Harvest results are in for the two main agricultural inputs in beer: hops and barley. Following is a high-level summary addressing the quality and quantity of the 2025 harvests in North America.

Hops

In response to the continued high level of stocks, 2025 saw a 6% decrease in acres strung for harvest. The continuing effort to reduce the levels of stock resulted in a 15% reduction in inventories from a year ago. The yield was average to good with forecasted production to be down around 6%. Overall quality was good with only minimal potential smoke damage. In spite of the overall high level of stocks, there is some tightness in certain varieties. Brewers are encouraged to continue to contract with growers in order to clearly communicate their needs and help growers to make planting decisions that match brewers’ requirements.

Barley

The U.S. barley industry continued its decades long downward trend in production; with a record low 2.3 million acres planted in 2025. Harvested acres were down 7% to 1.76 million acres. These declines were partially offset by a modest increase in yield per acre.

Variations in temperature and precipitation across the barley growing region in the U.S. created variation in the quality of the 2025 harvest. Generally the harvest was of good quality with lower protein levels. Certain areas, particularly western Montana, suffered from pre-harvest sprout due to rainfall at the end of the growing season.

Because of the U.S. dependence on Canadian barley imports, a summary of the 2025 North American harvest is not complete without a mention of the harvest up north. Higher yields across the Canadian growing region led to a modest increase in production in spite of a decrease in harvested acres. Overall quality good with lower-than-average protein content and high levels of plump. As with the U.S. crop, there was some variation in quality due to variations in growing conditions across the region.

For an in-depth look at the 2025 harvests from a global perspective, make sure and check out the November December issue of the New Brewer®, the annual raw materials issue.