There are now 4,000 breweries in the United States, the most in 150 years, and an average of two more are opening every day, according to statistics from the Brewers Association.
And the rush to brew, driven in part by the local farm-to-table movement, has lots of room to grow.
“What it does not mean is that we’ve reached a saturation point. Most of the new entrants continue to be small and local, operating in neighborhoods or towns. What it means to be a brewery is shifting, back toward an era when breweries were largely local, and operated as a neighborhood bar or restaurant,” said the association’s economist Bart Watson.
The Brewers Association.
The growth can be seen on the association’s interactive brewery map that shows 18 new beer makers in Washington and even five in the small town of Purcellville, Virginia, 60 miles from the capital.
The huge growth, however, is being threatened by Obamacare and new caloric and ingredient labeling rules, according to Americans for Tax Reform.
The anti-tax group led by Grover Norquist said that the regulations could cost local brewers $77,000 each.
“As of December 2016, Obamacare dictates that all brewers must include a detailed calorie count on every type of beer they produce. Failure to comply with the new regulations means craft brewers will not be able to sell their beer in any restaurant chain with over 20 locations. Because this is a major market for selling beer, it hamstrings smaller craft brewers if they do not comply,” said ATR.
Big companies will have no problem, but many local communities with a handful of restaurants have conducted “tap takeovers” where small brewers are featured and those could disappear.
ATR said that brewers may be forced to comply with costly labeling changes and cut work forces.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
