Oregon, the Pacific Northwest mecca of craft beer, has more breweries per capita than any other state. The Oregon beer industry currently consists of 181 operating breweries across 64 cities, according to the Brewers Association. In 2013 a total of 877,891 barrels of craft beer were produced—that’s a whole lot of beer!
So where does all of that delicious Oregon-brewed craft beer end up? In 2013, Oregon’s own population got their hands on about 400,000 barrels, those lucky dogs. Despite that huge number, there was still more than 475,000 barrels of Oregon craft beer distributed to all fifty states, Canada and 29 other countries.
American craft beer consumption is at 7.8 percent of the market share, which is a commendable and steadily growing number, but still much lower that Oregon’s 18 percent.
Oregonians have a reputation for quickly supporting their local communities. “There’s a tremendous amount of pride in anything that’s Oregon-made or Oregon-brewed,” said Andy Krakauer, VP of Sales at Full Sail Brewing Company, in Hood River, Ore. “People try to support the products in-state in a number of industries.”
The people of Oregon are most likely so conscious of buying locally-made goods because they see the positive effects shopping locally has on their communities. In 2013 alone, 200 brewery jobs were created statewide, which brings the total up to 6,600 people employed directly by breweries in Oregon. Craft beer accounted for a staggering $1.295 billion of the state’s economy.
For years, the Pacific Northwest including California, Washington and of course Oregon has been regarded as a forward-thinking and innovative landscape for craft beer. It’s possible that the region’s ideal climate for the most sought-after American grown hops and the area’s rich brewing history has something to do with it too. Either way, people from all over the world are enjoying beer crafted in Oregon.
Grant Puza is the current Craft Beer Program Intern at the Brewers Association. A Certified Beer Server and homebrewer, Grant spends most of his time educating himself further in the world of craft beer while working at The Post Brewing Company. If not visiting a local brewery, you might also catch him somewhere in the woods backpacking, rock climbing or snowboarding.
CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.
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