Report: Ohio’s Brewery Industry Is Hopping Again

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Craft Brewers Association’s biennial economic impact report shows that Ohio’s craft brewing industry has resumed its expected growth in 2022 after an 8.9% pandemic-induced downturn in 2020.

Forty-four Ohio breweries opened in 2022, bringing the state total to 420 craft breweries at the end of last year. Ohio’s craft beer production ranks sixth among U.S. states at approximately 1.29 million barrels, up 18.7% from 2020 levels. The impact report shows the regional and statewide contributions Ohio craft breweries make to the state economy:

• $1.27 billion economic output (up from $880.7 million in 2020);
• $141.5 million state and local taxes ($99.8 million in 2020);
• $85.8 million federal taxes ($58 million in 2020);
• 12,040 jobs (8,295 in 2020);
• 8,095 households supported (5,577 in 2020);
• $389.0 million labor income ($253.1 million in 2020).

In addition, the 179 brewers that responded to the impact survey donated approximately $2.4 million to charitable causes and gave an additional 22,000 volunteer hours to community groups.

Much of the industry’s economic impact growth is attributable to consumer spending in brewery taprooms. However, small and independent breweries still face significant obstacles to growth via distribution, attributable to an increase in competition over the past 10 years as well as artificial barriers to market access caused by Ohio’s nearly 50-year-old franchise law, which traps small breweries in unbreakable contracts with large, powerful distributors.

The impact report divides the state into seven regions. Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties are in the Northeast region, along with Ashland, Carroll, Holmes, Knox, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties.

The 14 counties have 82 craft breweries with 1,382 direct jobs, and 10 more breweries are in the planning stages. The region’s breweries produce 46,000 barrels of beer annually.

Pictured at top: Photo courtesy of pexels.com.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.