24 Dec Indiana Craft Beer: 2017 By The Numbers
by Mark E. Lasbury for Indiana On Tap
It’s the end of the year, and I have things to do other than sit down and write – mostly going out to drink beer with friends and family. It took two 70 quart camping coolers just to get our beer selections to the parent’s house. This year we had three family members hit the age of 21, so the beer will go faster this year.
Don’t tell anyone; I’m keeping the Backwoods Bastards, Barrel-Aged Ten Fidys, and the Oak Aged Vanilla World Wide Stouts in the car. But there is plenty of great beer to go around – Teddy Bear Kisses from Upland and Deduction from Taxman, Wild Monkey from Victory and The Fox and the Hunted from 18th Street, Gluttony from Burn ‘Em and BBA Czar from Tin Man, amongst others.
As I will be otherwise occupied and perhaps not on the top of my game intellectually, I am now throwing together some numbers to help us reflect on 2017 in Indiana craft beer and look forward to 2018. Overall, there are trends that stand out and should make Indiana craft brewers and drinkers very proud of their state. You decide, but I think the numbers speak for themselves:
Breweries: 148 (breweries that make and sell their own beer on site, whether it be draft or in growler/howler/crowler)
Offsite taprooms/restaurants: 31 (owned by brewery, but beer is made at another site)
image credit: Road Trips for Beer
Breweries that opened in 2017: 15
Off site taprooms that opened in 2017: 12
Breweries that closed in 2017: 5
Breweries scheduled to open in first half of 2018: 17
Events during 2017’s Indiana On Tap Craft Beer Week: 205
Medals at 2017 GABF: 10; ranked 3rd nationally in medals:entries, ranked 11th nationally in medals:breweries
Medals at 2017 Best of Craft Beer Awards: 8
Medals at 2017 US Open Beer Championships: 5
Medals at 2017 Denver International Beer Competition: 3
Medals at 2017 Festival of Barrel Aged Beers: 1
Medals at 2017 Indiana Brewers Cup: to many to count
Number of craft beer festivals Walter and I attended in 2017: 29
I’m sure other people may have statistics on the number of barrels produced in Indiana or some such, but I’ve already finished three laps of a Dogfish 120 minute mile – this will have to do for now. If any of you have additional numbers, feel free to add them in the comments – and no, we’re not interested in the three thousand beers you posted on Untappd in 2017.
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