If you're excited to kick back and drink a cold one on a hot summer day, well, we have some bad news for you.
A new report from the Brewers Association found that even though the number of craft breweries kept growing, craft beer production declined in 2023.
The report says that in 2023, small and independent brewers collectively made 23.4 million barrels of beer, down 1.0% from 2022, and the overall beer market volume decreased by 5.1%.
“2023 was another competitive and challenging year for small and independent brewers,” said Bart Watson of the Brewers Association in a press release.
But the good news? Well, according to the association the number of breweries grew to an "all-time high" with 9,812 operating breweries in the U.S., up from 9,730 in 2022.
“Nevertheless, even as growth has downshifted, small brewers have proved quite resilient, as seen in the increase in number of breweries, relatively low closing rates, and gains in onsite sales and jobs,” said Watson.
"Driven by the growing number of breweries and a continued shift to hospitality-focused business models, craft brewers directly employed 191,421 people in 2023, a 1.1% increase from 2022," the report read.
The top five craft breweries in the U.S., according to the association, are:
• D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc. in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
• Boston Beer Co. in Boston, Massachusetts and Milton, Delaware
• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, California.
• Duvel Moortgat USA in Paso Robles, California, Kansas City, Missouri and Cooperstown, New York.
• Gambrinus in Shiner, Texas and Berkeley, California.
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