Good beer always makes you feel better. That’s true after a long day at work, or after a verbal skirmish with your significant other, or as it turns out, when the world in general seems to be going to hell. Even as there is unrest in the streets of England’s capitol and markets around the world are reeling as America’s credit rating is adjusted to more accurately reflect that of its citizens, there’s a ray of positive light for us beer nerds.
The Brewer’s Association is reporting that craft beer sales are up 15% the first half of 2011, outstripping the solid 9% growth the industry enjoyed in the first half of last year. The numbers reflect a healthy industry that’s responsible for 100,000 American jobs. There are now 1,790 breweries in the United States, up 165 from the same time last year, and there are 725 breweries in planning right now, up from 389 a year ago. Not all of these precious little turtles will make it to the sea, but it shows that more and more people are joining the movement.
I for one am happy to have a little good news to balance all the gloom and doom that’s dominating the headlines. It’s a reminder that prosperity is possible even in these tumultuous and uncertain times, an idea that I think each of us can appreciate. Once again beer makes things better!
At least until one of you Negative Nancy’s starts talking about the “craft beer bubble” in the comments section. I’m guessing it’s gonna be Don. He ruins everything. 😦
.
.
.
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
There’s a Don in every crowd.
Nothing’s ever all bad and beer always makes things better.
Agreed. Dons suck.
I hope it doesn’t bust. I’m in the very early research stages of starting my own bottle/homebrew supply shop.
Make that 100,001 jobs!
Bobble popped…
Say what now?
Good beer makes makes me happy. From my perspective there are no negatives to the production of good beer, and, as long as we don’t overdo, none for the consumption of same either. (Afterall, it doesn’t seem to have hurt either Germany or Great Britain.)
Yes, there will undoubtedly be a market peak after which some craft breweries will go under. But brewing has been around since at least the hey-day of the Pharaohs, and people will always be thirsty. Good beer is both a hell of a thirst quencher and good for you (in moderation of course). S’far as I can see, craft brewing is recession-proof and represents a great addition to the small-business community.
I see only two potential clouds on the craft-brewing horizon:
1) some of our favorite crafters will get too big and turn to the dark side or be taken over by Big Beer; and
2) government over-regulation, perpetrated and paid for by Big Beer, will make it difficult for the little guys to compete–we’ve already seen some inklings of that in WI.
But forewarned is forearmed, as they say. Besides, we’ll always have iconoclasts like the B&W Bros, who seek out alternatives to the McWalBusch’s of the world.
Go craft beer!
I think people are just becoming aware of better beer choices… I know I’m responsible for quite a few of my friends to increase their beer budget and drink tastier beer…