Page 8 - Craft Beer and Independent Microbreweries in Ireland 2018
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
This report was prepared on behalf of Bord Bia and the Independent Craft
Brewers of Ireland (ICBI). It is the fifth such study commissioned by the ICBI,
following publication of an initial study in 2014 and update studies in 2015, 2016
and 2017.
The focus of the report is on the independent microbrewing sector in the
Republic of Ireland. In essence, an independent microbrewery is one which is
not under the legal or economic control of any other brewery and has a total
output of beer not exceeding 40,000 hectolitres.
The report is largely based on an electronic survey of microbreweries, carried
out during the period July to September 2018. The response rate to the survey
was high, with 57 or 79% of microbreweries that were surveyed responding.
It is estimated that there are some 125 microbrewing companies operating in
the Republic of Ireland, of which 75 are independent production microbreweries
and at least 50 are brand owners that source all of their product from
production microbreweries.
The number of production microbreweries has increased from 15 in 2012
to 75 in 2018, a fivefold increase. However, there were only five additional
microbreweries operating in 2018, as compared with 2017. This is the lowest
increase since 2012, when consistent data began to be compiled.
Ten new microbreweries entered the market in the year to mid-2018. However,
new entrants were partly offset by failures: it is estimated that over the last
two years, seven production microbreweries have gone out of business, with
five failures in the year to mid-2018 alone. The emergence of a significant
failure rate is a new departure and reflects changed market circumstances for
independent production microbreweries.
The output of craft beer by independent production microbreweries amounted
to some 157,000 hectolitres (hl) in 2017. This represents a 10.7% increase on
the 2016 figure of 142,000 hl. In absolute terms, output rose by 15,000hl.
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