All this growth doesn’t just appear out of thin air. The current count of
operating craft breweries is at 2,483. We now have the highest number of
U.S. breweries since the 1880s. Most of this growth is accounted for in
microbreweries. There are currently 1,221 of them in business. The next
largest number goes to brewpubs with 1,165 in operation. Last but not least are
regional craft breweries at 97.
Concentration of craft beer markets
With so many craft
breweries, it’s a wonder
they aren’t on every
corner yet. However, this
is due to a trend unique to
the craft beer market. The
trend defies the common
economist metaphor of
‘the invisible hand’. States
with the most breweries
see the most sales growth.
And since they receive
more demand, they also
see more new breweries.
This builds local economy
and sends sales up again,
instead of saturating the
market as expected. This
prevents a fair nationwide
growth seen in other
industries.