• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Craft beer continues to brew growth in volume and dollars

March 18, 2013Jason Morgan

Are you tired of hearing about the explosive growth of craft beer? We’re not! And now The Brewers Association is reporting even more good news. The association released 2012 data on U.S. craft brewing growth. In a year when the total U.S. beer market grew by 1 percent, craft brewers saw a 15 percent rise in volume and a 17 percent increase in dollar growth, representing a total barrel increase of almost 1.8 million.

Craft beer brews growth numbers

With production at 13,235,917 barrels (bbls) in 2012, craft brewers reached 6.5 percent volume of the total U.S. beer market, up from 5.7 percent the previous year. Additionally, craft dollar share of the total U.S. beer market reached 10.2 percent in 2012, as retail dollar value from craft brewers was estimated at $10.2 billion, up from $8.7 billion in 2011.

“Beer is a $99 billion industry to which craft brewers are making a significant contribution, with retail sales share hitting double digits for the first time in 2012,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. “Small and independent brewers are consistently innovating and producing high-quality, flavor-forward craft brewed beer. Americans are not only responding to greater access to these products, but also to the stories and people behind them.”

In 2012, there was an 18 percent increase in the number of U.S. operating breweries, with the total count reaching 2,403. This count includes 409 new brewery openings and only 43 closings. Small breweries created an estimated 4,857 more jobs during the year, employing 108,440 workers, compared to 103,583 the year prior.

“On average, we are seeing slightly more than one craft brewery per day opening somewhere in the U.S. and we anticipate even more in the coming year. There is clearly a thirst in the marketplace for craft brewed beer, as indicated by the continued growth year after year,” added Gatza. “These small breweries are doing great things for their local communities, the greater community of craft brewers, our food arts culture and the overall economy.”

Note: Numbers are preliminary. A more extensive analysis will be released during the Craft Brewers Conference in Washington, D.C., from March 26-29. The full 2012 industry analysis will be published in the May/June 2013 issue of The New Brewer, highlighting regional trends and sales by individual breweries.

Brewers Association Craft Production Volume Mid Year
Craft beer boom: Production volume up 18 percent in 2014
craft beer market trends
Craft brewing data trends: Microbreweries way up, and more
Big congrats: Brewers Association announces 2023 Industry Award winners
CCBA California Craft Beer Summit
State of California Craft Beer: Covid recovery challenged by competition, consolidation

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. DenverBeerGuy says

    March 18, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Craft beer continues to brew growth in volume and dollars, according to @BrewersAssoc http://t.co/tJsYDhSvQa

    Log in to Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A Great Environment for Craft Brewing | Broadview Collaborative, Inc. says:
    September 23, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    […] growth in fine beer production and consumption in this country. Craft beer has been experiencingdouble-digit growth for years, and apparently there is still plenty of room in the marketplace for that growth to […]

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Samuel Adams’ Beer Fest, Fear Fest asks participants to carry a full glass of beer through a series of jump scares in Queens
  • Atlanta success Fire Maker Brewing announces second location in Griffin, Georgia
  • Flix Brewhouse aims to open 11th theater brewery (its second in Albuquerque)
  • Time to register for the 2024 International Brewing & Cider Awards

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • Samuel Adams’ Beer Fest, Fear Fest asks participants to carry a full glass of beer through a series of jump scares in Queens
    October 2, 2023
  • Flix Brewhouse aims to open 11th theater brewery (its second in Albuquerque)
    October 2, 2023
  • GrainChainWildEdge Brewing explains 100 percent Colorado-sourced dark wheat and more beers to know this week
    September 28, 2023
  • root-shoot-maltingCelebrate Craft Malt Week with this 2023 craft malt and barley news recap
    September 27, 2023
  • Let’s take a look at California Wild Ales new Point Loma brewery and taproom
    September 25, 2023
  • Distribution update: Craftwell Cocktails arrive in Idaho + moves from Resident Culture, Good Dogg and more
    September 25, 2023

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2023 · CBB Media LLC