Thinkin’ and Drinkin’ the week of June 24

Well Craft Brewing Business (CBB) fans, we’ve reached the end of another exciting week covering the craft beer industry. Friday is the time when the CBB crew kicks back with a couple of craft cold ones and reflects on the stories of the week. What we liked, what we learned and what we thought was just plain cool. Did you have a favorite story from the week? Any of our features catch your attention? Well, pull up a seat, crack open a crafty beverage and join the conversation. We love hearing from our readers. So, after reading what the CBB crew thought about this week in news, be sure to sound off in comments below to let us know what you think and, more importantly, what you’re drinking. Cheers!

Craft brewery count climbs over 2,500 mark

Keith Gribbins, editor:

When will this trend crest? Paul Gatza asked that very question last week when the Brewers Association (BA) announced that at as of May 31, the U.S. brewery count was 2,514. That’s an increase of 422 breweries since last year, and it’s only May. Those numbers are absolutely jaw dropping, but like Gatza, we keep thinking: When will those big increases start to drop, and when will the craft market get saturated? Well, it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon, especially with cross continent expansions (both in the United States and abroad). This week it was also announced that through the efforts of the BA’ Export Development Program, American craft brewers will have a significant presence at a number of international beer events, including festivals and conventions in Brazil, Germany and Great Britain. We feel the U.S. craft brewing market will only grow as it starts to not only conquer distribution channels around America, but across the globe.

Craft choice: Abita Strawberry Harvest

One-way kegs: The benefits, opportunities of non-ownership

Jason Morgan, editor:

One of the coolest parts of being an editor covering the craft beer industry is all the awesome behind-the-scenes operational info we discover. We get to hear about all the unique, innovative equipment and processes that brewers employ to stay successful. Then we share it with you, the readers, who hopefully glean some business insight. You don’t get more unique than one-way kegs. In feature stories written by the other editors, there’s usually a section that I’m always pleasantly surprised by, in an enlightened kind of way. In this case, it was the section that talked about the one-way keg’s sustainability. Think a traditional steel keg has the one-way keg beat in the sustainability department? The feature might just change your mind.

Craft choice: Southern Tier Brewing Co. 2X Stout