On Tuesday, the Brewers Association (BA) released its annual overview of the craft brewing industry and a list of the 50 top-producing craft brewing companies of 2023.
Last year, the number of U.S. craft breweries reached an all-time high, with 9,683 operational across all 50 states and Washington D.C. That figure included 2,071 microbreweries, 3,467 brewpubs, 3,900 taproom breweries, and 245 regional craft breweries. But for the second year in a row, new brewery openings decreased, with just 495 opening their doors in 2023 — down from approximately 550 in 2022. The closing rate also increased year-over-year, but the BA doesn’t seem concerned, referring to the 4-percent rate as “relatively low.”
