"In 2014, Leon opened his brewery's first location inside a tiny warehouse space in the city's north-east. It was good timing. All over North America, millennials were going crazy for craft beer, and in Alberta, the government had recently changed rules to help microbreweries get their product to market. "There was a huge thirst in Alberta for craft beer," said Leon, who recalls getting emails about new breweries opening nearly every week. "It was a pretty wild time.""
"A similar trend was unfolding across the country in the 2010s, with craft breweries opening at a rapid clip. Their taprooms were popular with both customers and governments, who saw craft breweries as a source of economic stimulus and a way to revitalize rural areas and dilapidated downtowns, according to the Canadian Craft Brewers Association. Ben Leon, co-founder and CEO of Dandy Brewing, pictured at the brewery in Calgary's Inglewood neighbourhood. (Paula Duhatschek/CBC)"
Craft beer sales and the number of breweries in Canada have begun to decline after a period of rapid expansion driven by millennials and regulatory changes. Cost pressures, shifting consumer tastes and evolving social habits have contributed to the slowdown. Taprooms had been embraced by customers and governments as engines of economic stimulus and urban revitalization, encouraging rapid openings during the 2010s. Some breweries are responding by diversifying offerings and rethinking the brewery model to include different drinks and broader hospitality approaches to sustain business amid the correction.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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