Craft Beer Infographic (makes me thirsty)

It had my attention right away at "nearly half (45%) of consumers would try more craft beers if they knew more about them."

I received an email request to check out a new Infographic related to Craft Beer and was asked if I'd be interested to share it here on the site.  Sure, I'll check it out.  And much more than just the Infographic, we were provided with an additional write up as well.  Check it out and then keep scrolling.

The rise of the craft beer industry

More and more people throughout the United States and the world are developing a passion for both craft beer and also brewing their own beer.  Consumers are less satisfied with generic light beer from the big 3 (Bud, Coors, Miller) than they have been previously.  The growth of the craft beer industry and micro brewing has helped contribute to this.  Beer geeks like to try different beers from different areas consisting of different styles.  They like to share their experiences with these beers whether it is in the form of a blog, or a story to a beer drinking friend, to checking in on untapped. It is tough to ignore the growth of the craft beer industry and how it has changed consumer’s views on beer.  The students and professors at the Hospitality Program at Kendall College in Chicago took notice of these trends and found themselves wanting to learn more.  The result of their curiosity is the craft beer infographic that looked at several factors in the craft beer industry including; pairing food and craft beer together, job growth and sales growth within the industry, the growth of the industry as a whole, along with different demographics views on craft beer.  Some of the more interesting points in the infographic are noted below:

·         A third of all consumers (36%) drink craft beer.  This number may not seem that high, but a third of the market is impressive when you think that the big 3 (Coors, Bud, Miller) control about 90% of total market sales.

·         Older generations are not quite as receptive to trying craft beer as their younger counterparts.  32 percent of baby boomers say that they enjoy the taste of craft beer.  43% of Millennials enjoy the taste of craft beer.   I think that number will rise even higher in the future as younger generations are exposed to more choices.

·         Craft beer is really fun and delicious to pair with food.  Different beer styles go better with certain types of food, so it is important to know what type of food pairs well with certain beer styles.  Salads go well with light beer choices like light beers and saisons. Deserts and sweets go better with darker beer choices like chocolate stouts and barleywines.

·         Craft beer provides jobs. The craft beer industry has seen strong growth in terms of employment throughout the past decade. The craft beer industry employs over 103,585 people in the United States alone. During the past 13 years the number of food and beverage jobs has jumped nearly 25%.  When compared to 4% for overall employment growth over that same time period, that number really stands out.

·         Sales of craft beer continue to rise.  Back in 2007 craft beer sales equaled roughly 5.7.  Experts predict that by 2017 craft beer sales will top 40 billion.  That is a huge growth number in a short period of time.

See also the page on the Kendall College website with yet additional information.  Thanks to Matthew Z at Digital Third Coast for the suggestion and above write up.

Now who is interested in a Craft Beer?