February is One of the Toughest Months for Washington Breweries

SEATTLE — While Dry January gets most of the attention, February beer sales at breweries are nearly as bad, according to data from the Brewers Association.

"While January is Dry, February is Frigid. Local craft brewers see sales down both months," said Daniel Olson, executive director of the Washington Brewers Guild. "It's hard for these businesses to survive winter. Brewers used to plan for a slow winter but we're still not seeing customers return even in warmer months the way they did pre-pandemic. As a result, we've had record brewery, taproom and brewpub closures."

According to the Brewers Association, nearly 50% of breweries experience their slowest month in either January or February. If you include the other slow onsite months of November and December, 66% of breweries experience their slowest month between November and February before things start to pick up in March with St. Patrick's Day.

In 2025, the Brewers Association tracked 268 new brewery openings and 434 closings, including nearly 30 Washington brewery, taproom and brewpub closures in the past couple years. Nationally, craft beer sales were down 5% in 2025; down 4% in 2024 and down 1% in 2023. Washington-made beer fared worse, down 6.5% in 2024 and down 3.7% in 2023.

With inflation, tariffs, supply chain issues, employee shortages and fewer people drinking, Washington's brewers are facing the most challenging business conditions in generations with record closures and sales down. Despite this, Washington's more than 400 breweries still support more than 57,000 jobs, $3.7 billion in wages, $12.4 billion in economic activity and pays more than $1.5 billion in taxes per year.

"To continue to serve our community and support local jobs and the economy, Washington's breweries need you to come out this winter because if you don't, your favorite spot might not be around come summer," said Olson. "These are the places where you celebrated your 21st birthday or went on a first date with the person who's now your spouse — let's not let them disappear."

###

The Washington Brewers Guild is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the interests of WA craft brewers while strengthening the WA craft brewing community. We unite brewers from all over Washington State to advocate for laws and policies that will keep the craft beer industry thriving and ensure quality and choice for WA beer lovers.