Brewers Association Releases Top 50 Producing Craft Brewing Companies for 2023

The Brewers Association (BA)—the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers¹— released its annual production figures for the U.S. craft brewing industry.² The results are a bit mixed with more openings than closings and more employees in craft beer, but producing less beer at the same time.

According to the BA, the number of operating craft breweries continued to climb in 2023, reaching an all-time high of 9,683, including 2,071 microbreweries, 3,467 brewpubs, 3,900 taproom breweries, and 245 regional craft breweries. The total U.S. operating brewery count was 9,812, up from 9,730 in 2022. This past year there were 495 new brewery openings and 418 closings. Openings decreased for a second consecutive year, with the trend reflecting a more mature market. The closing rate increased in 2023 but continued to remain relatively low, at approximately 4%.

The craft beer industry also hired more employees this past year. As brewery count increased and a continued shift to hospitality-focused business models, craft brewers directly employed 191,421 people in 2023. This marks a 1.1% increase in 2023 from 2022.

“2023 was another competitive and challenging year for small and independent brewers,” said Bart Watson, vice president of strategy and chief economist of the Brewers Association. “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.”

Collectively, small and independent brewers produced 23.4 million barrels of beer in 2023, a decline of 1.0% from 2022³, though craft’s overall beer market share by volume grew to 13.3%, up from 13.1% in 2022 as craft’s declines were smaller than overall beer volume losses.

The overall beer market* shrank 5.1% by volume in 2023. Retail dollar value was estimated at $28.6 billion, representing a 24.5% market share and 3% growth over a comparable value in 2022. Sales growth was stronger than volume primarily due to pricing but also due to slightly stronger onsite sales growth versus distribution.

“As always, the beverage alcohol market and consumer demand continue to evolve,” added Watson. ”Many brewers are accordingly updating their operations to match those changes, focusing on their business models, go-to-market strategies, and brand strategies to help their businesses match those shifts.”

In addition, the Brewers Association also released its annual list of the top 50 producing craft brewing companies and overall brewing companies in the U.S., based on beer sales volume. Of the top 50 overall brewing companies in 2023, 40 were small and independent craft brewing companies.⁴ 

Within this list of the top 50 producing craft brewing companies, there are a few that have operations in the Pacific Northwest. The acquisition by Tilray Beer Brands of many of the former craft brands from Anheuser Busch that includes 10 Barrel Brewing, Widmer Brothers Brewing, and Redhook Brewery placed this fast growing brewery in the #6 spot. Other ranked PNW breweries include Deschutes Brewery at #12, Georgetown Brewing Co. #16, Alaskan Brewing Co. at #31, Great Frontier Holdings (Ninkasi Brewing and Ecliptic Brewing) at #35, and Rogue Ales Brewery at #44.

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies

1. D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc
2. Boston Beer Co
3. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
4. Duvel Moortgat USA
5. Gambrinus
6. Tilray Beer Brands
7. Artisanal Brewing Ventures
8. Brooklyn Brewery
9. Monster Brewing
10. Athletic Brewing Company
11. New Glarus Brewing Co
12. Deschutes Brewery
13. Matt Brewing Co
14. Gordon Biersch Brewing Co
15. Allagash Brewing Company
16. Georgetown Brewing Co
17. Great Lakes Brewing Company
18. Harpoon Brewery
19. Stevens Point Brewery
20. Three Floyds Brewing
21. Pittsburgh Brewing Co
22. Rhinegeist Brewery
23. Narragansett Brewing Co
24. August Schell Brewing Company
25. Odell Brewing Co
26. Craft ‘Ohana (Maui/Modern Times)
27. Troegs Brewing Co
28. Fiddlehead Brewing
29. Minhas Craft Brewery
30. Kings & Convicts Brewing
31. Alaskan Brewing Co.
32. Kona Brewing Hawaii
33. Abita Brewing Co
34. Creature Comforts Brewing Co.
35. Great Frontier Holdings
36. BrewDog Brewing Co
37. Summit Brewing CoS
38. Jack’s Abby Brewing, LLC
39. Revolution Brewing
40. Montucky Cold Snacks
41. Saint Arnold Brewing Co
42. Lost Coast Brewery
43. Surly Brewing Company
44. Rogue Ales Brewery
45. United States Beverage LLC
46. Shipyard Brewing Co
47. Pizza Port
48. Coronado Brewing Co
49. Drake’s Brewing Co
50. IndieBrew

“While distribution is as competitive as ever, we continue to see success stories and pockets of growth across the top 50 list,” said Watson. “Even in an era of slow growth, the strongest brands still resonate with beer drinkers, regardless of company size or location.”