Page 6 - Demo

1IntroductionCraft beer is not just another consumer good; it is a reflection of the American Dream. Beer enthusiasts choose to imbibe craft beer because it is an affordable and accessible luxury that is more flavorful than mass-market, light, fizzy lagers.1 The majority of United States brewery owners enter the brewing industry as beer enthusiasts and homebrewers, seeking the opportunity to create a successful business by recreating flavors and beer styles that initially ignited their passion while also creating new flavors and new styles. Craft beer culture is more than the relationship between producers and consumers; it encompasses everything from apparel and glassware, festivals and competitions, brewery events and food pairing dinners, to hundreds of print publications and review websites. Craft beer has millions of devoted followers searching for fresh, authentic beer. The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group that promotes American craft brewing, defines craft brewers as %u201csmall, independent, and traditional.%u201d2 Brewery size is measured by number of barrels brewed per year, with 31 gallons per barrel. Craft brewers are small as they brew fewer than 6 million barrels per year whereas the largest brewery in the world, Anheuser-Busch InBev, brewed over 389 million barrels in 2015.3 Craft brewers are independent with less than 25 percent ownership by large, non-craft brewers unlike, for example, Blue Moon, which is wholly owned by MillerCoors. Craft brewers brew the majority of their beer where the flavor comes from using traditional brewing techniques and ingredients. In 2015, 4,269 breweries operated in the United States (1,650 brewpubs, 2,397 microbreweries, 178 regional craft breweries, and 44 non-craft breweries), with craft breweries averaging less than 5,800 barrels per year.4 The Brewers Association defines different categories of craft breweries based on their production and sales location. A Brewpub is %u201c[a] restaurant-brewery that sells 25