Brewers Association released annual production figures

A challenging year | At the beginning of April, The Brewers Association released annual production figures for the U.S. craft brewing industry. In 2020, small and independent brewers collectively produced 23.1 million barrels of beer and realized a 9 % decline, decreasing craft’s overall beer market share by volume to 12.3 %, down from 13.6 % the previous year (Volume by craft brewers represent total taxable production).

The overall beer market dropped 3 % by volume in 2020 (this does not include FMBs/FSBs. With those included, total taxed-as-beer products up 1 %). Retail dollar value was estimated at USD 22.2 billion, representing 23.6 % market share and a 22 % decline over 2019. Craft brewers provided more than 138,000 direct jobs, a 14 % decrease from 2019.

The number of operating craft breweries continued to climb in 2020, reaching an all-time high of 8764, including 1854 microbreweries, 3219 brewpubs, 3471 taproom breweries, and 220 regional craft breweries. Throughout the year, there were 716 new brewery openings and 346 closings. While openings decreased approximately 30 % compared to 2019, only half of this drop is attributed to COVID. Increasing market competitiveness and maturity were also factors, and the decline was apparent before the pandemic.

Numbers are preliminary though. For additional insights from Bart Watson, visit Insights & Analysis website on the Brewers Association website.

A detailed infographic can be downloaded from the BA website.