Despite headwinds, more than 9,500 breweries were operational in the United States in 2022. 550 new openings faced 200 permanent closures, according to a recent summary by the Brewers Association. This gives a positive balance of 350 breweries and will bring a new all-time high for the number of breweries in the USA at the end of 2022.
In 2021, the number of operating breweries already climbed to a new high of 9,247, up from 9,025 in 2020. The number included 1,886 microbreweries, 3,307 brewpubs, 3,702 taproom breweries, and 223 regional craft breweries. (inside.beer, 5.4.2022)
However, after several difficult pandemic years and in the face of a sharp increase in the price of energy and other costs, craft breweries are feeling an increasing pressure on sales and profitability.
“2023 will be a reset for many brewers as the maturing craft industry continues to grow more competitive, facing both internal business pressures and externally the continued growth of new beverage alcohol competitors,” states the Brewers Association in a new release. Therefore, the organization predicts that in 2023“brewery openings will be the lowest in over a decade.”
Many market watchers even believe that 2022 could enter the statistics as the year of the peak, with a total number of breweries that is unlikely to be reached again. For 2023, the number of brewery closures is therefore expected that will exceed the number of new openings.
