Shipyard Brewing Company was established in 1994, expanding on Kennebunkport Brewing Company (KBC). KBC was formed under the Ashleigh Inc. corporation, with founders Gordon Hurtubise and Fred Forsley, at Federal Jack’s Restaurant and Brew Pub in
Kennebunk, Maine, one of
Maine's original brew pubs and working breweries. Within two years, demand for KBC beer outpaced the small operation and, in April 1994, Forsley, Hurtubise and brewer Alan Pugsley expanded into Hurtubise's previous real-estate purchase and opened the Shipyard Brewing Company on Hancock Street in the heart of the waterfront in
Portland, Maine, on the site of the former Crosby Laughlin Foundry and opposite the popular
Village Cafe. In 1995,
Miller Brewing Company purchased a 50 percent stake in Shipyard, allowing Shipyard to use Miller's laboratories and distribution network. Shipyard's production dropped by around 14,000 barrels per year between 1996 and 1998, leading to Miller selling its stake back to Shipyard. established by Eli Forsley, Fred's father. In 2000, during a slowdown in the popularity of microbreweries, Shipyard was selling 75 percent of its products in
New England. In 2008, Shipyard brewed 81,641 barrels of ale annually. Five years later, it had increased to more than 166,000 barrels a year. As of 2017, Shipyard's products were available in 42 states, In 2011, Shipyard was producing seventeen varieties of beer. It was the 19th-largest craft brewery in the country and 28th-largest overall. By 2024, beer sales volume at Allagash had surpassed Shipyard and led Maine's craft breweries. In 2018, Shipyard announced plans to build a $36-million packing facility in
Hooksett, New Hampshire, a facility it would share with as many as sixty other companies. The company began brewing there, in addition to its locations in Maine, Vermont, Florida and New York. As of 2025, its Portland facility has a tasting room and a five-barrel brewery. in 2023. At the time, Shipyard was 42nd in the
Brewers Association's (BA) rankings of the top 50 craft brewers by volume, a fall of thirteen places in twelve months. It continued a trend, the brewery having slipped from 28th to 37th between 2016 and 2017. In 2023, Shipyard became the top American craft beer brand sold by volume in the UK. ==See also==