It was the first year when the market share of craft beer did not increase.

Craft beer has increased every year for as long as anybody could remember, with the exception of 2020, a year when practically every sector had aberrant outcomes. But when the Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson approached the stage to deliver his status of the industry presentation at the 2023 Craft Brewers Conference, he announced that the run was over.  Craft beer saw zero growth in 2022, according to the Brewers Association, the trade association for small and independent brewers.

Even before Covid, there has been decreased development, according to Watson. Craft beer’s decade-long double-digit annual growth rate had fallen to single digits since 2016 (the industry actually had a 10% decline in 2020 as the pandemic had a devastating effect on all hospitality-related sectors).

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SOURCE: Forbes
IMAGE CREDIT: The Brewers Association