Last month, Denver hosted the 31st annual Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) & BrewExpo America, presented by the Brewers Association, Boulder, Colo. From
April 8 to 11, more than 7,000 attendees and 450 exhibitors flocked to the conference to network with peers, gain knowledge from more than 85 educational seminars, and even compete in the world’s largest global beer competition, the World Beer Cup.

On April 9, Brewers Association Director Paul Gatza and staff economist Bart Watson presented the “State of the Industry,” which called out the continuing growth of craft beer. According to the presentation, craft beer volume grew 18 percent last year, compared with a 2 percent decline in overall beer volume. It also noted that India Pale Ales (IPAs) topped craft beer varietal sales with 41 percent volume growth, according to data from Chicago-based Information Resources Inc.