Craft beer sales up 13 percent in 2015

Craft beer sales enjoyed another year of double-digit increases in 2015 that added up to a 12 percent stake of the U.S. beer market, according to the Brewers Association.

Craft brewers – independent producers that brew 6 million or less barrels annually – churned out 24.5 million barrels of beer last year, representing a 13 percent jump in production volume.

The craft segment has seen double-digit growth for eight of the past ten years, Brewers Association statistics show.

Retail dollar sales climbed 16 percent to USD 22.3 billion to reach a 21 percent share in value.

Additionally, in 2015 the number of operating breweries in the U.S. grew 15 percent, totalling 4,269 breweries – the most at any time in American history.

2015: What a year it was for U.S. craft brewers