Sacramento's craft-beer scene is seeing some of the biggest growth in the state, according to an industry report released on Tuesday.
California's craft-beer business also continued to expand in 2018 — but at a slower rate than in recent years.
The state now has nearly a thousand licensed craft breweries, up from just a few hundred in 2012, according to the California Craft Brewers Association, whose new report says the industry contributed more than $8 billion to the economy last year.
Based on brewery licenses issued by California's Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Los Angeles area — including Orange and Ventura counties — saw the greatest expansion, with a net gain of 24 new craft breweries.
That’s a lot of growth, but it’s down from what was experienced in the region the year before.
Leia Ostermann Bailey, the association's managing director, says the slowdown was expected.
“We're looking at this as kind of a normal growth process for a small business industry,” she said. “And right now, where craft breweries are succeeding is locally and in their neighborhoods."
The Sacramento region saw the next highest net growth in licenses, with 17 new breweries. Napa and Sonoma counties came in third with eight.
Some areas saw a decline, most notably San Diego County, where there were three fewer licensed breweries. San Diego also has the second highest number of craft operations in the state, at 175.
Correction: A previous headline on this story misrepresented the number of new breweries in Sacramento last year. The region saw a net growth of 17 breweries.
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