The U.S. Beer Industry 2019

• In 2019, the U.S. beer industry shipped (sold) 203.1 million barrels of beer (1 barrel = 31 gallons, 1 traditional keg in a bar = half a barrel).
• Put another way, in 2019, the U.S. beer industry shipped the equivalent of more than 2.8 billion cases of 24-12 ounce containers or 406 million kegs worth of beer.
• In addition, the industry shipped approximately 2.5 million barrels of cider and perry, equivalent to more than 34.4 million case equivelents
• In 2019, 82 percent of all beer was domestically produced, and 18 percent was imported from more than 100 different countries around the world

            Source: U.S. TTB and U.S. Commerce Department, 2020

• Based on beer shipment data and U.S. Census population statistics, U.S. consumers 21 years and older consumed 25.9 gallons of beer and cider per person during 2019. About 245 million people, 75 percent of the population, are over the age of 21 and considered legal drinking age. The share of the U.S. population over 21 has increased steadily over the past 18 years. In 2000, the share was 70 percent.

            Source: U.S. Census and NBWA Industry Affairs, 2020

• The U.S. beer industry sells more than $119.3 billion in beer and malt-based beverages to U.S. consumers each year.

           Source: Beer Institute Annual Report, 2018

• ​In 2019 beer sold in cans accounted for 60% of all beer sold, glass bottles accounted for 30% and draft beer (kegs) was 10%.

           Source: U.S. Census and NBWA Industry Affairs, 2020

Number of Operating/Reporting Breweries – 2019

• According to TTB preliminary reports, there were 6,400 reporting brewery facilities/locations in the United States in 2019. This is an increase of about 436 from 2018 report by the TTB.
• Almost a quarter of these breweries were classified as brewpubs that only brew beer for direct-to-consumer sale on brewery-restaurant premises.
• Brewpubs typically brew less than 1,000 barrels (31,000 gallons) of beer per year, though larger chains have emerged around the country.
• More than 95 percent of all breweries make fewer than 15,000 barrels (465,000 gallons) per year and account for about 3 percent of total volume.

Brewery by Size 2019.png

Source: https://www.ttb.gov/beer/statistics

The U.S. Beer Industry 2019

The industry structure has changed significantly over the past 30 years. In 1983, there were 49 breweries. At the end of 2019 there were 6,400  reporting brewers, and by the end of CY 2019, the most recent data show there were 11,584 TTB permitted breweries in the United States – an all-time high. Note that not all permitted breweries are open and/or operational. The TTB issued 1,469 new permits in CY 2019 and some states now have more breweries than the enitire country had in 1990. 

TTB Brewery Permits 2019.png

Source: https://www.ttb.gov/foia/list-of-permittees

Market Share of Brewers 2019

The share of market for the top five brewers and importers has changed significantly over the past ten years. Since 2009 more than nine percent of the market volume has shifted from large brewers and importers to smaller brewers and importers. The continued growth in small, upstart breweries makes the U.S. beer market a dynamic and competitive industry.

Source: Beer Marketer’s Insights, 2020

Beer Distribution

Beer distribution has seen significant changes as well. Over the years, the number of traditional beer distributors has fallen from 4,595 in 1980 to around 3,000 in 2019, However, similar to brewing, the number of new entrants into the alcohol beverage wholesaling sector has increased significantly. According to data from the TTB, there are more than 20,000 licensed alcohol beverage wholesalers. More details about the number of distributors can be found in the NBWA Membership Directory. Additional details on jobs, wages, taxes and the economic impacts of beer distributors can be found in the NBWA Distributor Economic Impact Report.

Alcohol Beverage Retail

The number of retail outletts that sell alcohol has grown significantly since the end of the 2008-2009 recession. Total alcohol outletts have gone from 531,705 in 2008 to 643,142 in 2019. CY2019 saw the first year of decline in total beer retail accounts since 2008.

Beer Retail Accounts 2019.png

Source: Nielsen, TDLinx^tm 2020

Packaging and SKUs

A “stock keeping unit” (SKU) is the primary way retailers, distributors and brewers keep track of their inventory while it passes through the supply chain. Tremdous variety in packaging tracked by SKUs in the marketplace also has grown significantly over time. Across the economy, and over time, consumers have changed the when, where and how they shop. In response, new retail stores - from discounters, to big box, to category killers and convenience stores all demand more specialized and specific packaging to fit their customer needs. In 1996, the typical distributor managed 190 unique SKUs in their warehouses. As of 2018, the average statnds at 1,174 SKUs. More detials can be found in the The NBWA Distibutor Prodictivity Report: 

Source: NBWA Distributor Productivity Report, 2019

Beer is the Preferred Beverage of Choice

According to the Gallup Poll, 36 percent of people do not consume alcohol. Although there have been articles about widespread shifts of legal drinkers from beer to spirits or wine, the annual Gallup survey has shown remarkable stability in consumer preferences over the past decade.

Source: Gallup Poll, 2019