“Forecasting the D.C. Region Brewing Landscape for 2022” – Washington City Paper

Photo via Washington City Paper.

Ask local brewers what keeps them up at night, and they’ll talk about a dirty draft line ruining their product and scaring a customer away forever. They’ll mention that the historically poor quality barley harvest in 2021 worries them when sipping their 5 a.m. coffee. And for brewery owners, just keeping their brewery afloat looms large when their heads hit the pillow.

Many breweries saw the pandemic slash draft sales because bars and restaurants were buying fewer, if any, kegs. They’re also seeing costs go up for everything from raw ingredients to cans.

“Here in D.C. we have a very, very competitive beer market,” says D.C.-based Seventh Point Analytics Consulting founder and chief economist Michael Uhrich. “We have suppliers from all over the world that are competing pretty fiercely, and we have some strongly relevant local brands.”