5 Stories Over Beer is a weekly article that presents 5 thought-provoking stories about beer and the brewing industry from the week before that you should read. So sit down, grab a beer, and take a few minutes to read 5 stories while drinking a beer. Cheers!
Top 50 American Craft Breweries Tops This Week’s 5 Stories Over Beer (April 3-9)
Top 50 American Craft Breweries by U.S. Location
1. Brewers Association Lists Top 50 American Craft Breweries of 2015 – The Brewers Association (BA)—the not-for-profit trade group representing small and independent craft brewers—released its annual lists of the top 50 craft and overall brewing companies in the U.S., based on beer sales volume. Of the top 50 overall brewing companies, 43 were craft brewing companies. With more breweries than ever before, small and independent craft brewers now represent 12 percent market share of the overall beer industry.
As reported by the Brewers Association – “In 2015, craft brewers produced 24.5 million barrels, and saw a 13 percent rise in volume3 and a 16 percent increase in retail dollar value. Retail dollar value was estimated at $22.3 billion, representing 21 percent market share…Additionally, in 2015 the number of operating breweries in the U.S. grew 15 percent, totaling 4,269 breweries—the most at any time in American history.”
“The top U.S. brewers continue to drive demand, growth, innovation and exponential interest in beers from small and independent brewers,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “With a historic record number of breweries in the U.S., the top brewers continue to open new markets and expose beer drinkers to a variety of fuller-flavored styles and offerings.”
2. National Beer Day Celebrated – April 7th is National Beer Day. This year marked the 83rd year since the Cullen-Harrison Act went into effect and ended Prohibition. Read all about National Beer Day and its importance to the U.S. economy by clicking here.
3. Georgia Set to Ease Rules for Craft Beer Brewers – The Georgia Department of Revenue issued new proposed regulations for the state’s growing craft beer industry, a development both brewers and wholesalers have embraced. The announcement puts the manufacturers back where they thought they were after legislation passed in 2015. Read the full story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution by clicking here.
4. Delta Airlines Employing Craft Beer to Lure Customers – In the competition for high-spending travelers, airlines are increasingly turning to more distinctive food and drink to gain an edge. For Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, the strategy includes craft beer. Read Delta Airline’s marketing strategy by clicking here.
5. Big Brewers get Crafty to Fight Loss of Market Share – As the craft beer movement continues to absorb market share from big beer brands — headlined in Canada by the steady decline of Molson Canadian and Labatt Blue — the big brewers are increasingly behaving like their smaller competition, developing a far more diverse portfolio of brews and marketing them as craft beer. Read about how this trend is unfolding in Canada by clicking here.
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