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Learn about craft brewery trends, including beer styles, packaging, brewery business models and market segments, demographics, and more.
When a natural disaster strikes, brewery owners first focus on safety, wellbeing, and community. But once the immediate crisis passes, another question emerges: what happens to production, sales, openings, and closures? This analysis aggregates the impact of four recent natural disasters to explore how craft beer markets were affected in the year of the event and the year that followed.Read More
Craft culture was built on personal agency and creative rebellion. Gen Z came up believing in neither.Read More
Every brewery owner will eventually exit, even if the brewery continues on. This post explores three voluntary exit paths: passing the business on, stripping it down to preserve the strongest pieces, or winding it down with intention. Using recent examples from Icicle Brewing, Künstler Brewing, and Boone Valley Brewing, the exploration reframes exit planning as more than just a sale or a closure. For owners thinking about what they want to preserve, what they are ready to leave behind, and how to protect value, the right exit strategy starts before the decision becomes unavoidable.Read More
Brewery visits may be higher than ever, even as many taprooms continue to face difficult business conditions. This analysis estimates total brewery visits over time and explores why that growth may not feel evenly distributed across the industry. From the changing role of “power visitors” to regional and demographic differences in visitation, the data shows that craft drinkers are still going out to breweries. The challenge for individual businesses is turning those visits into stronger performance through positioning, hospitality, and giving customers a clear reason to choose their taproom.Read More
A tale of two lagers, and the different approaches two breweries took in their attempt to break into America's most competitive beer style.Read More
In a mature and competitive industry, long-term success may depend less on constant growth and more on building a durable, adaptable business.Read More
A brief look at data on brewery injury rates, showing how safety trends have changed over time by business type, size, and severity.Read More
Who opens a brewery in today’s market? This analysis looks at recent brewery opening trends, including the rise of taproom and brewpub models, shifting geographic patterns, modest first-year production expectations, and the role of additional locations from existing breweries. Through data and real-world examples from new breweries in Illinois and Virginia, the post explores what today’s openings reveal about the future of craft beer: less about chasing scale, and more about hospitality, place, and finding the right customer occasion.Read More
What does the 2026 consumer landscape really signal for craft beer? This analysis breaks down the latest Brewers Association and Harris Poll Consumer Survey through a SWOT-style lens, separating meaningful trends from distracting noise. From stronger engagement among current craft drinkers to challenges reaching the broader population, the findings reveal where craft still has momentum and where brewers may need to focus their efforts. For anyone trying to understand today’s craft beer consumer, the data offers a useful view of the opportunities, risks, and shifting occasions shaping the category.Read More
Corn is central to Mexican culture and history. Not surprisingly, it's also a key pillar of Mexican-style lager.Read More
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