The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Barry Aiton, Steve Sharp and Richard Erickson from Drop Anchor Brewery attended the CBC in Portland on April 14-17.

"It was a fun and exciting 4 days for us," Erickson said. “There was so much to learn, people to meet, and classes to take that it was a bit overwhelming. There were about 11,000 people from all over the world at this conference. The one thing that was the most talked about was how craft beer was growing."

The Brewers Association reported that craft beer produced 22.2 million barrels and saw an 18 percent rise in volume in 2014.

"This steady growth shows that craft brewing is part of a profound shift in American beer culture," said Bart Watson, chief economist of the Brewers Association. "This shift will help craft brewers achieve their ambitious goal of 20 percent market share by 2020.”

The number of operating breweries in the U.S. grew 19 percent, totaling 3,464. There were 615 new brewery openings and only 46 closings in 2014.

"These small business are one of the bright spots in both our economy and culture. Craft brewers are serving their local communities, brewing up jobs, boosting tourism,” Watson said. “Craft brewers are creating high quality, differentiated beers, this standard will be welcomed in the market with open arms.”

“As for Washington state we have 250 plus breweries and growing," Aiton said. "According to the Washington Beer Commission, the economic impact of craft beer on the Washington economy is more than a billion dollars a year. Washington state produced over 333,175 barrels of craft beer in 2014."

“The best thing about our local brewery is the economic trickle-down effect on the community, Steve Sharp said. "We pay taxes and utilities, employ local people, generate more business for other local businesses and help local organizations raise money.”

"We are truly grateful for the support we have received from our community and look forward to our second year," Erickson said. "We are planning new beers, events and entertainment for 2015. Cheers to Wahkiakum County and all of our guests."