O
verall beer sales are
dropping again. But
the craft beer market
still chugs strongly uphill
this year. A few new comers
have dropped out of business.
However, those who are
producing quality brews
continue to see exceptional
growth.
New breweries are still
popping up left and right
in key regions across
America. This is despite
the slight downward trend
from last years’ numbers.
Unexpectedly, states with
the most craft breweries are
responsible for the majority
of new openings. Let’s walk
through the numbers of this
year’s craft beer market
and get a better look at
what exactly is going on
nowadays.
The numbers
Total craft brew market
share has been rising
steadily. The growth of
existing brands, new product
branding from existing
breweries, start-ups, and
brewpubs, and an explosion
of microbreweries are
responsible for this rise. All
these factors resulted in a
7% market share of all beer
sales, up from 6.3% in 2012
and 5.5% in 2011.