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The Big Brewery Boom

San Diego's thriving craft beer scene is making waves at home and abroad.

Bruce Glassman, SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE

Friday, April 24, 2015

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The economic impact of all this growth is huge. According to the National University System Institute for Policy Research (NUSIPR), San Diego job-and-industry-sales growth from 2011 to 2014 was nothing short of staggering—and much of the credit goes to big breweries.
NUSIPR calculates that the local industry employs more than 6,200 people, a 122 percent increase since 2011. Annual industry sales (beer, food, merchandise) have also skyrocketed, from $681 million in 2011 to about $900 million today. Within a year, San Diego craft beer will be a billion-dollar industry (especially with breweries opening at the current rate of one per month).