2014 Was Another Great Year For U.S. Craft Beer

from Felix Richter, Statista.com
by Niall McCarthy

The craft beer revolution is showing little signs of slowing down. By the end of 2014, there were 3,418 craft breweries across the United States compared to just 1,521 in 2008.

The number of barrels produced is also skyrocketing. In 2008, brewers produced approximately 9 million barrels and last year, they churned out 22 million.

Exports are also booming. A decade ago, American craft beer exports were worth $2.9 million. That grew to just under $100 million last year. An estimated 115,469 people were employed by small and independent breweries in the United States in 2014. However, there is one downside to the revolution. The explosive growth of craft beer has led to a shortage of hops which has resulted in price increases and some small brewers dropping their production.

This chart shows craft beer breweries and barrels produced in the U.S. from 2008 to 2014

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