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Montana near the top of the nation in craft brewery density

Posted at 12:34 PM, Dec 27, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-27 13:36:56-05

The craft beer revolution has been sweeping across the nation and in 2018 there were more than 7,000 craft breweries in the country according to data from the Brewers Association.

We here in Montana are no stranger to craft beer and have become accustomed to having a wide variety of options to chose from when it comes to honing our hoppy preferences.

Craft Beer TimeLine USA
Image Courtesy C+R Research

The numbers back up this assertion, as Montana ranks second in the nation with 9.6 craft breweries per 100,000 drinking age adults.

Vermont was tops in the nation at 11.5, with Maine, Oregon and Colorado rounding out the top five.

Courtesy C+R Research

If you don’t like craft beer you should probably move to Mississippi, Georgia, or Alabama, where there is less than one craft brewery per 100,000 drinking age adults.

In terms of economic impact, Colorado tops the nation’s list, where the total economic output of the craft brewing industry divided by the total number of drinking age adults equates to a value of $764. Vermont was second at $667 with Montana falling a little further down the list at $549 per person.

The Brewers Association anticipates another 1000 craft breweries opening in 2019. If you are interested in perusing the whole study you can find it here.

-Connor Pregizer reporting for MTN News