Craft Beer Slowly Expands Its Market Share In The U.S.

Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the United States and it accounts for about 85 percent of the total volume of alcoholic beverages sold each year. For many years, American beer had a poor reputation with the scene dominated by bland industrially-produced lagers. While they still account for the bulk of beer consumption, the U.S. has a flourishing contemporary craft beer scene which has garnered a reputation of excellence.

Craft was not initially considered a threat by the bigger breweries but in recent years, many have moved to purchase their smaller, independent competitors. One notable example is Anheuser-Busch taking over Goose Island in 2011. The bigger players certainly have reason to fear the craft beer revolution because smaller breweries are continuing to expand their share of the market. According to the Brewers Association, small and independent breweries had a market share of five percent back in 2010 and by 2018, that had increased to 13.2 percent.