A-B Invests $6 Million in Portsmouth Brewery to Increase Production, Innovation

The funding will go toward building a state-of-the-art can line at the Portsmouth, N.H., facility, which produces Anheuser-Busch's beer, cider and hard tea offerings. The revamped can line is expected to let the plant brew and package about 29% more beer in 2023. In 2024, production is expected to increase to produce 56% more beer.

The facility was built on 13 acres within the Pease Development in Portsmouth, NH. The brewery itself is over 104,000 sq. feet in total, which includes 92,000 sq. feet of production and 12,000 sq. feet of the adjoining brewpub and event space. Construction on the canning line began in late 2022 and was completed in early 2023.

Anheuser-Busch’s Portsmouth, N.H. brewery has a storied brewing history. In 1996, Washington state-based Redhook Brewery built the facility to be an exact replica of its original Woodinville, WA brewery, making Redhook the first bi-coastal craft brewing operation in the U.S. In 2016, the current can line was added to accommodate consumers’ changing preferences from bottles to cans. In 2018, the Cisco Brewers Portsmouth pub opened onsite, and ever since, it’s served as a community gathering place for beer enthusiasts, frequently hosting public concerts, parties and weddings.

The investment will enable the brewery to produce more innovations, including Cisco Brewers’ collaboration beer with the New England Patriots, Forever New England.

“As a company, we’re committed to investing in our facilities and supporting our local communities by creating and sustaining jobs,” said Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch. “Our Portsmouth brewery plays an important role in producing beers and other high-quality products for our consumers to enjoy. This isn’t just an investment in our local facility—it’s an investment in a community where we live, work and operate.”