The Brewers Association (BA) shared a treasure trove of production data this week, from the top 50 craft breweries by production volume, to the large regional breweries that fall outside of the trade group’s craft brewery definition.
Beyond the largest craft breweries, there are several growth stories playing out among taprooms, microbreweries and brewpubs.
Here’s a look at some of the bigger and fastest growing businesses within those subsets.
Taprooms: Tree House Hangs Around 40K Barrels, Other Half Nears 30K, Braxton Flat at 20K
Taproom breweries — those selling more than 25% of their beer onsite and not offering significant food service — are the craft beer industry’s largest contingency. In 2021, the 3,708 taproom breweries in operation collectively increased production +21% year-over-year, to 2,009,109 barrels.
The BA offered a look at the largest taproom breweries by region, with the largest overall taproom brewery being Tree House Brewing Company (Charlton, Massachusetts) in the Northeast Region (CT, DE, DC, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, VA, WV).
Tree House produced 40,000 barrels (-4% compared to 2020), according to the BA. However, Tree House co-founder, CEO and head brewer Nathan Lanier told Brewbound that the company recorded 42,150 barrels produced last year, with top-line growth around +10% due to expanding the brewery’s product mix.
New York’s Other Half Brewing ranked second in the Northeast, increasing production +25%, to 29,895 barrels, last year. Alexandria, Virginia-based Aslin Beer Company also posted double-digit growth (+31%), to 23,000 barrels. Trillium Brewing in Canton, Massachusetts, ranked fourth in the Northeast, at 15,500 barrels (-1% compared to 2020).
In the South Region (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX), Covington, Kentucky’s Braxton Brewing ranked as the largest taproom brewery, despite flat production at 20,000 barrels. The next largest taproom in the south was Wilmington Brewing Company in North Carolina, which increased production +6%, to 5,750 barrels.
In the Pacific Region (CA, HI), Topa Topa Brewing in Ventura, California, took the top spot, growing +19%, to 10,000 barrels. Santa Cruz, California-based Humble Sea ranked second, with 8,350 barrels (+39%), followed by two San Diego breweries: Mike Hess Brewing (-28%, to 8,229 barrels) and Harland Brewing (+78%, to 8,000 barrels).
In the Mountain West Region (AZ, CO, ID, MT, MT, NV, NM, UT, WV), Wallace Brewing in Wallace, Idaho, ranked first, with 7,706 barrels produced (+1,206%).
Seventh Son Brewing in Columbus, Ohio, and Noon Whistle Brewing in Lombard, Illinois, were neck-and-neck at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively in the North Central Regional (IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI). Seventh Son grew +5%, to 6,750 barrels, while Noon Whistle increased production +8%, to 6,700 barrels.
In the Pacific Northwest Region (AK, OR, WA), Level Beer in Portland, Oregon, was the largest taproom brewery, with 5,737 barrels (+38%).
Micros: Alstadt Brewery Tops 14K Barrels, Plus 6 Top 10 Micros Return to Growth
The 1,886 microbreweries — those producing fewer than 15,000 barrels a year and selling less than 25% of their production onsite — collectively increased production +11%, to 4,582,288 barrels in 2021.
The two largest microbreweries, Aviator Brewing in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, and Almanac Beer Company in Alameda, California, both lost regional brewery status in 2021, falling below the 15,000 threshold.
Aviator produced an estimated 14,500 barrels (-3% compared to 2020), just 500 barrels shy of regional status. Almanac produced 14,420 barrels (-5%), 580 barrels short of being a regional.
The third largest regional brewery, West Sixth Brewing Co. in Lexington, Kentucky, rebounded from an -8% decline in 2020, growing +9% to 14,349 barrels in 2021. Five of the other 10 largest microbreweries by volume returned posted bounce back years after declining in 2020. They include:
- Denali Brewing in Talkeetna, Alaska, +3%, to 14,250 barrels;
- Bent Paddle Brewing in Duluth Minnesota, +1%, to 14,200 barrels;
- Kansas City Bier Company in Kansas City, Missouri, +12%, to 14,040 barrels;
- Heretic Brewing Company in Fairfield, California, +8%, to 14,000 barrels;
- And Singlecut Beersmiths in Queens, New York, +12%, to an estimated 14,000 barrels.
Singlecut’s return to growth followed the steepest decline among the top 10 microbreweries, a -48% decline, to 12,500 barrels in 2020, after producing 24,000 barrels in 2019.
Fredericksburg, Texas-based Alstadt Brewery continued its ascent, increasing its output to 14,284 barrels, a +27% increase compared to 2020. Just four years earlier, the company produced just 1,800 barrels.
Another fast rise was Charleston, South Carolina’s Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co., which grew +66%, to 14,083 barrels.
