Take a look at these statistics from a recent press release. Nuff said.

“A new economic impact study shows that America’s beer industry, made up of brewers, beer importers, beer distributors, brewer suppliers, and retailers, directly and indirectly contributes $1,541,592,048 annually to Kentucky’s economy. The study, commissioned by the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) and the Beer Institute, also shows that the industry’s economic impact in Kentucky includes 22,481 jobs — paying $536,708,303 in wages — as well as $154,280,919 in federal, state and local taxes.”