Craft Beer Threatens Big Breweries

It seems small craft breweries are opening everywhere, even in cities other than the beer meccas of Colorado, Oregon and California. Markets once considered strongholds of brands like Coors and Budweiser are slowly — but surely — seeing a shift, with more people reaching for a Fat Tire or a small locally brewed beer rather than Bud.

This is an interesting development for the United States; Europe, on the other hand, has long been a bastion of the small producer, where small breweries in small towns are common. Data released in mid-2015 by the Brewers Association showed a 16 percent growth in American craft beer in the first half of 2015 compared to the same time in 2014.

That production comes from 3,739 breweries operating in the United States as of June 2015, with another 1,755 planned; most of these are in the craft category.

These developments are also exciting for beer drinkers interested in a range of styles. No longer are beer labels limiting themselves to just a lager or light beer; now, they’re pushing the envelope and producing increasingly complex and interesting beers, challenging each other and creating a diverse market.