American craft beer sales were on a double digit climb during the first half of 2013 with dollar sales up 15% and unit sales 13%, according to the Brewers Association trade group.
During the first six months of 2013, about 7.3 million barrels of beer were sold by small and independent craft brewers, up from 6.4 million barrels over the first half of 2012. There were more than 2,500 breweries operating in the U.S. as of June 30, 2013, indicating an increase of 446 since June 2012. An additional 1,605 breweries are in the planning stages.
“Demand for beer produced by small and independent brewers has never been higher, as evidenced by increased production and the hundreds of new breweries joining the playing field each year,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, in a statement.
