Last week, quite a number of papers ran a short little filler item from the Associated Press that just listed the following statistics regarding the beer industry and U.S. consumption.
 

• 1,409: The number of breweries — ranging from brewpubs to national brewers — operating in the United States.
• 306: The number of breweries in California last year, putting the state first in the country. Mississippi was last with one.
• $82 billion: The U.S. sales volume for beer last year. Craft beer — beer typically made in small batches by regional or local brewers — accounted for $4.3 billion.
• 21.3 gallons: The amount of beer consumed per capita last year in the United States. New Hampshire led all states with 31.1 gallons. Nevada, North Dakota, Montana and Wisconsin rounded out the top five. Utah was last at 12.2 gallons.
• 48: The percent of all beer sold in metal cans last year in the United States. Glass bottles followed at 42 percent and draft beer was at 10 percent.
• 84.1: The market share held by major U.S. breweries and noncraft regional brewers. Imports have 12.4 percent and craft brewers hold 3.4 percent.