Southridge Capital Notes Unemployment Benefits Claims Fell

Southridge Capital took note reading that unemployment benefits initial claims fell by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 456,000, according to the Labor Department. Southridge Capital is convinced small business will be vital in the recovery; hence we looked at beer sales in the United States and see how the recession affected the Alcohol Industry.

According to The Brewers Association small and independent craft brewers saw sales dollars increase 10.3 percent and volume increase 7.2 percent in 2009 vs. 2008. This bubbly news is fascinating because beer sales over all decreased in the USA 2.2% in 2009. Imports also fell more than 9% in 2009.

Equally interesting is that apparently during 2009, the number of U.S. craft brewers making beer increased from 1,485 to 1,542. According to Wikipedia, Beer accounts for 85% of the volume of alcoholic beverages sold in the United States each year.

By way of reference Craft Brewers are defined as those producing less than 2 million barrels. No surprise that one way that Americans were able to deal with the recession was to have a cold one at the new brewery “around the corner.”