MAINE, USA — Breweries across Maine have had plenty of challenges in 2020. To start, the coronavirus pandemic forced all restaurants, bars, and breweries to close their doors for weeks.
Some were able to adapt to takeout and curbside pickup only, but others closed for good.
Breweries fell into a gray area during the spring re-open period: can they open with restaurants, or can they not?
As the weeks turned into months, taprooms across the state were doing anything to sell their beer. For Flight Deck Brewing in Brunswick, that meant expanding its delivery production.
Nate Wildes is a Managing Partner with the brewery. He said 2020 has been a roller coaster but also gave him and his employees the chance to get creative and adapt.
“Instead of making beer for people to enjoy at the brewery, we started making beer and packing it for people to enjoy all over the state," Wildes said.
Packing cans on-site using new technology and new employees hired for the production.
“We took the people working in the tasting room and they became production and packaging employees and all the beer that was going into kegs was going into cans," Wildes added.
But now, the latest challenge for Flight Deck and other breweries is a nationwide can shortage.
Sean Sullivan is the Executive Director of the Maine Brewers' Guild. He mentioned about 75 percent of Maine brewers can their own beer, and one reason for the can shortage is trade tariffs with Canada.
As the year continues, Sullivan added the minimum number of cans for deliveries continues to increase, and some of Maine's smaller breweries can't handle it.
“You’re required to order a minimum of three or four semi loads of cans. There are a handful of breweries in the state that can manage that," Sullivan said.
Small breweries like Liberator Brewing Company in Rockland. Richard Ruggiero is the owner and lead brewer. He said the small taproom has been focusing on to-go orders this season. But instead of cans, his beer goes out the door in Growlers or bottles.
“(We sell) 32 oz Growlers and Mini Growlers because they fit better in people’s fridge and are really popular.”
Ruggiero added the brewery is looking to can its beer.
"I have looked into it and it seems like they are getting harder and harder to get," he said.
Wildes added his brewery's can production has increased tremendously during the pandemic.
“Before COVID, we would be manufacturing hundreds, maybe a couple of thousands, at one time. We’re now producing tens of thousands of cans in any given month," Wildes said.
Although the can shortage hasn't impacted his production yet, it is a worry for the future.
“That uncertainty is preventing us from growing as quickly as we otherwise would be able to. “If we don’t know if we’re going to have the cans we can’t actively grow as much as we otherwise would," he added.
Another challenge for small breweries? The winter.
“When the winter comes, what do we do," Ruggiero said.
“Winters up here are tough to begin with because it’s really a tourism-driven economy up here."
Another cause for this shortage: people are drinking, a lot. Damon's Beverage and Redemption Center Manager Dave Makson said larger distributors are running out of their yearly supply.
“These bigger companies order a year, two years in advance, and frankly they just weren’t expecting to hit the numbers they’ve been hitting this early on," Makson added.
As Maine breweries prepare for this national shortage to continue, beer drinkers can help the cause by ordering by the draft, the bottle, or for the adventurous, by the keg.