Boulder, Colorado. — The Brewers Association (BA) — the trade association representing small and independent1 America’s Craft Brewers today released annual production figures for the craft brewing industry in the United States.2 In 2021, small independent brewers collectively produced 24.8 million barrels of beer and achieved 8% growth3bringing the overall craft beer market share by volume to 13.1%, compared to 12.2% the previous year.
The overall beer market* grew by 1% in volume in 2021. Retail dollar value was estimated at $26.9 billion, representing 26.8% market share and growth of 21% compared to 2020. This growth is stronger than volume, mainly due to the return of channels to premise, which has a higher average retail value. Craft brewers provided over 172,643 direct jobs, a 25% increase from 2020.
“Craft brewer sales rebounded in 2021, boosted by the return of draft and brew beer traffic,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “However, the mixed performance across business models and geographies, along with production levels that still lag behind 2019, suggest that many breweries remain in recovery mode. Add to that the continued challenges in the chain. supply and prices, and 2022 will be a critical year for many brewers.
The number of craft breweries in operation continued to increase in 2021, reaching an all-time high of 9,118, including 1,886 microbreweries, 3,307 breweries, 3,702 taproom breweries and 223 regional craft breweries. The total number of breweries in operation was 9,247, compared to 9,025 in 2020. Throughout the year, there were 646 new brewery openings and 178 closings. Openings fell for a second consecutive year, with the continued decline reflecting a more mature market. Continued challenges related to the pandemic and rising interest rates were additional factors. The closing rate also fell in 2021, likely helped by a combination of better sales figures and additional government relief through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which was available to some brewpubs and taprooms.
“While the brewery boom of a few years ago has certainly slowed, the continued growth of smaller breweries shows the strong foundation of demand for their businesses and their beers,” Watson added.
In addition, the Brewers Association also released its annual list of the top 50 craft brewing companies and overall brewing companies in the United States, based on beer sales volume. Of the 50 largest breweries in 2021, 40 were small independent craft breweries.4
View and download the map of the top 50 craft brewing companies
Top 50 craft breweries
| Rank | Company | Town | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO Yuengling and Sons Inc | Pottsville | Pennsylvania |
| 2 | Boston Beer Co. | Boston, Milton | MADE |
| 3 | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Chicco | California |
| 4 | Duvel Moortgat United States | Paso Robles, Kansas City, Cooperstown | CA, MO, NY |
| 5 | Gambrinus | Berkeley minnow | California, Texas |
| 6 | Bell Brewery, Inc. | Comstock | MID |
| 7 | CANarchy | Longmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, Dallas | CO, FL, UT, MI, TX |
| 8 | Craft Brewing Companies | Downtown, Lakewood, Brooklyn | Pennsylvania, NY, NY |
| 9 | stone brewing | Escondido | California |
| ten | SweetWater Brewing Co | Atlanta | Georgia |
| 11 | Deschutes Brewery | Bend | WHERE |
| 12 | New Glarus Brewing Co | New Glarus | WI |
| 13 | Brooklyn Brewery | brooklyn | new York |
| 14 | Matt Brewing Co. | Utica | new York |
| 15 | Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. | San Jose | California |
| 16 | Abita Brewery | Covington | THE |
| 17 | Minhas craft brewery | Monroe | WI |
| 18 | Stevens Point Brewery | Stevens Point | WI |
| 19 | Great Lakes Brewing Company | Cleveland | OH |
| 20 | Odell Brewery | Fort Collins | CO |
| 21 | Harpoon Brewery | Boston | MY |
| 22 | Summit Brewing Co | St.Paul | MN |
| 23 | Allagash Brewery | Portland | ME |
| 24 | Troegs Brewery | Hershey | Pennsylvania |
| 25 | Georgetown Brewery | Seattle | Washington |
| 26 | Three Floyds Brewing | Munster | IN |
| 27 | Athletic Brewery | Stratford | CT |
| 28 | Rhinegeist Brewery | Cincinnati | OH |
| 29 | Kona Brewing Co. | Kailua Kona | SALVATION |
| 30 | August Schell Brewery | New Ulm | MN |
| 31 | Alaska Brewery | juneau | AK |
| 32 | Narragansett Brewing Co. | pawtucket | IR |
| 33 | Brewery Rogue Ales | Newport | WHERE |
| 34 | Kings & Convicts Brewing / Ballast Point | San Diego | California |
| 35 | Flying Dog Brewery | Frederick | MARYLAND |
| 36 | Long Trail Brewing Co | Corners of Bridgewater | Vermont |
| 37 | Lost Coast Brewery | Eureka | California |
| 38 | Brewing Revolution | Chicago | HE |
| 39 | Surly Brewery | Minneapolis | MN |
| 40 | Ninkasi Brewery | Eugene | WHERE |
| 41 | Creature Comforts Brewing Co | Athens | Georgia |
| 42 | 21st Amendment Brewery | bay area | California |
| 43 | Maui Brewing Co. | Kihei | SALVATION |
| 44 | Saint Arnold Brewery | Houston | TX |
| 45 | Scofflaw Brewing Co. | Atlanta | Georgia |
| 46 | Brewing Co Shipyard | Portland | ME |
| 47 | Left Hand Brewery | Longmont | CO |
| 48 | Modern day drinks | San Diego | California |
| 49 | Brewing Fern Heads | Shelburne | Vermont |
| 50 | North Coast Brewing Co Inc. | Fort Bragg | California |
Top 50 Global Brewing Companies
| Rank | Company | Town | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anheuser-Busch Inc (a) | Saint Louis | MO |
