The Brewers Association has declared that the United States has crossed the 3,000-brewery count mark as of last month. It is believed that the count was well over 3,000 at some point in the 1800s, but this is by far the most amount of breweries to be operating at one time since the end of Prohibition.

The majority of these breweries are very small production breweries that are catering to their city or town. The amount of options make for a great deal of competition and with so many more breweries scheduled to open over the next few months, quality will dictate who sticks around for the long haul.

When exploring the great beers from around the world I encourage you all to continue supporting your favorite local breweries. I personally would love to see the Sonoma County brewery total rise with the nationwide numbers that continue trending higher. With the buzz and excitement that the current craft beer movement has created I feel confident that I will someday be updating the country’s brewery count to 4,000. Drink local and always designate a driver.

– Peter Lopez