The power in craft beer lies not in its ever expanding number of businesses (5,600+ craft breweries right now), but in the ethos of each individual brewery. At this year’s Great American Beer Festival, we wandered around to get some quick insight from a few of these individuals.
There are not many locations left in the country where craft breweries are rare, but Jared Hardy, co-founder of North Dakota-based Fargo Brewing Co., is in one of those locations. As they put it: “From a garage to a full fledged brewery in five short years sums up a dream come true for us Fargo natives with our heart set on bringing craft brewing to the heartland.”
Hardy says there are 11 breweries in the state now, which means both opportunities for growth, but challenges for building the industry — like literally having to educate customers on craft beer and working with regulators and wholesalers to develop the market. In many states, this sounds like a story from 500 years ago, but pretty cool to hear Hardy discuss the progress they’ve made there.
