Whether it’s the tortoise and the hare, David versus Goliath or small-market sports teams versus large-market franchises, many Americans have a soft spot for the “little” guy. The same could be said for the U.S. beer market. According to Chicago-based Mintel’s January 2016 report “Beer – US,” craft beer’s market share of U.S. volume sales nearly doubled from 2010 to 2015 — 5.2 percent vs. 10.2 percent, respectively.
When it comes to the driving factors that account for this growth, analysts note that the success of the craft beer market cannot be pinpointed to just one trend.