With preliminary sales figures and shipments calculated, 2015 is going down in the books as yet another record- breaking year for the craft beer industry, according to figures released by the Brewer’s Association.
Small, independent craft breweries witnessed another solid year of growth and as of the end of 2015, they now account for 12.2 percent of the overall beer market when measured by volume. These breweries shipped 24.5 million barrels of beer last year, an amount 13 percent greater than the total volume shipped in 2014.
Looking at the total dollar value of the craft beer produced in 2015, the numbers are even more impressive with $22.3 billion in sales, representing a 16 percent increase. Based on the total economic value of the entire brewing industry, this dollar figure represents 21 percent market share. That means that slightly better than 1 in 5 dollars spent on beer in 2015 was spent on craft beer.
Brewer’s Association chief economist Bart Watson likes what he sees and says the market is far from saturated.
“For the past decade, craft brewers have charged into the market, seeing double digit growth for eight of those years”, said Watson. “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.”
The 2015 year was also a record- breaking year for the number of craft breweries in operation. The total figure at the end of 2015 was 4,269, which is 15 percent greater than in 2014. And craft breweries have proven very resilient, with 620 new breweries opened and only 68 closed during the 12 months ending on December 31, 2015.
Economically, craft breweries continue to provide jobs and a financial boost to communities. These breweries and brewpubs employ approximately 122,000 people, an increase of about 6,000 from the previous year. Employment includes everything from brewers to servers to marketing professionals and beyond.
“Small and independent brewers are a beacon for beer and our economy”, said Watson. “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.”
The figures above are preliminary and could likely be revised higher. Look for a full industry analysis and official facts and figures from the Brewer’s Association in early May, 2016.
Leave a Reply