Beer production volumes at US craft breweries were down 4% in the first half of 2026 but many breweries are reporting growth, according to new figures.
According to the latest report from the Brewers Association (BA) production trends “held steady” at -4% in the first half of the year, while the decline in operating breweries slightly increased.
However among survey respondents, 54% reported growth with consumer engagement strengthened.
Every craft brewery type had a greater share reporting growth than decline, with taprooms (57% growing) and regional breweries (56% growing) leading the charge.
Among breweries producing more than 10,000 barrels, 59% reported growth and just 40% reported declines. While there’s likely positive-leaning sample bias (breweries are more likely to report when things are going well), this is an overall bump from 49% reporting growth in this survey last year, the association’s staff economist Matt Gacioch said.
The volume estimate draws on survey responses from 600+ breweries representing roughly 20% of industry volume, along with triangulation with other industry resources. Because the survey sample of breweries outperformed the wider industry by 5.5 percentage points (pp) in 2025, the estimate accounts for the sample’s share of the industry and adjusts for response bias.
The number of operating breweries also continued to decline. There were 9,344 breweries operating in June 2026, down 1.8% from 9,515 a year earlier in June 2025.
He said: “This represents a slight uptick in the rate of decline, from -1% in the first half of 2025. The number of regional breweries and microbreweries each declined 3%, followed by taprooms at 2% and brewpubs at 1%.
“Because taprooms and brewpubs are far more numerous, those smaller percentage changes still represent meaningful absolute numbers of closures.
For the first half of 2026, the association reported that taprooms were the best-performing brewery type by volume change, outpacing other models by 1–2 pp. Additionally, when assessing by channel, distributed draught gained 0.5 pp of channel share, while distributed packaged product declined 0.4 pp and onsite sales declined 0.1 pp.
This, they said, suggests craft brewers are finding opportunities to meet consumer need in draught amid wholesaler consolidation and portfolio rationalisation.
Gacioch added: In spite of these bright spots, it is too soon to say whether craft has reached the bottom of the valley for trends in production volume or number of breweries. Still, after several years of figures moving in the wrong direction, that moderation may catalyze some cautious optimism for an industry of perseverant brewers.
“The world in which craft brewers operate hasn’t gotten any easier or more predictable in 2026, but perhaps the breweries that have weathered the storm so far are the ones that have best positioned themselves for storm weathering into the future.”
Image Credit: Brewers Association
