On the heels of the Brewers Association's announcement that craft beer volume jumped 13 percent in volume and 15 percent in revenue for the first half, Oskar Blues Brewery (Longmont, Colo.) reports that it experienced a 38 percent increase in depletions over the past six months. This follows eight years of consecutive double digit growth (triple digit growth before that, the brewery says) which helped earn Oskar Blues the distinction of Beverage World's “Craft Brewer of the Year."
Oskar Blues’ continued growth has been fueled by the addition of their Tasty Weasel Taproom & Brevard, N.C .brewery that began brewing in December 2012. The Oskar Blues Brevard brewery shipped more than 1.2 million cans to 15 states in the month of June labeled "Brevard, North Carolina." The company notes that the new brewery is growing to meet demand and is already on track to brew more than 50,000 barrels of beer in its first production year.
Packaging innovation also has helped. Dale’s Pale Ale was released nationwide single-serve 19.2oz. “Imperial Pint” cans to kick off 2013. Mama’s Little Yella Pils followed in Ball Corporation’s 19.2oz. can in April.
The brewery produced 85,750 barrels of beer in 2012 while climbing to 27th on the Brewers Association Top 50 Breweries list released in April.
