National sales of craft beer rose 9 percent in the first half of 2009 despite the economic downturn, the Brewers Association reported recently. Take that, Big Beer!
The volume of craft beer produced nationally also rose by 5 percent from the first half of 2008, though year-over-year overall U.S. beer sales fell by 1.3 percent during that time period, the association reported.
Craft breweries — which are locally owned, produce less than 2 million gallons of beer annually and do at least half their sales with all-malt beers — have taken a larger share of American sales in recent years, holding about 6.3 percent of the market in dollars.
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