These Are the Top 50 Craft Breweries of 2024

On Tuesday, the Brewers Association (BA) unveiled its yearly production review of the craft brewing industry and identified the top 50 craft producers of 2024.

Last year was another tough year for the brewing industry at large, with 2024 marking the first year since 2005 that the overall number of craft breweries in the U.S. declined. In 2023, there were a total of 9,683 operational craft breweries in the country. Last year, that number dropped to 9,612, which includes 1,934 microbreweries, 3,389 brewpubs, 3,695 taproom breweries, and 266 regional craft breweries. 2024 also marked the fourth consecutive year the craft brewing industry experienced a decline in the number of openings. Just 434 new breweries opened their doors last year, while 501 shuttered operations entirely.

The BA identified several fundamental challenges brewers face at the moment, including shifting consumer preferences, rising ingredient costs, and increased competition. The ongoing trade war caused by the Trump administration’s tariffs isn’t helping matters either. As the BA notes, “tariffs on imported brewing equipment, steel kegs, aluminum cans, and key ingredients such as hops and malt only exacerbate these financial pressures.”

Despite the challenges, the BA notes that the closure rate remained “relatively low,” sitting at around 5 percent. (That rate hovered around 4 percent in 2023.)

Overall craft production was also down in 2024, with brewers churning out 23.1 million barrels of beer, marking a 4.0 percent decrease year-over-year. But it’s not all doom and gloom for craft beer. The category’s market share by volume (13.3 percent) remained practically flat year-over-year while craft’s retail dollar value rose by 3 percent to reach $28.9 billion. In the beer market at large, craft accounted for 24.7 percent of retail dollar sales in 2024.

Employment was another bright spot last year: the number of jobs in the craft beer category jumped 3 percent to 197,113. According to the BA, a shift towards hospitality-focused establishments like brewpubs and taprooms are to thank for the surge.

“In a mature market, not every year is going to be defined by substantial growth. While progress may not come in additional production volume, it can still come in honing operations, business practices, and world-class beer,” Matt Gaioch, the BA’s staff economist, said in the report. “Even in this challenging environment, small brewers have demonstrated that they have the skills and resilience to fight through this period to be better positioned for the months ahead.”

Of the top 50 overall brewing companies identified by the BA, which are ranked in terms of sales volume, 41 were small and independent craft operations.

“While distribution is only becoming more competitive, the top 50 list reflects some of the strongest, most emblematic companies in craft beer,” Gaicoch noted. “Enduring brands continue to resonate with drinkers — regardless of their size or location. In 2024, eight new breweries moved into the top 50 craft list since the year prior — evidence that brewers are still finding ways to lean into what’s working.”

Check out the full list of the top 50 craft breweries and their locations below.