The more that breweries in Pennsylvania open the more we get asked the same question; when will the bubble burst? And we’re here to tell you; stop asking that.

We’re not saying that craft beer is impervious to over saturation. We’re just saying the industry shouldn’t be judged the same way others are.

When a restaurant or local bar opens the primary goal is usually to ensure people are eating and drinking at their establishment and not the competition around them.

The same cannot be said about craft beer. Of course the mission is to make as much money as possible (or at least enough to turn a profit), but unlike other industries craft brewers welcome other breweries moving into town. We haven’t taken an official survey on this topic, but we have toured the inside of hundreds of breweries and have talked with many brewery owners. And a wide majority of them all tell us how they welcome other breweries moving into town.

Not to suggest that a brewery can open up on every street of Pennsylvania and be successful. Of course breweries will open and close. But you need to stop judging them through the same lens you do most other industries. Multiple craft breweries opening in the same neighborhood usually results in a positive for all. Don’t believe us? Have you been to Phoenixville lately?

So yes, there are many craft breweries in Pennsylvania opening. But no, they’re not trying to drive each other out of business. Instead they are trying to do for local American towns, what old world England used to be like. And that’s provide a close knit, neighborly beer drinking experience for all who walk in the door. More breweries are going the route of brewing to the tastes of their community rather than brewing for nationwide distribution.

The sooner you understand that, the better your outlook on Pennsylvania’s craft beer growth will be.

Cheers to your local breweries success.