(TDB) - In a report released by industry group the Brewers Association, it was revealed that the US craft beer industry contributed $67.8 billion to the US economy, as well as more than 456,000 jobs, in 2016.

The figure was obtained by the Brewers Association via its annual ‘Beer Industry Production Survey’ (BIPS) and the bi-annual ‘Brewery Operations Benchmarking Survey’ (BOBS) as well as additional government and market data and relates to ‘small and independent American craft brewers.’

The Brewers Association define ‘small’ as ‘annual production of six million barrels of beer or less’ and ‘independent’ as a brewery that is ‘less than 25% owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.’

Included in $67.8 billion is the ‘total impact of beer brewed by craft brewers as it moves through the three-tier system’ – meaning from breweries, to wholesalers and finally to retailers – as well as ‘non-beer products like food and merchandise’ that is sold directly from brewpub eateries, taprooms and shops.