American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
Although many cities began their festivities last weekend-American Craft Beer Week officially starts today and runs through next Sunday the 22nd, but we expect, that if you’re like us, that you’ve already begun drinking.
American Craft Beer Week was created and is sponsored by the Boulder-based Brewers Association and is coordinated nationally, every year, to celebrate the brewer’s art in cities all across America.
It all started back in 2006, when the Brewers Association American Beer Month, which was traditionally in July, was changed to be aweek-long coordinated effort timed just before the busy summer beer season begins.
One week’s worth of national activities was found to be more manageable. Plus, the term ‘craft’ was added for obvious reasons. American Craft Beer Week fast became the largest national effort focusing on craft beer and remains so today.
Its growth since then has been phenomenal:
- 124 breweries posted events in 2006 the year it changed to American Craft Beer Week.
- 150 breweries participated in 2007
- 168 breweries participated in 2008
- 212 brewery members participated in 2009 posting over 500 individual events into the Brewers database which is the official event database for American Craft Beer Week.
- 341 brewery locations and 621 events were posted for the 2010 celebration.
- 1,521 events posted to the official ACBW calendar with events in ALL 50 states in 2011
With craft breweries at an all-time high, this year’s celebration promises to be the biggest American Craft Beer Week ever and we’re hoping that you’ll be checking in with us daily for updates on things that are happening near you and our ongoing coverage of the week’s many activities.
