With more than 6,300 breweries operating during the year, small and independent craft brewers represent 12.7% of the overall beer industry’s volume, Brewers Association said.
In 2017, craft brewers produced 25.4 million barrels, and saw a 5% rise in volume on a comparable base and an 8% increase in retail dollar value. Retail dollar value was estimated at 26.0 billion, representing 23.4% market share. Microbreweries and brewpubs delivered 76% of the craft brewer growth. Craft brewing’s growth occurred in the context of a total beer market which dropped 1% by volume in 2017.
“Growth for the craft brewing industry is adapting to the new realities of a mature market landscape,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “Beer lovers are trending toward supporting their local small and independent community craft breweries. At the same time, as distribution channels experience increased competition and challenges, craft brewer performance was more mixed than in recent years, with those relying on the broadest distribution facing the most pressure.”
Additionally, in 2017 the number of operating breweries in the U.S. grew 16 percent, totaling 6,372 breweries, broken down as follows: 3,812 microbreweries, 2,252 brewpubs, 202 regional craft breweries and 106 large or otherwise non-craft brewers. Small and independent breweries account for 98 percent of the breweries in operation. Throughout the year, there were 997 new brewery openings and only 165 closings— a closing rate of just 2.6 percent. Combined with already existing and established breweries and brewpubs, craft brewers provided more than 135,000 jobs, an increase of greater than 6,000 from the previous year.