ST. LOUIS, MO – While 2009 was a less than stellar year for major U.S. beer makers — shipments were down 2.2 percent from 2008, the worst single-year decline since the 1950s — craft brewers realized a nearly nine percent increase in shipments, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
While craft brews account for less than 5 percent of U.S. beer sales, they are proving to be an increasingly popular choice for a consumer audience that is comprised of far more than just “beer snobs.”
As a result, craft brewers have added capacity, expanded to new markets, and even outsourced production as demand increased. And at least two craft brewers, Boston Beer Co. and Yuengling, performed so well in 2009 that they can no longer be called craft brewers (defined as producing fewer than 2 million barrels per year).
"The trend is towards flavor, innovation, and localness, which craft is playing on," said Benj Steinman, president of Beer Marketer's Insights.
And craft brewers have certainly taken note, responding with appealing product lines.
"In the worst recession as far as the beer business is concerned, we did pretty well," said Bob Sullivan, vice president of sales and marketing at Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City.
Boulevard is considered a large craft brewer, producing 150,000 barrels a year that it sells in 13 states. Earlier this month, it launched a $4 million expansion project that will boost its annual production nearly 30 percent.
Its growth has been powered by “a cultural phenomenon over the last two years of young people going out less and entertaining at home," Sullivan said.