Outside of the top 10, several microbreweries made noteworthy leaps in 2021, including:
- Societe Brewing in San Diego, +93%, to 13,500 barrels;
- 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Petersburg, Florida, +36%, to an estimated 13,000 barrels;
- Oyster City Brewing Company in Apalachicola, Florida, +52%, to 12,801 barrels;
- Ocean Lab Brewing in Puerto Rico, +54%, to 12,344 barrels;
- Fair State Brewing Cooperative in Minneapolis, Minnesota, +23%, to 12,000 barrels;
- Roadhouse Brewing Co. in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, +41%, to 11,095 barrels;
- Urban Artifact in Cincinnati, Ohio, +33%, 10,297 barrels;
- Milwaukee Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, +103%, to an estimated 10,025 barrels;
- Hop Butcher for the World in Chicago, Illinois, +25%, to an estimated 10,000 barrels;
- Grand Canyon Brewing Company in Flagstaff, Arizona, +384%, to an estimated 10,000 barrels;
- March First Brewing in Cincinnati, Ohio, +221%, to 9,502 barrels;
- Core Brewing & Distilling Co. in Springdale, Arkansas, +510%, to 9,148 barrels;
- Potosi Brewing in Potosi, Wisconsin, +71%, to 8,834 barrels;
- Farmers Brewing Co. in Princeton, California, +140%, to 8,693 barrels;
- Eighth Wonder Brewery in Houston, Texas, +89%, to 8,488 barrels;
- MAP Brewing in Bozeman, Montana, +41%, to 8,243 barrels;
- The Shop Beer Co. in Tempe, Arizona, +144%, to 7,507 barrels.
Brewpubs: Pinthouse Nears 18K Barrels, Others Rebound From Steep Declines
The pandemic-driven restrictions that shut down the on-premise channel in 2020 hit many brewpubs hard. In 2021, the 3,307 brewpubs in operation — defined as brewery restaurants with at least 25% of beer sales onsite — collectively produced nearly 1.57 million barrels (1,569,238), a +19% increase over 2020, when production declined -19%. Nevertheless, brewpub volumes still lagged behind 2019 levels (1,679,170 barrels, a decline of 109,932 barrels).
Austin, Texas-headquartered Pinthouse Pizza ranked as the largest overall brewpub and the biggest in the South Region. Pinthouse increased production +92%, to 17,885 barrels, in 2021. Pinthouse, which the BA also lists under regional breweries, bounced back after a -15% decline in 2020 to its largest output ever last year.
McMenamins Breweries in Oregon was the second largest brewpub overall, and the biggest in the Pacific Northwest region, increasing production +25%, to an estimated 16,600 barrels. Those gains followed a -47% decline in 2020, and the brewpub chain that operates 24 pubs has not fully recovered the volume lost during the pandemic.
Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Bosque Brewing Co. ranked as the largest brewpub in the Mountain West Region. Bosque increased production +10%, to an estimated 10,925 barrels. Bosque’s 2021 rebound didn’t recover the full -16% decline in 2020, when the brewery produced 9,958, down from 11,879 barrels in 2019.
Iron Hill Brewery, which operates 20 locations across Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Georgia, grew +36%, to 9,950 barrels, in 2021, making it the largest brewpub in the Northeast Region. Iron Hill’s volume didn’t make up for the -42% decline in 2020, following a peak year of 12,597 barrels in 2019.
In the Pacific Region, SLO Brewing in San Luis Obispo, California, maintained the top position, despite a -50% decline in production to 5,500 barrels. SLO sold its Cali Squeeze brand to Firestone Walker in April 2021.
And in the North Central Region, Ohio’s The Brew Kettle was the top producer, increasing production +6%, to 9,500 barrels.
Beyond the regional leaders, here are some of the gainers and rebounders in 2021:
- Great Notion Brewing in Portland, Oregon, +29%, to an estimated 10,000 barrels;
- Legion Brewing in Charlotte, North Carolina, +13%, to 7,369 barrels;
- Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro in Bellingham, Washington, +34%, to 5,073 barrels;
- State 48 Brewery in Arizona, +137%, to 4,900 barrels;
- More Brewing Company in Villa Park, Illinois, +29%, to 4,500 barrels;
- Crooked Hammock Brewery in Lewes, Delaware, +96%, to 4,366 barrels;
- Riverwalk Brewing in Newburyport, Massachusetts, +111%, to 4,219 barrels;
- Mountain Town Brewing in Pleasant, Michigan, +62%, to 3,680 barrels;
- Steel Bender Brewyard in Albuquerque, New Mexico, +38%, to 3,567 barrels;
- Sasquatch Brewing in Portland, Oregon, +58%, to 3,000 barrels
- Von Ebert Brewing in Portland, Oregon, +40%, to 2,914 barrels.
Pennsylvania’s Tired Hands — whose owners were accused of fostering a toxic workplace in the brewing industry’s speaking out movement last year — increased production +3%, to an estimated 9,750 barrels.