Brewers Association Announces 2013 Craft Brewer Growth!

Craft brewers make an 18 percent jump in volume and set records!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

My homies representing the Brewers Association based in Boulder, CO, just sent me their latest news regarding how gangster the craft beer industry has become complete with statistics, quotes from their staff economist Bart Watson, and the slick graphics above and below. Craft brewing continues to be on the rise and I am just happy to be a part of it! You should too!

Here’s the info and full press release below. Keep sippin’ that good stuff! I can’t wait to see the stats for 2014. It has already been an incredible year for craft beer.

Cheers!

Ale

Boulder, CO • March 17, 2014— The Brewers Association (BA), the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers, today released 2013 data on U.S. craft brewing¹ growth. As a primary driver of growth in the beer industry, craft brewers saw an 18 percent rise in volume², representing a total of 15.6 million barrels, and a 20 percent increase in retail dollar value.

In 2013, craft brewers reached 7.8 percent volume of the total U.S. beer market, up from 6.5 percent the previous year. Additionally, craft dollar share of the total U.S. beer market reached 14.3 percent in 2013, as retail dollar value from craft brewers was estimated at $14.3 billion, up from $11.9 billion in 2012.

“With this stellar year, craft has now averaged 10.9 percent growth over the last decade,” said Bart Watson, staff economist, Brewers Association. “Beer drinkers are excited about what small and independent brewers are offering and that is evidenced by the rising production and sales of the craft segment.”

Craft Brewing Facts

·         Craft brewers currently provide an estimated 108,440 jobs in the U.S., including serving staff in brewpubs.

·         Growth of the craft brewing industry in 2012 was 15% by volume and 17% by dollars compared to growth in 2011 of 13% by volume and 15% by dollars.

·         Craft brewers sold an estimated 13,235,917 barrels* of beer in 2012, up from 11,467,337 in 2011.

·         The craft brewing sales share in 2012 was 6.5% by volume and 10.2% by dollars.

·         Craft brewer retail dollar value in 2012 was an estimated $11.9 billion.

·         As of March 18, 2013, the Brewers Association is aware of 409 brewery openings in 2012 (310 microbreweries and 99 brewpubs) and 43 brewery closings (18 microbreweries and 25 brewpubs).

·         2,347 craft breweries operated for some or all of 2012, comprised of 1,132 brewpubs, 1,118 microbreweries and 97 regional craft breweries.

Other U.S. Brewing Industry Facts

·         Overall U.S. beer sales were up an estimated 0.9% by volume in 2012.

·         Imported beer sales were up 1% in 2012 and up 1% in 2011.

·         Overall U.S. beer sales were approximately 200,028,520 barrels and imported beer sales were 27,712,665 barrels in 2012.

·         2,403 total breweries operated for some or all of 2012, the highest total since the 1880s.

Additionally, the number of operating breweries in the U.S. in 2013 totaled 2,822, with 2,768 of those considered craft, demonstrating that craft breweries make up 98 percent of all U.S. operating breweries. This count includes 413 new brewery openings and 44 closings. Combined with already existing and established breweries and brewpubs, craft brewers provided 110,273 jobs, an increase of almost 2,000 from the previous year.

“Openings of brewing facilities continue to far outpace closings, demonstrating that the demand for high-quality, local, fuller-flavored beers is only increasing,” added Watson. “The geographic diversity of openings and production growth shows the national nature of this movement. In towns all across the country, craft brewers are creating jobs, delivering innovative products, advancing the beverage of beer and strengthening their local economies.”

Note: Numbers are preliminary. The Brewers Association will release the list of Top 50 craft brewing companies and overall brewing companies by volume sales on March 31. Additionally, a more extensive analysis will be released during the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, Colorado from April 8-11. The full 2013 industry analysis will be published in the May/June 2014 issue of The New Brewer, highlighting regional trends and sales by individual breweries.