A New Milestone – American Breweries Top 3,000

, A New Milestone – American Breweries Top 3,000

The Brewers Association just published an article about the number of breweries currently operating in the United States. And even in the midst of a time of growth like we’re currently experiencing, their headline U.S. Brewery Count Tops 3,000still amazes. We’ve come a long way from the few breweries that existed in the U.S. right after prohibition, and it’s incredible. But who the hell knows how this will all end?

, A New Milestone – American Breweries Top 3,000The article was written by Bart Watson, the Chief Economist for the Brewers Association, who we hung out with some at this year’s CBC in Denver. Bart’s a stats guy and a beer lover, and he brings both of those lines of expertise to his analysis of what setting this new record means.

Here’s some of what we took away from his timely piece…

Localism Rules!

Small breweries are popping up in American communities everywhere…The concept of the neighborhood pub is almost being entirely replaced by the neighborhood brewery and with more state laws allowing for tasting rooms, they are almost one and the same. With the majority of Americans now living within 10 miles of a brewery, tasting rooms are fast becoming the new “village green” for local craft beer lovers and vibrant community hangouts.

Excellence Will Become Increasingly Essential in a Crowded Marketplace

At a time when there are more American breweries than ever before, brewing “good beer” may no longer be good enough. With more and more breweries coming on line almost daily, things will only get more competitive. Breweries with reputations for excellence will flourish while those less accomplished will fall by the wayside. We know that this sounds cold – but we can’t help but agree that this will happen.

, A New Milestone – American Breweries Top 3,000Are We Reaching A Saturation Point?

It’s Watson’s position that in spite of the astounding number of new breweries entering the marketplace – 3,040 as of June – this doesn’t necessarily mean we’re reaching a saturation point. He sees things trending “back toward an era when breweries were largely local, and operated as a neighborhood bar or restaurant.” And although he thinks “a return to the per capita ratio of 1873 seems unlikely (that would mean more than 30,000 breweries); the resurgence of American brewing is far from over.”

While we at American Craft Beer agree with the article’s largely positive short-term assessment that brewery growth is “far from over” – we remain cautious. We can’t help but wonder if “astounding growth” will one day become “too much growth.”

And that’s a question we’ve got to ask Bart Watson the next time we see him…

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