Cannabis and alcohol producer Tilray Brands Inc. was named a top craft brewing company in the U.S., according to a recent report.
Tilray Brand’s beer division ranked ninth in craft beer sales volume in the U.S. in 2022, according to a report from the Brewers Association (BA). Tilray’s beer portfolio includes SweetWater Brewing Company, Montauk Brewing Company, Alpine Beer, and Green Flash Brewing.
There were 9,552 operating craft breweries in the U.S. in 2022, and brewers produced a combined 24.3 million barrels of beer last year, according to BA.
“We are extremely proud to rank #9 on the Brewers Association list of top 50 craft brewing companies in the U.S.,” Ty Gilmore, president of U.S. beer at Tilray Brands, said in a news release. “Tilray Brands’ U.S. Beer division has enormous potential to grow even further as we continue to expand our distribution network into new markets across the U.S. and grow our leading portfolio of diverse craft brands that resonate with adult consumers.”
The top 10 of BA’s top 50 craft brewers in 2022 are:
- D.G. Yuengling and Son Inc.
- Boston Beer Co.
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
- Duvel Moortgat USA
- Gambrinus Company
- Artisanal Brewing Ventures
- Stone Brewing
- CANarchy
- Tilray Beer Brands
- Brooklyn Brewery
U.S. Craft Beer Market in 2022
Craft’s beer market share improved to 13.2% in 2022, up from 13.1% in 2021, despite the overall beer market declining by 3%, according to BA.
Craft beer’s retail market value was estimated at $28.4 billion, up 6% from 2021 and representing a 24.6% market share. Craft brewers also provided 189,413 direct jobs in 2022, a 9% increase from 2021, largely due to an increase in the number of breweries as well as hospitality-focused business models, BA said in its release.
“2022 presented small brewers with a number of challenges, including rising operating and material costs and increasing competition, particularly in distribution,” Brewers Association Chief Economist Bart Watson said. “In this maturing and competitive market, collective growth for the category is hard to come by.”
Overall Beer Market in 2022
In addition to BA’s top 50 craft brewing companies list, the association also released a top 50 overall brewing companies list, 40 of which were craft brewers.
There were 9,709 operating breweries in the U.S. in 2022, a 3.5% increase from 9,384 operating breweries in 2021, according to BA.
However, U.S. brewery openings were down for the second consecutive year in 2022 (549), while the 319 brewery closings in 2022 marked a slight 3% increase.
“The relatively low closure rate reflects both the solid demand for fuller flavored local beer as well as the versatility and flexibility of small brewers,” Watson said. “Breweries that managed to move up the list organically are often those that are adding incremental growth to the category. Both beer and craft need to create new occasions and new beer lovers to find growth.”
