Bottoms up, Chicago.
You’re the nation’s brewing capital.
The metro region has surged past several longtime stalwarts to become home to more breweries than any other city in the nation — 167 — according to statistics published this week by the Brewers Association.
Behind it are the metro areas that for years Chicago beer drinkers could only envy: Denver (158), Seattle (153) and San Diego (150).
In fifth and sixth places are two other large cities whose brewing scenes have surged in recent years: Los Angeles (146) and New York (141).
Brewers Association’s chief economist, Bart Watson, who published his findings Monday on the Brewers Association website, derived the numbers using brewery ZIP codes and 2010 U.S. Census data. He set out to find whether rural areas were experiencing the most growth in brewery openings, but instead found the opposite: Cities with populations of more than 5 million have seen the most openings during the past five years.
Watson last crunched the numbers in 2013, when the Chicago area had the nation’s fifth-most breweries, at 62. At the time it trailed Seattle (87), Portland (77), San Diego (76) and Denver (63).
He counted breweries in metro areas as defined by the Census Bureau, which for Chicago extends from Northwest Indiana to Aurora, and Joliet to the Wisconsin border.
It’s a broad area with a large, progressive population, plenty of affordable real estate and a fair bit of disposable income. So in a sense, Chicago’s rise should be no surprise.
But, Watson said, there’s another simple factor also at work: “Breweries are showing up where the people are.”
That reality is also echoed in the rise of brewing in Los Angeles and New York.
Chicago’s number of breweries per capita lags behind many other top cities; Portland, Ore., is home to 139 breweries among 1.8 million people (in 2010 Census numbers), while Chicago’s 167 breweries exist amid 8.2 million people.
But Chicago’s move to the top spot accentuates its burgeoning reputation as a brewing destination, which included a particularly strong showing at this year’s competition at the Great American Beer Festival.
“We are thrilled to see Chicago recognized for its growing craft beer scene,” said Danielle D’Alessandro, executive director for the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. “But the numbers confirm what we already know: Our community of brewers, access to locally grown crops and fresh water from Lake Michigan, and the support from our fans across the state make Chicago — and Illinois — a great place to operate a brewery, brewpub, or taproom.”
Watson called Chicago “a very versatile beer city,” with expertise in a number of styles.
“I don’t think Chicago is thought of with places like Seattle or Portland,” Watson said. “But certainly these numbers underscore a huge development in Chicago’s brewing scene in the last few years.”
Twitter @hopnotes
This article has been updated with comments from Danielle D’Alessandro, executive director for the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild.
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