By the Numbers: Small Beer's Big Year

Photo by: Todd Patterson

Todd Patterson

If you’re a beer drinker and variety is your thing, you’re in luck. You could now drink a beer from a different American brewery every single day for more than thirteen and a half years (13.5 years!) and never have to return to the same brewery twice.

That’s because, according to a recent report from the Brewers Association, a trade association focused on small and independent United States brewers, the number of breweries in the U.S. has climbed, as of the end of November, to a record-setting 5,005.

Thanks to the craft-beer movement, the growth in the number of U.S. breweries has been ticking up steadily following a low point in 1978, when, according to an interactive association timeline, there were fewer than 50 brewing companies and less than 100 brewing facilities in America, and beer drinkers mostly drank big-company brew. But after the federal government legalized home brewing that year, the number of breweries started to swell.

By 1996, there were about 1,000 breweries in the U.S., marking a return to pre-Prohibition numbers. By 2011, that number had doubled to 2,000 breweries, and craft breweries constituted a 6 percent share in the U.S. beer market.

The next major milestone, 3,000 breweries, was reached in 2014, with craft brewers accounting for 11 percent of the beer market share by volume. And by the end of last year, there were a record 4,144 U.S. breweries, topping the previous record number: 4,131, in 1873, before the market began to consolidate.

A few other facts and figures, from the Brewers Association report, to put in your pint glass:

99: The percentage of all U.S. breweries that are small, indie craft brewers.

8: The percentage of growth seen by U.S. craft brewers.

25: The percentage of craft beer sales, by volume, that are IPAs.

5: The percentage of craft beer sales, by volume, that are “sessionable” beers, such as Pilsners and pale lagers and ales.

65: The percentage of craft beer fans who cite “variety” as the reason they drink craft beers.

63: The percentage of beer drinkers who choose their beer based on the food they’re eating with it.

1.2 million: The number of Americans who homebrew beer.

446,151: The number of barrels of American craft beer exported in 2015. (They’re worth about $116 million.)

1: The rank of Portland, Oregon, among major metro areas, for beer tourism. Apparently “beercations” are now a thing.

That’s a lot to drink in.

Related Links:

Beer-Focused Cocktails

7 Ways to Cook with Beer

Nutritionists' Tips for Avoiding a Hangover

Photo: iStock

Next Up

Where We're Shopping on Small Business Saturday This Year

Support independent food, drink, home and kitchen brands this holiday season and beyond.

6 Clever Small-Batch Thanksgiving Recipes

Serve a scaled-down feast without sacrificing flavor.

What Is Ginger Beer?

And is it the same thing as ginger ale?

Real Budgets and Big Flavors on Big Bad Budget Battle

Ree Drummond hosts the all-new series premiering Tuesday Aug. 9 at 10|9c.

5 Small Changes That Can Help You Eat Healthier

Goodbye, overly ambitious resolutions. Hello, lasting change.

Budget-Friendly Bites for New Year's Eve

Celebrate the new year with friends and family without breaking the bank.

New Year's Foods from Around the World

Here are nine foods people eat all over the world to be lucky in the new year.

Shop Amazon's New Year Sale Right Now

Find savings on small appliances, kitchen storage solutions and so much more.

How to Homebrew Beer for Beginners

Beer experts offer a step-by-step how-to, including how to avoid making the most common homebrewing mistake.

Everything to Know About Sour Beer

Including our favorite sour beers.

On TV

Outchef'd

8am | 7c

Outchef'd

8:30am | 7:30c

Chopped

11am | 10c

Chopped

12pm | 11c

Beat Bobby Flay

1:30pm | 12:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

2:30pm | 1:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

3:30pm | 2:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

4:30pm | 3:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

5:30pm | 4:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

6:30pm | 5:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

7:30pm | 6:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

8:30pm | 7:30c
On Tonight
On Tonight

Beat Bobby Flay

9pm | 8c

Beat Bobby Flay

9:30pm | 8:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

10:30pm | 9:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

11:30pm | 10:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

12:30am | 11:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

1:30am | 12:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

2:30am | 1:30c

Beat Bobby Flay

3:30am | 2:30c

What's New