An Industry of Numbers

I was recently alerted to an intriguing infographic with tons of cool information in the craft beer industry. I think I've only given the airwaves to another person on this blog just once if I can recall correctly. I'll do so once again today and give the reigns to Matt Zajechowski. Kendall College, where the beer infographic originated, is one of Matt's clients.

Without further adieu, take it away Matt.

Just a segment of the craft beer infographic.

A Toast To The Growth Of Craft Beer!

Let us all take a second to toast to the growth of the craft beer industry. The craft beer industry has a whole has seen tremendous growth in the last decade. Craft beer drinkers have to rejoice at this fact. No longer are we forced to settle drinking on watered down light beer from the big 3 (Coors, Miller and of course Budweiser). Most consumers in the United States still choose to settle on these light beer choices, but the good news is that there are many more choices for consumers who enjoy the different tastes and styles of craft beer. The growth of the craft beer industry was something that both students and professors in the hospitality program at Kendall College decided they wanted to learn more about. They took the time to study different factors of the craft beer industry. They focused on overall growth of the industry, employment numbers and jobs that the industry creates, different demographics views on craft beer, people’s view on craft beer taste and also food pairings with craft beer. This resulted in the craft beer infographic that can be seen here. There is a lot of good information in this infographic but I’ve highlighted some of the more important findings below:

• Consumers enjoy the taste of craft beer. 36% of consumers say they enjoy the taste of craft beer. This number still may not be that high but has been on a steady rise over the past decade. The big 3 still control roughly 90% of beer sales overall so seeing that number rise is a positive step in the right direction for the craft beer industry.

• Younger age groups are more apt to try craft beer than older age groups. 43% of Millenials (ages 25-34) say they prefer the taste of craft beer. When you compare that to Baby Boomers only 32% prefer the taste of craft beer. I think this trend will continue to rise when younger consumers become of drinking age.

• People tend to enjoy pairing craft beer with food. It makes sense because food and drink pair well together. Certain beer styles pair better than others with different types of foods. Darker beers tend to pair better with desert foods. If you like lighter beers like wheat beers and saisons try pairing them with salads and sushi and other lighter food options. 

• Overall sales of craft beer has continued to rise and is projected to continue to rise within the next few years. Experts project sales of craft beer to top 40 billion by 2012. This is impressive when compared to sales in 2007 that were only 5.7 billion.

• The total number of breweries is growing as well. As of 2012 there were 2,403 breweries which is the highest number since the 1880s.