The U.S. craft beer industry claimed its highest market share ever, reports the Boulder-based Brewers Association. But part of that growth came from changing what’s counted as craft beer.
The Brewers Association now bestows the “craft” designation to breweries that use more corn or rice, rather than all-malt for flavoring. That simple change allowed millions more barrels of beer to be counted as craft.
So, craft brewers across the country produced 22 million barrels of beer last year, reports the group. And production was up about 20 percent compared to the previous year. That means more than one in 10 beers is now considered craft.
