Last year in 2020, there were a total of nearly 9,000 breweries spread across the United States. The number of companies brewing beer has been steadily increasing since 2012. Breweries can be categorised as a craft brewery, large craft brewery and non-craft brewery.
Total beer production has reduced in recent years
The entire accumulation of beer produced has decreased in the United States over the past few decades. In 2020, the US produced an estimated 180 million barrels of beer which is a decrease of approximately 15 million compared to a decade earlier. Beer production in the US peaked in the year 1990 with over 200 million barrels being filled that year.
The rise of craft beer production
While the total number of beer barrels produced has declined over the last 30 years, the share of craft beer production in proportion to the entire market has increased. Between the years 2013 and 2019, the US craft beer volume share had increased by approximately 6%. The coronavirus pandemic changed this dynamic with craft beer’s share of production dropping to 12.3%. In 2020, there were various types of companies involved in the production of craft beer including microbreweries, brewpubs and in most cases, regional craft breweries serving local customer bases.
The most populous place in the US for craft breweries
California takes first place for the number of craft breweries per state in the United States as of 2020, by far. The Golden State had 958 craft breweries in total, compared with New York’s 460 craft breweries and Pennsylvania’s 444. Mississippi has the fewest craft breweries per state with just 12. In addition to having the most breweries, it makes sense that California also produced the most barrels of craft beer in 2020 – 3.36 million to be exact.
How a craft brewery is defined
The Brewers Association categorises a brewery as a craft brewery when it adheres to 3 pillars of definition. The first is the amount of beer produced – it must be 6 million barrels of beer or less per year. The second pillar of definition is the organisational structure – the brewery must be mostly independent. More specifically, that means at least 65% of the brewery must be owned by an independent operator and not a beverage alcohol industry member that is not a craft brewer. The third pillar of definition is the brewery must have a Brewer’s Notice from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, and they must make beer.
Companies in craft brewing
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. was the top craft brewery in California for 2017, selling over one million barrels of beer. The brewer was second in the entire US in 2019, with sales of nearly 260 million dollars, only to be beaten by Blue Moon, who achieved over 326 million dollars in sales.
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