Shipyard Brewing Company
 | |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 (as Federal Jack’s Restaurant and Brew Pub) 1994 (as Shipyard Brewing Company) |
| Headquarters | Portland, Maine United States |
| Products | Beer |
Production output | ~93,000 bbls (2018) |
| Website | www |
Shipyard Brewing Company is a brewery and soft-drink manufacturer in Portland, Maine, United States. Founded in 1994, it is the largest brewer in Maine[1] (owning the Shipyard, Sea Dog Brewing Company,[2] and Casco Bay Brewing Company banners, and bottling under contract with Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company).[3] Shipyard is the fourth-largest microbrewery in New England after Boston Beer Company, Harpoon Brewery, and Magic Hat Brewing Company.[4]
Pumpkinhead is the brewery's popular annual fall release.[5] First released in 1997,[6] it accounts for around 40 percent of the brewery's production, despite being available for three months.[7]
History
[edit]Shipyard first began in 1992 as the Kennebunkport Brewing Co., under the corporation Ashleigh Inc., with founders Gordon Hurtubise and Fred Forsley at Federal Jack’s Restaurant and Brew Pub in Kennebunk, Maine, which is one of Maine's original brew pubs and working breweries. Within two years, demand for Kennebunkport Brewing Co. beer outpaced the small operation and, in April 1994, partners Fred Forsley, Gordon Hurtubise and brewer, Alan Pugsley, expanded into Gordon’s previous real estate purchase, and opened the Shipyard Brewing Company on Hancock Stret in the heart of the waterfront in Portland, Maine, on the site of the former Crosby Laughlin Foundry and opposite the popular Village Cafe.
In 1995, Miller Brewing Company purchased a 50 percent stake in Shipyard, allowing Shipyard to use Miller's laboratories and distribution network. Shipyard's production dropped by around 14,000 barrels per year between 1996 and 1998, leading to Miller selling its stake back to Shipyard.[8]
In 2000, during a slowdown in the popularity of microbreweries, Shipyard was selling 75 percent of its products in New England.[8]
In 2008, Shipyard Brewing Company brewed 81,641 barrels of ale annually. Five years later, it had increased to more than 166,000 barrels a year. As of 2017, Shipyard's products were available in 42 states,[7] up from 34 states in 2011.[5] A decade later, its production was around 93,000 barrels.[9]
Shipyard operates several restaurants and contract breweries, and is active in many community projects around New England. It is partners with the Sea Dog Brewing Company and Casco Bay Brewing Company. Shipyard also produces beer under contract for Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company,[10] brews an American version of Old Thumper under license from Ringwood Brewery, and distributes the Capt'n Eli's Soda line of soft drinks.[11]
In 2011, Shipyard was producing seventeen varieties of beer. It was the 19th-largest craft brewery in the country and 28th-largest overall.[5]
As a comparison of Maine breweries, Shipyard produced 3.6 million gallons of beer in 2016, just under one million gallons more than second-placed Allagash, but Allagash's sales were trending upwards and Shipyard's were decreasing. Shipyard's production was down 29 percent from its peak in 2013.[7]
In 2018, Shipyard announced plans to built a $36-million packing facility in Hooksett, New Hampshire, a facility it would share with as many as sixty other companies. The company began brewing there, in addition to its locations in Maine, Vermont, Florida and New York. As of 2025, its Portland facility has a tasting room and a five-barrel brewery.[9] Shipyard previously brewed at the Shipyard Emporium in Winter Park, Florida.[7] It opened a tasting room in nearby Sanford, Florida,[12] in 2023.[11]
In 2019, Shipyard established a beer exchange with Rocks Brewing Company in Sydney, Australia. The same year, the brewery announced a fifteen-year trade extension with Marston's, its partner in the United Kingdom.[3] At the time, Shipyard was 42nd in the Brewers Association's (BA) rankings of the top 50 craft brewers by volume, a fall of thirteen places in twelve months. It continued a trend, the brewery having slipped from 28th to 37th between 2016 and 2017.[13] In 2023, Shipyard became the top American craft beer brand sold by volume in the UK.[11]
In 2020, Shipyard and Brew Theory, a brewery in Orlando, Florida, formed a licensing agreement.[13] Shipyard also produced a special edition of its Chamberlain Pale Ale to mark the bicentennial of Maine's admittance to the union. The beer is named for American Civil War hero Joshua Chamberlain.[14]
Casco Bay Brewing Co.
[edit]Casco Bay Brewing Co. was a brewery in Portland. In 2008, Casco Bay was acquired by Shipyard Brewing Company and became a Shipyard brand. The brewery was founded by Bob Wade and Mike Lacharite in 1994. Today, Casco Bay distributes beer throughout New England under its own brand as well as the Carrabassett brand. The brewery had a capacity of 11,000 barrels a year.[citation needed]
Casco Bay uses two-row malted barley and a variety of other specialty malts. The brewery also utilizes grains from Germany, England, Belgium, Canada, and the United States to adjust the flavor, color, and mouthfeel of its brews. It imports hops from Germany for its Pilsner and utilizes hops from the Pacific Northwest of the United States for the rest of its brews. The ale yeast is an American strain, while lager yeast is imported from Germany.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Mooney, Jake (2007-09-28). "Down East in Maine, by the Pint or the Vat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
- ^ "Sea Dog History". SeaDogBrewing.com. The Sea Dog Brewing Co. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
- ^ a b "Shipyard Brewing Company Establishes Beer Exchange with Rocks Brewing Company in Australia". Brewbound. 2019-12-19. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
- ^ "Largest microbreweries in America". MetaFilter. Retrieved 2015-03-23.[unreliable source?]
- ^ a b c Fullpint, Jonny (2011-09-08). "Shipyard Pumpkinhead Now Available Through Thanksgiving". The Full Pint - Craft Beer News. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
- ^ "Shipyard Brewing to Release Pumpkinhead Fall Seasonal". Brewbound. 2017-08-24. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
- ^ a b c d "Who sits atop Maine's beer scene? It's pretty fluid". Press Herald. 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
- ^ a b Flaherty, Julie (2000-05-30). "Now, the Glass Is Half Empty; Microbreweries in the Slow Lane". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
- ^ a b "Shipyard Brewing Founder Plans to Open $36 Million Co-Packing Facility in New Hampshire". Brewbound. 2018-12-11. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
- ^ "Contract Brewing, the Pugsley / Shipyard Way". BeerAdvocate.com. Retrieved 2015-03-23.[unreliable source?]
- ^ a b c "30 Year Anniversary - Shipyard Brewing Company". 2024-06-04. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
- ^ "Sanford Florida - Shipyard Brewing Company". 2023-09-26. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
- ^ a b "Shipyard Brewing and Orlando-Based Brew Theory Strike Contract Brewing and Licensing Agreement for Florida Market". Brewbound. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
- ^ "Shipyard Brewing's Chamberlain Pale Ale Returns in Celebration of Maine's Bicentennial". Brewbound. 2020-02-27. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
