Raise a mug to the beer industry in Virginia, which is experiencing an unprecedented boom.
Since 2012, the number of craft breweries in Virginia has increased almost 400%. That’s according to numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau. And nowhere has the beer business seen more growth than Loudoun County. Back in 2012, Loudon had only two breweries. Now it has more than 40.
Jackie Saunders at Visit Loudoun says one of the reasons is that the demographics of craft beer consumers matches up with the other leading industry in Loudoun – information technology.
“It’s a heavy percentage of male, 65.7. The average age is 39.6 and they also had a higher income. So all of those wrapped together were a match with the tech industry it seemed.”
Click here for the data from the U. S. Census Bureau
Bart Watson at the Brewers Association says Virginia has done a good job pushing brewery tourism and promoting Virginia as a place where people interested in agricultural tourism should visit.
“I think that’s another thing that will pay dividends down the road because it helps people understand not just that they can come to Virginia and drink great beer but build the collective brand of Virginia beer," says Watson. "And in the long run that may be really important for breweries in the state.”
Back in 2012, Virginia had 21 breweries. Now it has more than 100 — an industry that has more than 2,000 employees.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
