Craft Beer Industry Explodes across the U.S.

Beer companies haven’t experienced major increases in sales over the past few years. The exception to this, however, comes in the form of craft beer brewers. Instead of focusing on the big brand beer companies, people have been focusing in on their own individual styles with craft brew beers.

In the past, craft brew beers didn’t have the best names for themselves, like Lagunita’s flirtation with marijuana that used to affect their sales. But with time, craft breweries have expanded to cities to be bigger and closer to customers than ever. With this surge, Lagunita has not even seen the slightest of sales woes. Consumer research firm Mintel expects for craft breweries to experience sales of $20 million in 2014.

What has really caught most entrepreneurs attentions, however, is the lack of taste for craft beer in the South. Mintel’s studies show that the consumption of craft beer is lowest there. But with the Midwestern and Western states on board, companies are making the jump to the South with hopeful attitudes. Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, is renovating their warehouse to have the feeling of being in a basement rec room.

Some other companies making improvements and moving up in the craft beer world are Oskar Blues, New Belgium and Sierra Nevada.

For more information, read Mintel’s press release or this article posted on Food Processing.