an in-state brewery.
As part of its annual “By the Numbers” report, the non-profit trade association said Oregonians drank 707,000 barrels of Oregon-brewed beer in 2016, or about 23.3 percent of all beer consumed in the state. That’s up from the 650,000 barrels of Oregon-brewed beer sold to drinkers in 2015.
“Oregon is a consistent leader in the U.S. for craft beer whether it’s the number of breweries per capita, the percentage of dollars spent on craft beer, or the economic impact per capita by Oregon’s breweries,” Brian Butenschoen, the executive director of the Oregon Brewers Guild, said via a press release.
The Guild also reported a 4.8 percent increase in the amount of beer produced by Oregon breweries; in-state producers collectively cranked out more than 1.78 million barrels of beer in 2016.
As in-state production has grown, so too has direct and indirect beer industry employment, which the guild said now totals 31,000. For their part, Oregon brewing companies employed 9,453 people in 2016, according to Damon Runberg, an economist with the Oregon Employment Department.
All in, the Oregon beer industry has an economic impact of approximately $4.5 billion.
Other noteworthy stats from the report include:
- $34.5 million: total crop value of Oregon-grown hops
- 19 million: number of people who visited Oregon breweries, pubs and tasting rooms in 2016.
- 3.04 million: number of all beer barrels sold in Oregon in 2016.
- 47,200: number of barrels produced by Oregon breweries and exported internationally
- 261: number of operating brewing facilities at the end of 2016
- 105: number of breweries in the Portland metro area
A press release, along with an infographic from the Oregon Brewers Guild, is included below.
PORTLAND, Ore. (April 19, 2017) — Today, the Oregon Brewers Guild released their annual numbers report for 2016. Overall, Oregon is seeing strong growth in employment and brewing company numbers, while production numbers and sales continue to hold strong and steady.
Oregonians are drinking more Oregon beer. Beer consumption increased in 2016, with 23.3 percent of the 3.04 million barrels of all beer (both bottled and draft) consumed in the state were made in Oregon. 707,000 barrels of beer consumed by Oregonians in 2016 were made by an Oregon brewery, an 8.7 percent increase from 2015.
Oregon draft beer consumption stole an even larger market share, with Oregon breweries producing an estimated 64.9 percent of all draft beer consumed in the state. Barrel production in the state increased by 4.8 percent in 2016, coming in at a grand total of 1,782,000 barrels. More beer meant more people, with approximately 369,000 people visiting an Oregon brewery, pub, or tasting room on a weekly basis, or approximately 19,000,000 total visitors in 2016.
The Oregon brewing industry continues to support job growth in the state, employing roughly 31,000 Oregonians directly and indirectly, and contributing $4.49 billion to the state’s economy. Oregon’s brewing establishments employed 9,453 people in 2016 according to Damon Runberg, Economist with the Oregon Employment Department. Runberg says:
“The job growth rate of 8.3 percent over the past the year is really impressive given that statewide total nonfarm growth during the same period was only 2.5 percent. The craft beer industry added around 1,340 jobs over the past two years, a growth of nearly 22 percent, which compares to a growth of 6.3 percent for total nonfarm growth during the same period. The count of jobs is an underestimate of the total employment impact, as newer brewing establishments and small owner-operated breweries are not included in the total count. The 2016 numbers are provided by the Oregon Employment Department using payroll tax records.”
Hops also contribute largely to the Oregon economy. As the second largest hop growing state in the country, Oregon had a 2016 crop value of $34,564,000. Oregon’s 230 breweries continue to support their local economies and communities donating an estimated $3,000,000 to non-profits in 2016.
“Oregon is a consistent leader in the U.S. for craft beer whether it’s the number of breweries per capita, the percentage of dollars spent on craft beer, or the economic impact per capita by Oregon’s breweries,” says Brian Butenschoen, executive director of the Oregon Brewers Guild. “We continue to see an increase in the amount of manufacturing and service jobs added in the state and we saw Oregon breweries increase their export sales by 25.6 percent (650,000 case equivalents) in 2016. Oregon’s craft brewers sold a total of 1.075 million barrels in the U.S. and around the world last year, including barrels shipped to five Canadian provinces and 37 different countries.”
As of December 31, 2016 the state had 230 brewing companies operating 261 brewing facilities in 73 cities across the state, an increase of 15 brewing facilities in 2016.
Brewery count by city and region:
- 70 in Portland — 105 in the Portland Metro Area
- 14 in Eugene — 45 in the Willamette Valley
- 26 in Bend — 36 in Central Oregon
- 6 in Astoria — 27 on The Coast
- 6 in Medford — 24 in Southern Oregon
- 5 in Hood River — 12 in Mt. Hood/The Gorge
- 2 in Baker City + Ontario — 12 in Eastern Oregon
About The Oregon Brewers Guild
The Oregon Brewers Guild is Oregon’s non-profit trade association for the state’s independent breweries. The Guild, which receives no state funding, comprises 160 brewing companies, 125 associate or supplier members and nearly 4,000 enthusiast members or S.N.O.B.s (Supporters of Native Oregon Beer). For more information, see http://oregoncraftbeer.org/.
