Still lots of figures to come in including production numbers from the Brewers Association member’s survey which just concluded. But based on scan data and some preliminary numbers-crunching by industry observers, craft grew a rock solid 18% for a total of 3 million barrels over previous year. That would put craft at nearly 20 million barrels total for the year. Market share grew by 1.5% for a total market share of 9%. In the last 5 years craft has gained 4.5% market share. That is a game changing shift in the industry.
The total beer industry didn’t do so badly either, up about 0.5%. Up at all is good for the beer industry as a whole which has been consistently down in recent years.
Final and complete industry numbers will be released by the Brewer’s Association at the annual Craft Brewers Conference being held in Portland, Oregon in April.