Good Beer Is Good Buiseness

Craft beer sales are up despite the economy.

National sales of craft beer — an increasingly large part of Colorado’s economy — rose 9 percent in the first half of 2009 despite the economic downturn, the Boulder-based Brewers Association reported Monday.

The volume of craft beer produced nationally also rose by 5 percent from the first half of 2008, though year-over-year overall U.S. beer sales fell by 1.3 percent during that time period, the association reported.