More than 4000 craft brewers in the U.S. in 2015

They are wowing the world. As of 1 December 2015 there were 4144 breweries operating in the U.S., the most ever, says the Brewers Association. According to historians, the previous high-water mark of 4131 was back in 1873.

Although beer industry observers have known this day was coming, the pace of growth was still explosive: At the end of 2011, there were 2,033 breweries and in 2005, there were only 1447. And 25 years ago? The Brewers Association registered only 284 breweries in 1990.