The Press Herald has interviewed the keynote speaker at this week’s New England Craft Beer summit as part of an article on growing competition in the local beer market.
[Bart] Watson says every brewery in Maine will eventually feel the competition. As the Portland market matures, brewers might be forced to look to rural markets to sell their beers.
“There are challenges,” Watson said. “One of my takes is it doesn’t mean there is no growth happening. There’s a lot of growth out there. Rural areas have not been converting (to craft beer) as quickly, so local production has been slower than in metro areas. There’s still a lot of untapped markets.”
The article also reports that Portland’s newest brewery Battery Steele hopes to open next week serving an imperial stout, a saison and an india pale ale.