BOULDER, Colo. – The Brewers Association (BA), the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers, released 2015 data on U.S. craft brewing growth. With more breweries than even before, small and independent craft brewers now represent a 12% market share of the overall beer industry.
In 2015, craft brewers produced 24.5 million barrels, and saw a 13% rise in volume. Retail dollar value, which increased 16%, was estimated at $22.3 billion, representing a 21% market share.
“For the past decade, craft brewers have charged into the market, seeing double digit growth for eight of those years,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “There are still a lot of opportunities and areas for additional growth. An important focus will remain on quality as small and independent brewers continue to lead the local, full-flavored beer movement.”
Additionally, in 2015 the number of operating breweries in the U.S. grew 15%, totaling 4,269 breweries—the most at any time in American history. Small and independent breweries account for 99% of the breweries in operation, broken down as follows: 2,397 microbreweries, 1,650 brewpubs and 178 regional craft breweries. Throughout the year, there were 620 new brewery openings and only 68 closings. One of the fastest growing regions was the South, where four states—Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Texas—each saw a net increase of more than 20 breweries, establishing a strong base for future growth in the region.
Combined with already existing and established breweries and brewpubs, craft brewers provided nearly 122,000 jobs, an increase of more than 6,000 from the previous year.
“Small and independent brewers are a beacon for beer and our economy,” Watson added. “As breweries continue to open and volume increases, there is a strong need for workers to fill a whole host of positions at these small and growing businesses.”
Note: Numbers are preliminary. The Brewers Association will release the list of the top 50 craft brewing companies and overall brewing companies by volume sales on April 5. Additionally, a more extensive analysis will be released during the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America in Philadelphia, May 3–6. The full 2015 industry analysis will be published in the May/June 2016 issue of The New Brewer, highlighting regional trends and production by individual breweries.