BARS & BEERS

Ohio alcohol makers at all-time high

Shauna Steigerwald
ssteigerwald@enquirer.com

Making booze is big business in Ohio: The state now has more alcohol manufacturers than ever before.

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control has issued 579 alcohol manufacturing licenses – nearly double the number issued five years ago.

Wineries make up the largest number of licensed manufacturers, at 232. They're followed by craft breweries, at 156, and micro distilleries, at 31.

Craft brewery licenses have grown the most this year, with the division issuing 29 new licenses. It also issued 21 new winery licenses and four new micro distillery licenses. Those numbers don't take into account the many pending applications in each category.

“It’s about time.” That’s what Greg Hardman, owner of Christian Moerlein Brewing Co., said after learning about the news from the state of Ohio.

Calls for cop's arrest in Michael Brown shooting grow

“It’s really showing our maker backbone,” he said. “We’re about making things in the state of Ohio, and the brewing heritage that we have here is literally second to none. We feel that this is a great continuation of the maker movement. With breweries popping up across the country, particularly in Ohio, it just shows we’re beginning to make things again.”

“These businesses produce high quality, world-class products made right here in Ohio, many with locally sourced ingredients,” Commerce Director Jacqueline T. Williams said in a news release. “They benefit the state by offering the kind of products Ohio consumers want and contributing to job creation and economic growth.”

The Department of Commerce attributes the industry's growth to Ohio’s regulatory environment, the popularity of locally made craft and artisan products, and that state's improving economic environment, including job creation and declining unemployment.

Reporter Bowdeya Tweh contributed.

Beer tasting sampler.