A mid-year tally of U.S. breweries in operation finds the number has topped 2,500. The Brewers Association's count of 2,514 as of May 31 – the figure is up 422 from the same time in 2012 – goes beyond craft brewers to include the mega breweries, such as Budweiser and MillerCoors and their holdings. Of note, there are 1,167 brewpubs and 1,214 microbreweries. The BA's count of breweries-in-planning is at 1,559, up 331 from the same period last year. That breweries-in-planning figure can be deceptive, given that the threshold for getting on the list is rather low, and the BA had to clean up its list late last year, purging a couple hundred entries. The BA notes on its blog page that brewery openings are on pace to crack 3,000 next year. At what point the trend begins to slow, where the ceiling is, and how far from that mark things settle is anyone's guess.
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New Jersey's craft brewing regulations were changed last year by convincing lawmakers in Trenton that craft beer can help pull the oars of the economy. So this tidbit from the economic think tank National University System Institute for Policy Research helps build on that case: San Diego's craft beer industry means big bucks to that part of California: nearly $300 million in wages, capital spending and contracts. The policy research institute cites 2011 figures, the most current available. (The policy institute itself has only been around since 2007.) According to the institute, craft brewing makes a bigger economic splash for San Diego than the annual Comic-Con, and employs 1,100 people.
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Here's an older item out of the Brewers Association, but it's still worth noting. The BA recently hired an economist from the University of Iowa, Bart Watson, to study the craft brewing industry with an eye toward developing statistical tools for association members and state brewing guilds across the country. Besides doing the data crunching, the job calls for producing a state-by-state impact study.
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Portland, Maine, brewer Allagash notes on its Facebook page that its ever-changing Fluxus beer, an expected late July release for 2013, is a porter this time out, brewed coffee and chocolate malts, blood orange, and hopped with Perle, Tettnang and Glacier. An abbey yeast turns it all into beer. (Fluxus 2012, a Belgian strong pale ale, was brewed with spelt and pink and green peppercorns.)
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California brewer 21st Amendment's Hop Crisis is back for a third year. The 9.7% ABV imperial IPA that's part of 21st Amendment's limited edition Insurrection Series features new dry hops with New Zealand Motueka and Australian Stella blended with Northwest Cascade hops. The canned beer is being sold in four-packs. (Lower De Boom barleywine and Marooned on Hog Island oyster stout are the other Insurrection brews.)
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Here's one for the traveling craft beer enthusiasts: Stone Farms, where Stone Brewing has been growing produce for its farm-to-table Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens restaurants, is opening to the public. Tours are offered Saturdays and Sundays for 20 bucks, and 10 bucks if you're not drinking. Stone has five acres of the 19-acre property under cultivation, growing year-round and seasonable crops. Fowl are also raised on the farm, producing eggs for garnishes, specialty dishes and appetizers.
– The Beer Minute is a quick-read round-up of notable events or news about breweries from elsewhere that distribute in New Jersey.
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