HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will provide $1.5 million in funding to the Pennsylvania craft brewing and wine industry to boost sales, production and quality of state beverages.
Pennsylvania ranks second in the nation for economic impact generated by craft breweries, with $5.5 billion in 2023. Pennsylvania produces 3.1 million barrels of beer a year, ranks second nationally in volume and third in the number of craft breweries. The state’s wine industry $1.77 billion to the state economy annually. The state ranks 4th in wine production in the nation — up from 5th place in 2018 — and grape production has increased by 970 tons per year within that time frame. Pennsylvania currently has 400 licensed wineries.
Brewing grants
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Malt and Brewed Beverage Board selected the following projects to received a combined $516,894 in funding through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
Babesburgh LLC received $44,000 to promote western Pennsylvania breweries to female audiences from different communities and cultures.
Bucks County Conference & Visitors Bureau received $75,000 to increase market efforts to highlight breweries on the 2025 Bucks County Ale Trail.
Drinking Partners, LLC got $80,000 to grow and support the U.S. black craft beer community.
Double Eagle Malt, LLC received $95,352 to launch an agricultural marketing research campaign for Pennsylvania malt and brewed beverages.
Lancaster County Brewers Guild was given $20,750 to enhance marketing, social media advertising and website development for its Lancaster County Ale Trail and Passport.
Visit Hershey and Harrisburg was given $40,000 to kickoff a digital and social media marketing campaign highlighting the 50th anniversary of the Brew Barons Beer Trail.
Penn State University received $17,382 to study whether bioconversion of Pennsylvania brewery organic waste streams can make a viable protein source for poultry; $72,329 to determine practical ways Pennsylvania brewers can increase and retain desirable hop aroma compounds, and $72,081 for a project to enhance hop flavors in low-alcohol beers.
Wine grants
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Wine Marketing and Research Board selected the following projects for a combined $1 million in funding through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
The Pennsylvania Winery Association received $441,180 to fund a comprehensive, five-year promotional marketing strategy.
Penn State University received $71,999 to measure latent precursors of deleterious volatile sulfur compounds in Pennsylvania wines; $80,922 to evaluate grapevine nutrient levels and sufficiency ranges; $42,214 to measure, identify and manage the negative impact of dissolved oxygen on wine quality; $97,860 to study the impacts of integrating chemical aging of wine into traditional production; $84,811 to study the characterization of wine oxygen pickup under various scenarios common in Pennsylvania wine production; $91,021 to manage frost damage in Pennsylvania vineyards and $89,993 to use wine grape microbiomes to control dissolved oxygen and sulfur dioxide levels in final product wines.
