The report, which was produced by Bill Latham and Ken Lewis of the Center for Applied Business and Economic Research at the University of Delaware, looked into how beer distributor activities intertwine with other parts of the economy and the impacts of distributor operations.

"The beer distribution sector is a hidden gem that has been tremendously undervalued in previous economic reports," said Dr. Latham. "Fueling more than 345,000 direct and indirect jobs across the country, beer distributors add $54 billion to the nation's gross domestic product and offer far reaching benefits to brewers, importers, retailers, consumers and government agencies at all levels."

The report also said that Pennsylvania beer distributor activities contribute $471 million to the federal, state and local tax bases. In addition, the report cites an added $343 million in federal, state and local alcohol excise and consumption taxes on beer sold in Pennsylvania.