Craft Brewing Industry Annual Production Report

Jobs, on-site sales and the number of craft breweries in operation continue to grow

Boulder, Colorado — Brewers Association (BA) — the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers¹— today released annual production data for the U.S. craft brewing industry.²

The number of craft breweries in operation continued to rise in 2023, reaching an all-time high of 9,761, including 2,092 microbreweries, 3,502 breweries, 3,910 craft breweries, and 257 regional craft breweries. The total number of breweries operating in the US is 9,906, up from 9,824 in 2022. There were 495 new breweries opening and 418 closings during the year. Openings are down for the second straight year, a trend that reflects a more mature market. The closing rate increased in 2023, but continued to remain relatively low at approximately 4%.

Driven by the growing number of breweries and the continued shift to hospitality-focused business models, craft brewers directly employed 191,421 people in 2023, up 1.1% from 2022.

“2023 was another competitive and challenging year for small and independent brewers,” said Bart Watson, vice president of strategy and chief economist for the Brewers Association. “However, although growth has slowed, small brewers have proven quite resilient, as evidenced by increases in the number of breweries, relatively low closure rates and gains in on-site sales and jobs.”

Collectively, small and independent brewers produced 23.4 million barrels of beer in 2023, down 1.0% from 2022.³although craft beer’s overall market share by volume rose to 13.3%, up from 13.1% in 2022, as craft beer’s decline was smaller than overall beer’s volume losses.

The total beer market* shrank by 5.1% by volume in 2023. Retail dollar value is estimated at $28.9 billion, representing a 24.7% market share and 3% YoY growth in 2022 .Sales growth was stronger than volume primarily due to pricing, but also due to slightly stronger growth in spot sales versus distribution.

“As always, the spirits market and consumer demand continue to evolve,” Watson added. “Many brewers are accordingly updating their operations to meet these changes, focusing on their business models, go-to-market and brand strategies to help their businesses cope with these changes.”

In addition, the Brewers Association also publishes its annual list of the top 50 craft breweries and breweries overall in the US, based on beer sales volume. Of the 50 largest brewers in 2023, 40 are small and independent craft brewers.⁴ 

“While distribution is as competitive as ever, we continue to see success stories and pockets of growth in the top 50 list,” Watson said. “Even in an era of slow growth, the strongest brands still resonate with beer drinkers, regardless of company size or location.”

Top 50 craft breweries

Rank	Company	city	condition
1	DG Yuengling and Son Inc	Pottsville	PA
2	Boston Beer Co	Boston, Milton	MA, DE
3	Sierra Nevada Brewing Co	Chico	CA
4	Duvel Moortgat USA	Paso Robles, Kansas City, Cooperstown	California, Missouri, New York
5	Gambrinus	Shiner, Berkeley	Texas, California
6	Tilray beer brands	Atlanta, Montauk, San Diego, Bend, Seattle, Portland, Breckenridge, Patchogue	GA, NY, CA, OR, WA, OR, CO, NY
7	Craft breweries	Downingtown, Lakewood, Brooklyn	Pennsylvania, New York, New York
8	Brooklyn Brewery	Brooklyn	new York
9	Monster Brewing	Longmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, Dallas	Colorado, Florida, Utah, Michigan, Texas
10	Athletic Brewing Company	Milford	CT
11	New Glarus Brewing Co	New Glarus	WI
12	Deschutes Brewery	twist	OR
13	Matt Brewing Co	Utica	new York
14	Gordon Biersch Brewing Co	San Jose	CA
15	Allagash Brewing Company	Portland	I
16	Georgetown Brewing Co	Seattle	WA
17	Great Lakes Brewing Company	Cleveland	OH
18	Harpoon Brewery	Boston	MA
19	Stevens Point Brewery	Stevens Point	WI
20	Three Floyds Brewing	Munster	IN
21	Pittsburgh Brewing Co	Pittsburgh	PA
22	Rhinegeist Brewery	Cincinnati	OH
23	Narragansett Brewing Co	Providence	RI
24	August Schell Brewing Company	New Ulm	MN
25	Odell Brewing Co	Fort Collins	CO
26	Craft ‘Ohana (Maui/Modern Times)	Kihei, San Diego	HELLO CA
27	Troegs Brewing Co	Hershey	PA
28	Fiddlehead Brewing	Shelburne	VT
29	Minhas Craft Brewery	Monroe	WI
30	Kings & Convicts Brewing	San Diego	CA
31	Alaskan Brewing Co.	Juno	And
32	Kona Brewing Hawaii	Kailua Kona	Hello
33	Abita Brewing Co	Covington	THE
34	Creature Comforts Brewing Co.	Athens	GA
35	Great Frontier Holdings	Eugene, Portland	EITHER OR
36	BrewDog Brewing Co	Winchester Canal	OH
37	Summit Brewing Co	Saint Paul	MN
38	Jack’s Abby Brewing, LLC	Framingham	MA
39	Revolution	Chicago	I L
40	Montucky Cold Snacks	Bozeman	MT
41	Saint Arnold Brewing Co	Houston	TX
42	Lost Coast Brewery	Eureka	CA
43	Surly Brewing Company	Minneapolis	MN
44	Rogue Ales Brewery	Newport	OR
45	United States Beverage LLC	Salt Lake City, Elmsford	Utah, New York
46	Shipyard Brewing Co	Portland	I
47	Pizza Port	Carlsbad	CA
48	Coronado Brewing Co	Coronado	CA
49	Drake’s Brewing Co	San Leandro	CA
50	IndieBrew	Atlanta, Nashville	G.A., T.N.

