Chicago has been ranked the top craft beer market in the country, according to Colliers International‘s 2015 market study, “Craft Beer Pours into Commercial Real Estate.”
Between 2013 and 2014, the city reportedly experienced a 65.9% growth rate with a total of 144 existing breweries and 39 in planning.
The national study of 29 craft brewing markets examines the industry’s booming market share and its impact on cities across U.S. craft breweries and the changing beer market.
According to the firm:
In Chicago, craft breweries are frequently delivered in a repurposed location that other commercial real estate users surely passed on. Argus Brewery makes its home in a building built in the early 1900s that was a former stable for the Schlitz Brewing horse teams and carriages.
Additionally, a number of breweries have recently expanded their operations by opening large facilities, which will enable them to get their product quickly to an increased number of markets across the country. Most notably in Chicago, Lagunitas Brewing Company opened a new 300,000-square-foot facility.
