America’s craft beer industry scored a solid comeback in 2021, according to official data just released by the Brewers Association.
According to figures from BA, the U.S. craft beer industry produced 24.8 million barrels of beer in 2021, representing growth of 8 percent from the previous year. This means that craft beer accounted for 13.1 percent of the total beer market in the United States by volume. In 2020, the craft beer share by volume was 12.2 percent.
Based on dollars, craft beer’s share is even more impressive. Retail dollars for craft beer reached $26.9 billion in 2021, which represents a market share of 26.8%. The much greater share measured by dollars, compared to volume, is due to the higher price per ounce of craft beer.
Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, points out that the newly released figures are positive, but many industry challenges remain.
“Craft brewer sales rebounded in 2021, lifted by the return of draught and at-the-brewery traffic,” said Watson. “However, the mixed performance across business models and geographies as well as production levels that still lag 2019 suggest that many breweries remain in recovery mode. Add in continuing supply chain and pricing challenges, and 2022 will be a critical year for many brewers.”
Another positive statistic is the number of operating breweries. Despite a difficult and uncertain business environment and continued concerns about COVID, the number of breweries hit an all- time high in 2021, reaching 9,118, which includes 1,886 microbreweries, 3,307 brewpubs, 3,702 taproom breweries, and 223 regional craft breweries.
Which breweries lead the nation in production? Here is a list of the Top 50 craft breweries in America. The numbered ranking below corresponds to the numbers on the map above.
Rank Brewery City State
1 D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc – Pottsville PA
2 Boston Beer Co – Boston, Milton MA, DE
3 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co – Chico CA
4 Duvel Moortgat USA – Paso Robles, Kansas City, Cooperstown CA, MO, NY
5 Gambrinus – Berkeley, Shiner CA, TX
6 Bell’s Brewery, Inc – Comstock MI
7 CANarchy – Longmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, Dallas CO, FL, UT, MI, TX
8 Artisanal Brewing Ventures – Downingtown, Lakewood, Brooklyn PA, NY, NY
9 Stone Brewing – Escondido CA
10 SweetWater Brewing Co – Atlanta GA
11 Deschutes Brewery – Bend OR
12 New Glarus Brewing Co – New Glarus WI
13 Brooklyn Brewery – Brooklyn NY
14 Matt Brewing Co – Utica NY
15 Gordon Biersch Brewing Co – San Jose CA
16 Abita Brewing Co – Covington LA
17 Minhas Craft Brewery – Monroe WI
18 Stevens Point Brewery – Stevens Point WI
19 Great Lakes Brewing Company – Cleveland OH
20 Odell Brewing Co – Fort Collins CO
21 Harpoon Brewery – Boston MA
22 Summit Brewing Co – Saint Paul MN
23 Allagash Brewing Company – Portland ME
24 Troegs Brewing Co – Hershey PA
25 Georgetown Brewing Co – Seattle WA
26 Three Floyds Brewing – Munster IN
27 Athletic Brewing Company – Stratford CT
28 Rhinegeist Brewery – Cincinnati OH
29 Kona Brewing Co – Kailua-Kona HI
30 August Schell Brewing Company – New Ulm MN
31 Alaskan Brewing Co – Juneau AK
32 Narragansett Brewing Co – Pawtucket RI
33 Rogue Ales Brewery – Newport OR
34 Kings & Convicts/Ballast Point – San Diego CA
35 Flying Dog Brewery – Frederick MD
36 Long Trail Brewing Co – Bridgewater Corners VT
37 Lost Coast Brewery – Eureka CA
38 Revolution Brewing – Chicago IL
39 Surly Brewing Company – Minneapolis MN
40 Ninkasi Brewing Co – Eugene OR
41 Creature Comforts Brewing Co – Athens GA
42 21st Amendment Brewery – Bay Area CA
43 Maui Brewing Co – Kihei HI
44 Saint Arnold Brewing Co – Houston TX
45 Scofflaw Brewing Co – Atlanta GA
46 Shipyard Brewing Co – Portland ME
47 Left Hand Brewing Company – Longmont CO
48 Modern Times Drinks – San Diego CA
49 Fiddlehead Brewing – Shelburne VT
50 North Coast Brewing Co Inc – Fort Bragg CA
Interesting post. Thanks for the list. I am happy to know that the one near my husband’s hometown is included in the list.
Congratulations! I wish I can visit at least any of these breweries. See in person what makes them popular 🙂
Oh wow. Interesting map. I had no idea that craft beers were so big in the upper midwest. That entire part of the map is blue!
There was a good one we used to visit in Frankenmuth, Michigan. My husband liked the brews and the rest of the family loved the grub and the atmosphere! It’s a great little city!
The Frankenmuth Brewery! Yes, I have been to that one, too. It’s the oldest brewery in the state.
I’m surprised that there aren’t any in FL! We have a number of them that are amazing.
I know that Yuengling has a large brewery in Florida. Funky Buddha is a large brewery, but they don’t qualify for this ranking because they sold to another company a couple years back.
Who knew there were all these breweries. I gotta plan a vacation to visit some of them.
Oh how fun! We have a few in Texas that I’ve been to!
Guess what! My husband will be thrilled about this post. He loves beer.
Very nice list! I have noticed it seems like breweries are opening up all over the area where I live in East Tn.
Wow, reading this is very new to me. Now I am much more interested to learn about brewers! Glad I came over to this post. Thanks for the information!