Craft beer consumption is growing in Catalonia

The company that organizes the Barcelona Beer Festival, together with GECAN (Guild of Craft and Natural Beer Producers), has published for the third consecutive year the socioeconomic report on the craft beer sector in Catalonia. Another driving force behind the report is the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia, and it shows that there are no longer so many new breweries appearing, but rather that existing ones are consolidating.

This report covers data for the 2018 financial year. Over the past year, we have seen that production has increased by 20% compared to 2017. The local sector produced 4.8 million liters, up from 4 million the previous year. This increase comes in a context of project consolidation, as only two new production facilities were created compared to 2017. In other words, craft breweries are producing more and more beer. If we break it down by brewery, the average output is 51,300 liters per year. It is also worth noting that only 7 breweries account for 42% of craft beer production in Catalonia.

As for the market value of craft beer in Catalonia, the figure is 43 million euros. This translates into a 1.8% market share within the overall beer market. In other words, 1 out of every 50 euros spent on beer goes to a microbrewery. This figure is up compared to 1.3% in 2017 and 1% in 2016.

As for employment in the sector, it has created 64 new jobs during the last financial year. Half of these are positions related to production. In this regard, most craft breweries already have a head of production (head brewer) and a head of sales (sales director) on their team.

If we zoom in on variety, in 2018 there were 1,058 different craft beers produced in Catalonia. In other words, each microbrewery offers an average of 12 different products, with special editions playing a prominent role. In addition, 43% of producers age their beers in barrels and 13 breweries are already canning.

It’s clear that the beer sector continues to grow year after year in Catalonia, as it is one of the regions of Spain where the craft movement first took off. In the coming years, we can expect an increase in both production and market share, but for that to happen, producers need simpler tax and health regulations.