Most top craft breweries saw production decline in 2025

Volume pressure reached all the way to the top of craft brewing in 2025, and only three of the 10 largest Brewers Association-defined breweries managed to grow. Brewbound’s look at the category found that seven of the 10 biggest craft producers posted production declines, a sharp signal that scale alone was no longer enough to protect volume.

The Brewers Association’s broader numbers showed the same squeeze. Craft production fell 5.1% in 2025, while craft’s share of the U.S. beer market by volume inched up from 13.2% to 13.3%. Retail dollar value still slipped 3.6% to $27.8 billion. The overall beer category declined 5.7% by volume, so craft held up a little better than the market around it even as it contracted. In June 2025, the trade group said 9,269 craft breweries were operating, down 1% from 9,352 a year earlier.

The growth outliers mattered because they were not winning in the same way. Tilray Beer Brands ranked No. 4 on the Brewers Association’s 2025 Top 50 list, Athletic Brewing Company ranked No. 6, and Deschutes Brewery ranked No. 10. Athletic’s nonalcoholic momentum stands out in a market where more drinkers are reaching for beer that fits weekday routines as easily as weekend ones. Tilray’s portfolio breadth points to another path: when a brewer can cover more occasions and more style cues, it can cushion losses in any one segment. Deschutes’ resilience suggests regional strength still counts, especially when the brand identity is tied closely to a market where loyalty runs deep.

That split is exactly why the category’s current correction feels so important to small brewers and serious homebrewers alike. The Brewers Association’s July 23, 2025 midyear report estimated craft volume was down 5% year-over-year, said closings continued to outpace openings, and flagged limited shelf space and tighter consumer spending as pressures in the off-premise channel. The same report said 49% of respondents reported growth while 47% reported a decline, which shows how uneven the market had become.

Matt Gacioch, the Brewers Association staff economist, said future success will depend on creating “something meaningful and memorable” for consumers. That is the clearest takeaway from the big-brewer picture in 2025: drinkers are still buying, but they are rewarding brands with a sharper reason to exist, whether that is nonalcoholic relevance, a distinct portfolio, or a regional identity that feels hard to replace.