Summary
Overall U.S. beer volume sales were up 1% in 2021, while craft brewer volume sales grew 8%, raising small and independent brewers’ share of the U.S. beer market by volume to 13.1%.
Retail dollar sales of craft increased 21%, to $26.8 billion, and now account for just under 27% of the $100 billion U.S. beer market (previously $94 billion). The primary reason for the larger dollar sales increase was the shift back in beer volume to bars and restaurants from packaged sales.
These statistics use the craft brewer definition of a small and independent brewer, as well as six craft beer industry market segments as defined by the Brewers Association. More up to date statistics and analysis can be found in the Insights & Analysis section of the website.
Sales Data
Production Data
Historical Craft Brewery Production by Category
1 barrel = 31 US gallons
Historical U.S. Brewery Count
Slide the bar at the top of the graph to see number of breweries from 1873 to present day.
U.S. Craft Brewery Count by Category
Recent U.S. Brewery Count
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 to 2021 % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craft | 4,803 | 5,713 | 6,661 | 7,618 | 8,419 | 8,905 | 9,118 | 4.4% |
| Regional Craft Breweries | 178 | 186 | 202 | 230 | 240 | 220 | 223 | 1.4% |
| Microbreweries | 2,684 | 3,319 | 3,956 | 4,518 | 1,917 | 1,898 | 1,886 | -0.6% |
| Taprooms | 3,091 | 3,471 | 3,708 | 6.2% | ||||
| Brewpubs | 1,941 | 2,208 | 2,503 | 2,870 | 3,171 | 3,302 | 3,307 | 0.2% |
| Large/Non-Craft | 44 | 67 | 106 | 104 | 111 | 120 | 129 | 7.5% |
| Total U.S. Breweries | 4,847 | 5,780 | 6,767 | 7,722 | 8,530 | 9,025 | 9,247 | 2.5% |
Brewpub Openings and Closings
Micro Openings and Closings*
* Starting in 2019, Taprooms are their own separate category, so for comparable numbers, add 2019 taproom numbers.
Taproom Openings and Closings*
Contact Us With Questions About Industry Statistics
Full Report
Comprehensive reports and analysis of the national beer sales and production data are available in the May/June issue of The New Brewer, the journal of the Brewers Association, released in mid-May each year. The issue can be purchased in the Brewers Association online store.
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