The Top 50 Craft Breweries of 2022 Just Dropped

This newly-released report by Brewer’s Association outlines the category-defining breweries of 2022.

Each year, the association compiles a list of the 50 highest-performing craft brewing companies in the United States. The organization shared its outlook on the brewing industry in a recent press release.

Some 550 new craft breweries opened last year, as the nationwide number of craft breweries hit a record high of 9,552, including 2,035 microbreweries, 3,418 brewpubs, 2,828 taproom breweries, and 261 regional craft breweries. That said, some 320 locations closed in 2022, and the number of brewery openings shrank for the second year in a row. At a 3 percent closure rate, the Brewer’s Association notes that this loss was fairly modest.

“The relatively low closure rate reflects both the solid demand for fuller-flavored local beer as well as the versatility and flexibility of small brewers,” says chief economist Bart Watson.

The overall market volume also decreased by 3 percent, while sales by value increased 6 percent year-over-year. The craft brewing market raked in $28.46 billion in revenue in 2022.

“2022 presented small brewers with a number of challenges, including rising operating and material costs and increasing competition, particularly in distribution,” Watson explains. “In this maturing and competitive market, collective growth for the category is hard to come by.”

Of the top craft breweries in the United States, 40 of the included companies are small and independent craft breweries. The full list of 50 top-producing craft breweries is available below:

This story is a part of VP Pro, our free content platform and newsletter for the drinks industry, covering wine, beer, and liquor — and beyond. Sign up for VP Pro now!