It’s no secret that Iowa’s craft beer industry has been growing, and it seems the trend is only going to continue.

“It’s growing rapidly across the country and Iowa’s no exception,” confirmed J. Wilson, “Minster of Iowa Beer,” for the Iowa Brewers Guild.

In fact, a 2014 economic impact survey showed Iowa’s craft beer industry was projected to triple production by 2019 — from about 41,000 barrels per year to 146,000. That’s a more than 500 percent increase.

But, in the grand scheme of things, Iowa’s craft beer industry is “still fairly small,” Wilson said.

Of all the beer sold in the state, only 1 percent is produced in Iowa, he explained. And nationwide, craft beer holds just 12 percent of the market, according to the Brewers Association.

Read the full article on the Cedar Rapids Gazette webpage.