It’s never a happy occasion when a local brewery or restaurant closes, and that’s even more the situation when that place has been a fixture in the community. Following years in the same area, local breweries and restaurants often build a following and become part of that community’s landscape.
According to the Brewers Association, for the first time in almost 20 years, more breweries closed than opened in the United States in 2024. Also, craft beer production fell by nearly 4 percent in 2024, they report. “Craft’s market share by volume dropped slightly to 13.3 percent as the overall U.S. beer market declined by 1.2 percent in volume,” the Brewers Association adds.
On a positive note, “Employment in the craft brewing sector increased to 197,112 in 2024, a 3.0% rise from the previous year,” the Brewers Association adds…