Connecticut”™s beer industry contributed an annual $3.06 billion to the state”™s economy last year, according to a joint study by the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the Beer Institute. The figure easily surpasses the $745.7 million the sector contributed in 2017, according to the Beer Institute, which represents two-thirds of breweries in Connecticut.
The study also said the industry supports 21,347 jobs in the state, which account for $1.1 billion a year in wages and benefits. Those jobs include brewers and importers, independent beer distributors and licensed retailers.
According to the Brewers Association, the state had about 90 operating brewers at year-end 2018, compared with 2011 when it had just 16. That number is expected to easily top 100 this year.
The report also says that the beer industry contributes over $328 billion to the U.S. economy and supports more than 2 million jobs.
“Independent beer distributors are Main Street businesses whose economic contributions are felt in every community and congressional district across the country,” said Craig Purser, president and CEO of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, “as they work with brewers large and small to grow brands and safely deliver America”™s favorite alcohol beverage to more than 640,000 licensed retailers nationwide.”
Data in the study was compiled by independent economics firm John Dunham & Associates Inc., which used data collected from private companies, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
