Craft beer export growth slows to single digits in 2017

The Brewers Association (BA) reported on 3 April 2018 that exports of US craft beer rose 3.6 percent to 482,309 barrels (564,000 hl) in 2017. The organisation valued those products sold abroad at USD 125.4 million. While this is a record high, it is now the third consecutive year that growth has slowed.

Canada has retained the top spot as the leading importer of US craft beer, representing 51.3 percent of total exports. The UK is the second largest market, accounting for 10.5 percent, ahead of Sweden (6.7 percent), Korea (4.6 percent), Australia (3.8 percent) and China (2.5 percent).

While 2017 represented another record year, export growth has slowed for the past three years. In 2014, US craft beer exports rose by 35.7 percent, in 2015 by 16 percent and in 2016 by 4.4 percent.

There are currently more than 100 small and independent brewers participating in the BA’s export programme (out of over 6,000). The single biggest beer exporter would be Brooklyn Brewery, whose exports accounted for nearly half of its production or an estimated 190,000 hl beer in 2017.