North Carolina craft brewers face challenges
The explosive growth of craft beer in North Carolina could be tapering off.
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“The number of brewers continues to increase. That’s not the issue. The issue is just that the growth rates of those individual brewers has slowed down dramatically,” said Tim Kent, the executive director of the North Carolina Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association.
“For instance, Highland Brewing has been the No. 1 homegrown beer in North Carolina for the better part of 20-plus years. Their growth last year was down 15%. And that’s a snapshot of what is going on in the industry.”
Kent notes that in 1980, there were fewer than 50 craft brewers in the state, a number that has exploded to 10,000.
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