--- title: "Brewers Association: The Craft Beer Industry’s Big Year" id: "16483" type: "post" slug: "brewers-association-the-craft-beer-industrys-big-year" published_at: "2013-03-20T18:14:21+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T19:04:19+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/03/20/brewers-association-the-craft-beer-industrys-big-year/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/03/20/brewers-association-the-craft-beer-industrys-big-year.md" excerpt: "According to a new report from the Brewers Association, craft brewers grew at a much quicker rate than the rest of the beer industry." taxonomy_category: - "Business Development" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "brewing" - "Business" - "craft beer" - "industry growth" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "For-Profit CEO / President / Owner / Partner" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Brewers Association: The Craft Beer Industry’s Big Year The next time you take a sip of a frosty craft brew, take a second to think about how you just gave a $10 billion industry a small jolt. > These small breweries are doing great things for their local communities, the greater community of craft brewers, our food arts culture, and the overall economy. That’s right: According to the Brewers Association, the trade group backing small independent brewers, these producers aren’t so small after all, putting out a grand total of 13,235,917 barrels last year. More details, and a [graphic (opens in a new tab)](http://482256.cache1.evolutionhosting.com/attachments/0001/1426/Growth-Small_HR.png) , below: **Hitting double digits:** Among the key news in the association’s report? The industry made a significant jump in 2012, with a 17 percent rise in retail dollar value to $10.2 billion, and a 10.2 percent share of the $99 billion beer industry. On top of this, overall volume jumped by 15 percent, and the number of operational breweries rose by 18 percent. **And still growing:** Even with 2012’s success, the group anticipates more growth this year. “On average, we are seeing slightly more than one craft brewery per day opening somewhere in the U.S., and we anticipate even more in the coming year. There is clearly a thirst in the marketplace for craft-brewed beer, as indicated by the continued growth year after year,” said the association’s director, Paul Gatza, in a news release. “These small breweries are doing great things for their local communities, the greater community of craft brewers, our food arts culture, and the overall economy.” **Exceptions to the rule:** While the association covered a number of breweries, its relatively strict definition of what makes a “craft” brewery—small, independent, and traditional, selling less than 6 million barrels per year and less than 25 percent owned by another company—left out some well-known brands that people might think of when the term comes up. That means that Yuengling (which is large for an independent brewer), Blue Moon (which is owned by MillerCoors), and several members of the Craft Brew Alliance (including Kona and Redhook) were left out of the study, [according to Brewbound (opens in a new tab)](http://www.brewbound.com/news/2013/brewers-association-craft-beer-is-now-a-10-billion-category) . **The competition’s hard knocks:** The good news for the craft beer industry comes at a time when one of its largest competitors, Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch InBev, [is taking some heat from a class action lawsuit (opens in a new tab)](http://associationsnow.com/2013/03/lunchtime-links-get-your-pr-response-in-motion/) that alleges the company is watering down its beer. While the reports didn’t exactly help the brand’s image in the media, research firm Restaurant Sciences reports that, thus far, [the claims are not affecting sales (opens in a new tab)](http://www.boston.com/businessupdates/2013/03/07/claims-watered-down-budweiser-have-yet-hurt-bud-barroom-sales-local-firm-says/FltiAFK5nklP3VlzOZUIXJ/story.html) . The association plans to offer up more details on the industry’s sales next week, [during its Craft Brewers Conference (opens in a new tab)](http://www.craftbrewersconference.com/) in Washington, DC. (Digital Vision/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#brewing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/brewing/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#craft beer](https://associationsnow.com/tag/craft-beer/) [#industry growth](https://associationsnow.com/tag/industry-growth/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoPartnerships that Drive Success: ASAE Strategic Partnership AllianceAugust 26, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/26/partnerships-that-drive-success-asae-strategic-partnership-alliance/) - [VideoGenerate Leads and Brand Awareness: Master the ASAE MarketplaceJune 18, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/18/generate-leads-and-brand-awareness-master-the-asae-marketplace/) - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F03%2F20%2Fbrewers-association-the-craft-beer-industrys-big-year%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !