USA, MA: Mayflower Brewing Co. saved from planned closure by deal with distribution company

Mayflower Brewing Co., one of Massachusetts’ largest breweries and among the oldest of today's craft brewers, has been saved from a planned closure thanks to a deal with a distribution company, Boston Business Journal reported on January 18.

Mayflower Brewing said Friday it has an agreement with Sheehan Family Cos., which traces its history back to 1898, to "continue to brew beer and thrive for years to come."

Sheehan Family Cos., based a town away in Kingston, includes a series of distributors in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia and Wisconsin. The company didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.

Mayflower Brewing landed 16th in the state last year in beer production, with its numbers declining in recent years.

The near-closure of Plymouth-based Mayflower comes as the craft brewing industry, both in Massachusetts and nationally, faces new challenges in a maturing market. Beer consumption is down, consumers are turning to canned cocktails and other beverages, and high prices have squeezed profits.

For Mayflower in particular, increased competition may have also played a role in its predicament.

Mayflower opened in 2007, before craft brewing exploded as an industry. It used to have the town of Plymouth by itself but more recently has had to share it with, among others, Second Wind Brewing, as well as second locations of two other South Shore breweries, Untold Brewing of Scituate and Vitamin Sea Brewing of Weymouth.

Those others have locations in Plymouth’s downtown waterfront area. Mayflower’s beer has been a regular on taps in town but its brewery is a few miles away in an industrial park, giving it less visibility to locals and tourists. High Limb Cider has also opened than a mile from Mayflower Brewing.

Mayflower’s slide in production coincides with an increasing number of closures, mergers and acquisitions in the Massachusetts craft brewing industry.

Framingham-based Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers brought two other major breweries under its parent company in 2024, Wormtown Brewing in Worcester and Night Shift Brewing in Everett. Lord Hobo Brewing of Woburn joined with a Maine brewery and Harpoon merged with the maker of Wachusett Brewing.

Just last September, Brockton Beer Co. said it would close before a last-minute investment kept it open. But two others have closed since then: Outrider Beer Co. of Amesbury and Spicket River Brewery of Lawrence.

Last year appears to be a turning point of sorts for craft brewing. The Massachusetts Brewers Guild reported as many brewery closures as openings for 2024, and the Brewers Association said there were slightly more closures nationally.

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