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Is beer recession-resistant? Of course it is!

Well, at least that was the general consensus at a recent Syracuse, N.Y. beer festival. According to ABC News blogger Matthew Nojiri, more than 5,000 people packed into Syracuse’s Clinton Square over the weekend to sample more than 300 styles of beer from 110 breweries. From the story:

The seventh annual Empire State Brewing and Music Festival is among the 10 largest beer festivals in the country, said David Katleski, the brewer who organized the event.

Katleski, who also owns Empire Brewing Co. in Syracuse, said the festival comes at a good time for smaller breweries in Syracuse and across the country. He said more people are drinking at craft breweries to avoid the steep prices of premium adult mixed drinks. …

It may not be quite “recession proof,” but as the Nielsen Co. reported recently, the alcohol beverage industry may be “recession resilient.” According to industry analysts at the Washington, D.C.-based Beer Institute, total U.S. beer shipments fell 1.6 percent this year through May, compared with a 0.6 percent gain all of last year.

Despite the overall slump in beer sales, sales at smaller “craft” breweries are still growing through the economic slump. Last year, total craft brewing sales grew nationally six percent, according to the Brewers Association. We return to Syracuse:

“We’ve seen double-digit increases for the last decade,” Katleski said. “The recession doesn’t really affect us all that much.”

Vendors at the festival echoed Katleski’s sentiments.  Ed Valenta, a brewer from Harpoon Brewery, said sales at his small Boston brewery have been up for 15 straight years.

“It’s definitely nice,” Valenta said.  “I’m not worried about losing my job, let’s put it that way.”