Craft Beer
All About The Beer & Our Local Economy
By Mitch Biggar
Craft beer – it’s good for the local economy, it has flavor, it’s nutritious and healthier than corn laden macro beer and let’s not forget the environment – local craft brewers pollute less making our future cleaner and greener.
I drink craft beer because it tastes good. I also like the back-story – where the artisan David, battles the industrial Goliath. Craft beer makes my life better, so I drink it.
Buying local is the way of the future. As much as I would like purchases made within my local community to improve the economy, I much prefer my local shops to the Wal-Mart’s of the world, but the idea that buying local = good for the economy, seems only logical. We should be supporting local producers not only for the sake of shopping local but also support local community artisans because they make a good product.
Of course small scale craft beer tastes better than the alternative. Taste being subjective makes it hard to come to a clear cut conclusion as to what tastes best, but I am a beer geek with a beer article and about to open a Nano-brewery, beer is my life, no support needed. However, I do understand that some people prefer very light beer – and industrial grade beer is a great and highly consistent light beer. The growth of the craft beer segment indicates that tastes are changing, and more and more beer drinkers are choosing to drink flavor forward ales and lagers. I think this is good thing.
A Conference Board of Canada report said the country’s beer industry accounts for one out of every 100 jobs across Canada for a total of 163,200 jobs and delivers $5.8 billion in taxes annually.
Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the country. Canadians purchased 2.3 billion litres last year, according to the report, titled From Farm to Glass: the Value of Beer in Canada.
Some highlights from the report include:
- Economic activity in the beer economy accounts for 0.9% of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product and a combined $5.8 billion in federal, provincial and municipal tax revenues.
- Every dollar spent on beer in Canada has a positive Gross Domestic Product multiplier effect of $1.12 net of taxes.
- The brewing industry is bigger than Canada’s dairy products manufacturing industry and three and half times larger than Canada’s wine and spirits industries combined.
- A 3.5% increase in beer exports has an inflation-adjusted $10.5 million impact on Canada’s Gross Domestic Product and generates 70 full-time jobs.
- Beer has a positive impact sectors that employ a higher proportion of young adults than the national average of all sectors.
Whether craft beer is good for you, or if the environment is spared when you choose to support your local small scale brewer, has yet to be seen.
Should you choose to ring in 2014 with a pint, choose a beer that you love, a beer that tastes good, maybe even a beer that is made by people that you know. Don’t worry about the economy or the nutritional content in your glass come midnight. Drink good beer because it tastes good. Yes, it is just a pint, but life is nothing more than the sum of thousands of joyous pints. Cheers to 2014 – may it be a year filled with many delicious pints.
Cheers,
Mitch
Beer related questions?
Email mitch@railcarbrewing.com
