Despite periods of uncertainty, 2023 turned out to be a solid year for the craft brewing industry.
The Brewers Association (BA) recently released its annual report detailing the state of craft brewing in the U.S. Last year, the number of craft operations reached an all-time high with a whopping 9,761 craft breweries, up from 9,552 in 2022. But despite there being over 200 more operational breweries last year, beer output shrank by about 1 million barrels year-over-year, with just 23.4 million barrels produced by small and independent brewers.
“2023 was another competitive and challenging year for small and independent brewers,” Bart Watson, vice president of strategy and chief economist of the BA, explained in the report. “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.” While the closing rate of craft breweries increased to 4 percent (up from 3 percent in 2022) the BA remains relatively unconcerned.
When it comes to which states are the best for enjoying a pint of craft beer, Vermont wins out with 14.7 breweries per 100,000 adults over 21, or 74 in total. Not far behind is Maine, which has double the amount of craft establishments as Vermont at 156, or 14.2 breweries per capita. Rounding out the top three is Montana with a total of 106 breweries, which breaks down to 12.3 per capita.
On the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi has the least number of craft breweries per capita, with just 0.9 per 100,000 residents of drinking age. Joining Mississippi at the bottom are Alabama and Louisiana, with 1.5 and 1.6 craft breweries per capita, respectively.
Check out our color coded maps below to learn how many craft breweries were operational in your home state in 2023.
| Rank | State | Craft Breweries | Craft Breweries Per Capita |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | 74 | 14.70 |
| 2 | Maine | 156 | 14.20 |
| 3 | Montana | 106 | 12.30 |
| 4 | Alaska | 61 | 11.90 |
| 5 | Colorado | 468 | 10.60 |
| 6 | Wyoming | 45 | 10.50 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 108 | 9.80 |
| 8 | Oregon | 318 | 9.80 |
| 9 | Washington | 459 | 7.80 |
| 10 | New Mexico | 109 | 7.00 |
| 11 | Idaho | 94 | 6.60 |
| 12 | South Dakota | 42 | 6.40 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 266 | 6.00 |
| 14 | Minnesota | 237 | 5.60 |
| 15 | Iowa | 128 | 5.50 |
| 16 | Michigan | 418 | 5.50 |
| 17 | Virginia | 352 | 5.50 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 530 | 5.40 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 407 | 5.10 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 41 | 4.90 |
| 21 | Ohio | 419 | 4.80 |
| 22 | Delaware | 37 | 4.70 |
| 23 | Connecticut | 125 | 4.60 |
| 24 | Nebraska | 64 | 4.60 |
| 25 | North Dakota | 24 | 4.30 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | 224 | 4.20 |
| 27 | Indiana | 204 | 4.10 |
| 28 | Kansas | 77 | 3.70 |
| 29 | Missouri | 165 | 3.60 |
| 30 | New York | 539 | 3.60 |
| 31 | California | 987 | 3.40 |
| 32 | South Carolina | 134 | 3.40 |
| 33 | Illinois | 305 | 3.30 |
| 34 | Maryland | 143 | 3.10 |
| 35 | Kentucky | 96 | 2.90 |
| 36 | Tennessee | 152 | 2.90 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | 80 | 2.80 |
| 38 | Hawaii | 29 | 2.70 |
| 39 | District of Columbia | 14 | 2.70 |
| 40 | Arkansas | 56 | 2.50 |
| 41 | New Jersey | 171 | 2.50 |
| 42 | Arizona | 133 | 2.40 |
| 43 | West Virginia | 32 | 2.40 |
| 44 | Florida | 404 | 2.30 |
| 45 | Georgia | 181 | 2.30 |
| 46 | Nevada | 53 | 2.20 |
| 47 | Texas | 445 | 2.10 |
| 48 | Utah | 50 | 2.10 |
| 49 | Louisiana | 53 | 1.60 |
| 50 | Alabama | 56 | 1.50 |
| 51 | Mississippi | 19 | 0.90 |
*Image retrieved from master1305 via stock.adobe.com
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