The Economy of Beer
It's no secret that Wisconsin produces a lot of beer, and Wisconsinites in turn consume a lot of beer. According to the Beer Institute Wisconsinites actually do not consume the most beer per person, per year. So the question is: Where is all of the excellent craft beer of Wisconsin being sold and enjoyed? The following visuals should explain the regional economies of Wisconsins breweries, and also provide some insight into who really is enjoying all the Wisconsin suds.
Figure 4 displays the production and sales from the "medium-sized" Breweries that call Wisconsin home. These were defined as breweries that produced on average between 20 and 60 thousand barrels of beer per year. *Note that Leinenkugels Brewery was bought out by MillerCoors Inc., and is now producing well over the 60 thousand beer threshold to be defined as a "medium-sized" brewery. However, we chose to include it in the study because of its regional proximity to the University.
Figure 4 displays the production and sales from the "medium-sized" Breweries that call Wisconsin home. These were defined as breweries that produced on average between 20 and 60 thousand barrels of beer per year. *Note that Leinenkugels Brewery was bought out by MillerCoors Inc., and is now producing well over the 60 thousand beer threshold to be defined as a "medium-sized" brewery. However, we chose to include it in the study because of its regional proximity to the University.
Where does it all go?
Figure 5 illustrates where all the wonderful Wisconsin microbrews are being enjoyed. To create this map, months of sales data had to be compiled, and then manipulated in a way that it could be mapped. Sales data was obtained by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, and from this data average monthly sales, total market share, and in state/out of state numbers were calculated. The pie graphs on this map represent total market share (Size of the entire pie chart) and that particular breweries in-state and out of state sales numbers (Pie pieces themselves). Three things jump out when interpreting this map:
1. Despite being bought out by the second largest brewing corporation in America (MillerCoors), Leinenkugels still sells the majority of its beer (65.4%) in-state.
2. New Glarus Brewing Company sells 100% of its products in the state of Wisconsin.
3. Despite having the 3rd largest share of Medium Sized Microbrewery Production in Wisconsin (14%), City Brewing Company sells almost all of its products out of state.
1. Despite being bought out by the second largest brewing corporation in America (MillerCoors), Leinenkugels still sells the majority of its beer (65.4%) in-state.
2. New Glarus Brewing Company sells 100% of its products in the state of Wisconsin.
3. Despite having the 3rd largest share of Medium Sized Microbrewery Production in Wisconsin (14%), City Brewing Company sells almost all of its products out of state.
Work Cited
Wisconsin Department of Revenue - http://www.dor.state.wi.us/