finds that Ohio鈥檚 craft beer industry generated $2.7 billion last year 鈥� and more breweries could be popping up soon.
The annual economic impact report from the says Ohio generated about 4 percent of the nation鈥檚 $67.8 billion craft beer industry. And the state has for the future.
is founder of , and says that microbrewers continue to grow in popularity over mass market products because of the experience and flavor of craft beer.
鈥淚f you can buy a product that鈥檚 made locally from people that you can meet -- and they make a high-quality and flavorful product 鈥� they鈥檒l pay more. That鈥檚, I think, less of a limiting factor than the efficiencies that Budweiser can create. I think they have to have those efficiencies because price is the one thing they can compete on.
鈥淭hose chain restaurants are closing at a very significant rate. Neighborhood bars -- that just sold other people鈥檚 products -- are closing at a record rate. Breweries are operating in a replacement way as desires from consumers have continued to shift. So, I don鈥檛 know what that saturation point is, [but] it kind of depends on how all of those other sectors behave and how consumers are attracted or not attracted to them.鈥�
Bogner notes that the saturation point for craft breweries in Germany and Belgium is about one per 11,000 people -- a number that the U-S has not yet reached.
