Madeline Buiano, The Daily Meal
No longer relegated to football games and sports bars, beer is in its prime. The drink has been growing in popularity for well over a decade in large part because of the explosion of the craft beer scene. In 2019, small and independent brewer sales increased at a rate of 4% and there was more than a 9% increase in brewery openings from 2018 to 2019. But the craft beer industry is more than just numbers â itâs also become a hub for creativity.
There has been a shift in the craft beer paradigm in which there is now greater complexity and increased variety within each style of the beverage. According to Darnell Paul, market manager for New York Cityâs Sloop Brewing Co., this trend has made beer even more well suited to food pairings â a subsection of dining thatâs historically been dominated by wine lovers.