Plymouth Brewery Pushes for More Tent Time To Combat Declining Beer Sales

Luce Line Brewing Co. is not alone. The craft brewing industry is in decline, according to the Brewers Association, a nonprofit representing breweries throughout the country.

In a letter to the Plymouth Planning Commission, Tim Naumann, owner of Luce Line Brewing in Plymouth, wrote that monthly taproom sales of its beer is down about 8 percent compared to the previous year.

“We have overcome these declines by shifting our product offering to include cocktails, coffee, THC, and more merchandise sales,” Naumann wrote.

Naumann appeared before the June 17 Plymouth Planning Commission meeting to request a zoning ordinance amendment change to allow for more flexibility in using a tent for customers.

He described the current situation for craft beer makers as a “tough market environment.”

“If you look at in the context of the industry, it’s expected that 25 percent of all brewery employees will lose their jobs in the next two years,” Naumann said. “We happen to be doing better than most. But it’s largely because we have stayed creative.”

‘People Flock to the Tent’

An example of that creativity is potentially offering a tent for customers from roughly mid-May through early October, which would include use for its popular Oktoberfest event held in late September.

“People flock to the tent,” said Naumann.

According to Kip Berglund, senior planner for the city of Plymouth, current zoning language is somewhat limited.

“Some would say outdated,” Berglund said at the June 17 meeting.

Current language restricts special events that could include use of a tent to no more than two per property per year in general industrial areas, or I-2 for zoning purposes, in Plymouth. The amendment would lift that restriction for breweries or distilleries with accessory taprooms.

Naumann said not having to set up and take down the tent will save on costs and provide extra seasonal flexibility for his business. That could include using the tent for a Thursday evening summer music series, game and trivia nights, and private events. The business has previously used the tent for weekend use.

“We offer all these things, like music series already happening. Everything we’re talking about already occurs, it’s just maybe on occasion, we’d have it in a tent because the customers really like it,” said Naumann.

Luce Line Brewing, located off the Luce Line Regional Trail, has been open for six years and is the only brewery of its kind in Plymouth.

The Plymouth City Council is expected to review the ordinance change at its July 14 meeting.

Clarification: This version more accurately reflects while taproom sales of beer are down, the business of the taproom is up overall.

Inside Luce Line Brewing Co. in Plymouth.

Plymouth