Craft Beers On The Rise Across America

Craft beer is defined by Brewers Association as beer that is ‘small, independent and traditional’. There are more than 150 beer styles and over 20,000 brands to choose from. The most popular beers in the US as of 2016 included: Pale Ale, Two Hearted Ale, Zombie Dust and Ballast Point. In US cities, craft beer popularity has risen steadily in the recent past years, taking 6.5% by volume in 2012, and 7.8% in 2013. In 2014, craft beer claimed 19.3% of the US beer market. In 2016, the craft beer share in the beer market was at 12.6%. The drop can be attributed to its rising popularity which led to giant brewers like Heineken, Molson Coors and Anheuser-Busch inBev buying and guzzling the competition. These giants have made deals with or completely bought several craft brewers. Despite this drop, there are already more than 5,000 breweries operating and the Brewers Association estimates there are roughly 2,000 more craft breweries in the inception and planning stages. Americans continuously crave a taste for something different. Craft beer is here to stay. Be sure to find your favorite brand of craft beer and keep trying the new ones as they come along.