| 2 | Molson Coors (b) | Chicago | HE |
| 3 | Constellation (c) | Chicago | HE |
| 4 | Heineken United States (d) | white plains | new York |
| 5 | Pabst Brewing Co(e) | Los Angeles | California |
| 6 | Diageo | norwalk | CT |
| 7 | CEO Yuengling and Sons Inc | Pottsville | Pennsylvania |
| 8 | FIFCO United States (g) | Rochester | new York |
| 9 | Boston Beer Co (h) | Boston, Milton | MADE |
| ten | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Chicco | California |
| 11 | New Belgium Brewing Co / Kirin (i) | Fort Collins, San Francisco | COCA |
| 12 | Duvel Moortgat United States (j) | Paso Robles, Kansas City, Cooperstown | CA, MO, NY |
| 13 | Founders Brewing / Mahou San Miguel (k) | Grand Rapids, Boulder | MI, CO |
| 14 | Gambrinus (l) | Berkeley minnow | California, Texas |
| 15 | Bell Brewery, Inc (m) | Comstock | MID |
| 16 | CANarchy | Longmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, Dallas | CO, FL, UT, MI, TX |
| 17 | Craft brewing companies (o) | Downtown, Lakewood, Brooklyn | Pennsylvania, NY, NY |
| 18 | stone brewing | Escondido | California |
| 19 | SweetWater Brewing Co (p) | Atlanta | Georgia |
| 20 | Deschutes Brewery | Bend | WHERE |
| 21 | New Glarus Brewing Co | New Glarus | WI |
| 22 | Brooklyn Brewery | brooklyn | new York |
| 23 | Matt Brewing Co (q) | Utica | new York |
| 24 | Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. | San Jose | California |
| 25 | Abita Brewery | Covington | THE |
| 26 | Minhas craft brewery (r) | Monroe | WI |
| 27 | Stevens Point Brewery | Stevens Point | WI |
| 28 | Great Lakes Brewing Company | Cleveland | OH |
| 29 | Odell Brewery | Fort Collins | CO |
| 30 | Harpoon Brewery | Boston | MY |
| 31 | Summit Brewing Co | St.Paul | MN |
| 32 | Allagash Brewery | Portland | ME |
| 33 | Troegs Brewery | Hershey | Pennsylvania |
| 34 | Georgetown Brewery | Seattle | Washington |
| 35 | Three Floyds Brewing | ||
| 36 | Athletic Brewery | Stratford | CT |
| 37 | Rhinegeist Brewery | Cincinnati | OH |
| 38 | Kona Brewing Co. | Kailua Kona | SALVATION |
| 39 | August Schell Brewing Company (u) | New Ulm | MN |
| 40 | Alaska Brewery | juneau | AK |
| 41 | Narragansett Brewing Co. | pawtucket | IR |
| 42 | Brewery Rogue Ales | Newport | WHERE |
| 43 | Kings & Convicts Brewing / Ballast Point | San Diego | California |
| 44 | Flying Dog Brewery | Frederick | MARYLAND |
| 45 | Long Trail Brewing Co | Corners of Bridgewater | Vermont |
| 46 | Lost Coast Brewery | Eureka | California |
| 47 | Anchor Brewing Co / Sapporo USA (v) | Tarrytown, San Francisco | New York, California |
| 48 | Brewing Revolution | Chicago | HE |
| 49 | Surly Brewery | Minneapolis | MN |
| 50 | Ninkasi Brewery | Eugene | WHERE |
To note: The figures are preliminary. For additional insights from Bart Watson, visit Insights & Analysis on the Brewers Association website. The full 2021 industry analysis will be published in the May/June 2022 issue of The new brewerhighlighting regional trends and the production of each brewery.
* Does not include FMB/FSB. With these included, the total of products taxed as beer increased by 2%.
1 An American craft brewer is a small independent brewer. Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (about 3% of annual sales in the United States). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternate ownership. Independent: less than 25% of the craft brewer is owned or controlled (or an equivalent economic interest) by a member of the beverage alcohol industry who is not themselves a craft brewer. Brewer: Has a TTB brewer rating and makes beer.
2 Absolute numbers reflect the dynamic data set of craft brewers as specified by the definition of craft brewers. Growth figures are presented on a comparable basis. See the complete methodology.
3 Craft brewer volume represents total taxable production.
4 Figure based on companies that have met the craft brewer definition for all or part of 2021.
View a list of brands included in the global brewing category businesses
Contact: Meg Weldon (on behalf of the Brewers Association) 970.963.4873 x212
About the Brewers Association
The Brewers Association (BA) is the nonprofit trade association dedicated to America’s small, independent brewers, their beers, and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents more than 5,600 American breweries. The BA Independent Craft Brewer Seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers from small independent craft brewers. The BA organizes events including the beer world cup®, Great American Oktoberfest®, Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America®, FLAVOR™: An American Craft Beer and Dining Experience, Homebrew Con™, National Homebrew Competition and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The new brewer® magazines, and Brewers publications® is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the United States. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the vibrant world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com® and on homebrewing via BAs American Homebrew Association® and free Brewing Guru® mobile app. follow us on Facebook, Twitter and instagram.
The Brewers Association is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, orientation or marital/family status. The BA complies with the provisions of Executive Order 13672 and relevant rules, regulations and orders of the Secretary of Labor.
