The Number Of Breweries In The US Fell For The First Time In Almost 20 Years

According to year-end figures from the Brewers Association, a trade group that represents over 6,500 professional members, there were 335 new brewery openings in the US through 2024, while 399 breweries called time and pulled the shutters permanently. As the association’s figures on soaring alcohol-free sales can attest, the closures are just the latest reflection of the nation’s changing drinking habits.

Worryingly for producers and beer lovers alike, President Trump’s expanded 25% steel and aluminium tariffs — as well as the high-cost environment, societal shifts, and slowing growth already blighting the industry — could raise prices and add to issues in the coming year, with steel kegs and aluminum cans obviously exposed to the new taxes.

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