Top 50 Brewing Companies Overall⁵

Rank	Company	city	condition
1	Anheuser-Busch Inc	St. Lewis	MO
2	MolsonCoors	Chicago	I L
3	constellation	Chicago	I L
4	Heineken USA	The White Plains	new York
5	Pabst Brewing Co	The angels	CA
6	Diageo	Norwalk	CT
7	DG Yuengling and Son Inc	Pottsville	PA
8	FIFCO USA	Rochester	new York
9	Kirin-Leo	Fort Collins, Comstock	CO, MI
10	Boston Beer Co	Boston, Milton	MA, DE
11	Sierra Nevada Brewing Co	Chico	CA
12	Sapporo-Stone Brewing	Escondido	CA
13	Duvel Moortgat USA	Paso Robles, Kansas City, Cooperstown	California, Missouri, New York
14	Gambrinus	Shiner, Berkeley	Texas, California
15	Mahu San Miguel	Grand Rapids, Boulder	MI, CO
16	Tilray beer brands	Atlanta, Montauk, San Diego, Bend, Seattle, Portland, Breckenridge, Patchogue	GA, NY, CA, OR, WA, OR, CO, NY
17	Craft breweries	Downingtown, Lakewood, Brooklyn	Pennsylvania, New York, New York
18	Brooklyn Brewery	Brooklyn	new York
19	Monster Brewing	Longmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, Dallas	Colorado, Florida, Utah, Michigan, Texas
20	Athletic Brewing Company	Milford	CT
21	New Glarus Brewing Co	New Glarus	WI
22	Deschutes Brewery	twist	OR
23	Matt Brewing Co	Utica	new York
24	Gordon Biersch Brewing Co	San Jose	CA
25	Allagash Brewing Company	Portland	I
26	Georgetown Brewing Co	Seattle	WA
27	Great Lakes Brewing Company	Cleveland	OH
28	Harpoon Brewery	Boston	MA
29	Stevens Point Brewery	Stevens Point	WI
30	Three Floyds Brewing	Munster	IN
31	Pittsburgh Brewing Co	Pittsburgh	PA
32	Rhinegeist Brewery	Cincinnati	OH
33	Narragansett Brewing Co	Patuket	RI
34	August Schell Brewing Company	New Ulm	MN
35	Odell Brewing Co	Fort Collins	CO
36	Craft ‘Ohana (Maui/Modern Times)	Kihei, San Diego	HELLO CA
37	Troegs Brewing Co	Hershey	PA
38	Fiddlehead Brewing	Shelburne	VT
39	Minhas Craft Brewery	Monroe	WI
40	Kings & Convicts Brewing	San Diego	CA
41	Alaskan Brewing Co.	Juno	And
42	Kona Brewing Hawaii	Kailua Kona	Hello
43	Abita Brewing Co	Covington	THE
44	Creature Comforts Brewing Co.	Athens	GA
45	Great Frontier Holdings	Eugene, Portland	EITHER OR
46	BrewDog Brewing Co	Winchester Canal	OH
47	Summit Brewing Co	Saint Paul	MN
48	Jack’s Abby Brewing, LLC	Framingham	MA
49	Revolution	Chicago	I L
50	Montucky Cold Snacks	Bozeman	MT

Note: The numbers are preliminary. For more from Bart Watson, visit Insights & Analysis on the Brewers Association website. The full 2023 industry analysis will be published in the May/June 2024 issue of The new brewerhighlighting regional trends and the production of individual breweries.

* Excludes FMB/FSB. With these included, total products taxed such as beer decrease by 5%.

¹An American craft brewer is a small and independent brewer. Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3% of annual US sales). The production of beer is attributed to a brewer according to the rules for variable owners. Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a member of the alcoholic beverage industry that is not itself a craft brewery. Brewer: Owns a brewer’s notice issued by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau or its successor, or controls intellectual property for one or more brands of beer, produces that brand or brands for it in the United States, and has as its principal business purpose is to resell the brand or brands it controls.

²Absolute values ​​reflect the dynamic data set for a craft brewer as specified in the craft brewer definition. Growth figures are presented on a comparable basis.

³Craft brewer volume represents total taxable production.

⁴The figure is based on companies meeting the definition of a craft brewer for all or part of 2023.

⁵Updated on 04/17/2024.

See a list of brands included under the companies in the general brewery category.

Media contact: Meg Papanastasiou (on behalf of the Brewers Association) 970-963-4873 x1212

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