At its peak in 1995, the industry was at a growth rate of 58 percent. How did this seemingly tiny niche grow into a nationwide trend? According to The Atlantic, a lot of it is a result of changing consumer tastes, with many people now in the market to find more flavorful and nuanced brews.Ĭonsumer demand was a major reason for the fast-paced growth of the beer industry. In a market seemingly monopolized by big brewing, it would seem almost unfathomable that those eight would grow to include more than 6,000 in 2018. Together, the three breweries paved the way for the modern brewing industry we know today.īy 1980, there were only about eight craft breweries in the nation, however. After that came New Albion and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., both based in northern California. The beer craze began in California’s own Bay Area but has since made its way all across the nation, and with the recent opening of the Broxton’s very own on-site microbrewery, has finally landed in Westwood.Īccording to the California Craft Brewers Association, in 1965 Fritz Maytag invested in Anchor Brewing, which was the first craft brewery to open up since Prohibition in the 1920s. The movement surrounding craft beer started in the late 1970s when legislation was approved to allow home brewing. Gone are the days when Pabst Blue Ribbon, Budweiser and other cheap, mass-produced beers were the only brews on shelves – craft beer and the movement surrounding it are here to stay. California’s in the middle of a beer boom.

California breweries by size