Page 9 - Craft Beer and Independent Microbreweries in Ireland 2018

Executive Summary

This represents a significant reduction in the rate of growth of output of recent
years. In 2016 and 2015, output grew by 31% and 56% respectively. Almost 20%
of microbreweries experienced a decline in output in 2017, an increase on last
year’s figures of one in six.

Total beer production in Ireland amounted to 8,019,000 hl in 2017. The Irish
independent microbrewery production of 157,000 hl in 2017 represents 1.9% of
the production market.

The consumption of beer in Ireland was 4,479,000 hl for 2017. Of the 157,000hl
produced by independent microbreweries in 2017, some 126,500 hl were sold in
the domestic Irish market, indicating an Irish independent microbrewery share
of domestic beer consumption of 2.6%.

The total turnover of craft beer producers in 2017 is estimated at €44.3m,
up 10.9% from €39.4m in 2016. More than one in six microbreweries had a
turnover of less than €50,000 in 2017 and more than one-third had less than
€100,000. Almost one in five microbreweries had a turnover in excess of €1m.

Of the 157,000 hl of craft beer produced the independent craft beer sector in
Ireland in 2017, 126,500 hl was consumed in the domestic market, with 30,500
hl going for export. Thus, exports accounted for 19.4% of total production. This
level of exports is only a marginal increase on export volumes of 29,600 hl in
2016. In contrast, sales to the domestic market grew by 12.7%.

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