Although large brewers (i.e. AB InBev, MillerCoors) continue to brew in the U.S. and do provide jobs domestically, they are no longer American owned companies. This may be old news to many, however, there are still those that associate the larger beer brands with the stars and stripes.
A couple interesting facts about U.S Craft Breweries (Source: https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics/economic-impact-data/):
*Contributed $33.9 Billion to the U.S. Economy in 2012 (includes non-beer products such as food and merchandise)
*Provided 360,000 jobs
I choose craft beer for a variety of reasons. First, when I began homebrewing years ago, it led me to also seek out more flavorful local beers. One of the first craft beers I tried was Widmer's Hefeweizen and eventually I “graduated” to Deschutes Bachelor Bitter and Black Butte Porter. Today, with the incredible amount of craft beers in the market, even I can't keep up with tasting them all!
So, instead of picking up a Budweiser because it is in a 4th of July can, support your local craft brewery and community by trying their suds. The following link will help you find a craft brewery in your area:
https://www.craftbeer.com/breweries/brewery-locator/find-a-us-brewery
You can also find out more about how you can support your local brewery by becoming an activist for local breweries:
https://www.craftbeer.com/breweries/support-your-local-brewery/current-issues
Have a wonderful 4th of July! Cheers!
About Aaron:
Aaron Brodniak is a fellow male military spouse who recently earned a Masters in Management at American Public University. He will be an instructor for Oregan State University's workshops on Craft Brewery and Craft Cidery startups. When not writing for us, he has his own blog: Brodniak's Beer Business Blog. If you like beer and business, you should check it out!
