U.S. beer sales topped $100 billion in 2021, industry group says

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File: Washington DC, MOM's Organic Market, craft beer display. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

As the nation toasts National Beer Day this week, brewers across the country are reflecting on a year of growth despite lingering challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Brewers Association, an industry group for small and independent brewers, says overall beer sales were up 1% in 2021 – hitting $100.2 billion – while sales of craft beer specifically were up 8%.

In all, Americans bought 187,637,077 barrels of beer in 2021. With one barrel equal to 31 gallons, that’s a whopping 5,816,749,387 gallons of beer.

Craft beer accounted for 13.1% of those pours, while imports made up 21%. The remaining 65.9% was from larger, non-craft domestic producers like Anheuser-Busch and MolsonCoors. 

Experts say some of the growth is due to the return of customers to tap rooms and bars as coronavirus restrictions were loosened and people felt more comfortable being out. But even as customers return, many of the small and independent breweries are facing new challenges.

"Craft brewer sales rebounded in 2021, lifted by the return of draught and at-the-brewery traffic," Bart Watson, the association’s chief economist, explained. "However, the mixed performance across business models and geographies as well as production levels that still lag 2019 suggest that many breweries remain in recovery mode. Add in continuing supply chain and pricing challenges, and 2022 will be a critical year for many brewers."

RELATED: Florida’s craft beer industry among top 5, adding billions of dollars to U.S. economy in 2020

According to the Brewers Association’s count, there were 646 new brewery openings and 178 closings in 2021, while the number of operating craft breweries reached an all-time high of 9,118. That amounts to over 400,000 jobs across the industry.

Top 25 overall brewing companies for 2021

1. Anheuser-Busch Inc., St. Louis MO
2. MolsonCoors, Chicago IL
3. Constellation, Chicago IL
4. Heineken USA, White Plains NY
5. Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles CA
6. Diageo, Norwalk CT
7. D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc., Pottsville PA
8. FIFCO USA, Rochester NY
9. Boston Beer Co., Boston MA, Milton DE
10. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico CA
11. New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins CO / Kirin, San Francisco CA
12. Duvel Moortgat USA, Paso Robles CA, Kansas City MO, Cooperstown NY
13. Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids MI / Mahou, San Miguel CO
14. Gambrinus, Berkeley CA, Shiner TX
15. Bell's Brewery Inc., Comstock MI
16. CANarchy, Longmont CO, Tampa FL, Salt Lake City UT, Comstock MI, Dallas TX
17. Artisanal Brewing Ventures, Downingtown PA, Lakewood NY, Brooklyn NY
18. Stone Brewing, Escondido CA
19. SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta GA
20. Deschutes Brewery, Bend OR
21. New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus WI
22. Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn NY
23. F.X. Matt Brewing Co., Utica NY
24. Gordon Biersch Brewing Co., San Jose CA
25. Abita Brewing Co., Covington LA

LINK: See the Brewers Association full list

File: Beer cans wait for the conveyor belt during a canning run at Rising Tide Brewery in Portland, Maine. (Photo by John Ewing/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Top 25 craft brewing companies for 2021

1. D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc., Pottsville PA
2. Boston Beer Co., Boston MA, Milton DE
3. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico CA
4. Duvel Moortgat USA, Paso Robles CA, Kansas City MO, Cooperstown NY
5. Gambrinus, Berkeley CA, Shiner TX
6. Bell's Brewery, Inc., Comstock MI
7. CANarchy, Longmont CO, Tampa FL, Salt Lake City UT, Comstock MI, Dallas TX
8. Artisanal Brewing Ventures, Downingtown PA, Lakewood NY, Brooklyn NY
9. Stone Brewing, Escondido CA
10. SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta GA
11. Deschutes Brewery, Bend OR
12. New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus WI
13. Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn NY
14. F.X. Matt Brewing Co., Utica NY
15. Gordon Biersch Brewing Co., San Jose CA
16. Abita Brewing Co., Covington LA
17. Minhas Craft Brewery, Monroe WI
18. Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point WI
19. Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland OH
20. Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins CO
21. Harpoon Brewery, Boston MA
22. Summit Brewing Co., Saint Paul MN
23. Allagash Brewing Company, Portland ME
24. Troegs Brewing Co., Hershey PA
25. Georgetown Brewing Co., Seattle WA

LINK: See the Brewers Association full list

What is a craft brewer?

The BA says they define "craft brewer" as a business that produced less than 6 million barrels of beer a year and "independent" meaning less than 25% of the brewery is owned or controlled by a large one.

This story was reported from Tampa, Fla.