In 2016 and 2017 Pennsylvania was the number one producer of craft beer in the entire country. And we did it again in 2018!

According to a study by the Brewers Association, Pennsylvania ranks number 1 in the U.S for barrels of beer produced at 3,719,475. The next highest state is California at 3,421,295. To put that into perspective, that means CA is producing 1 barrel of beer for every 11.5 people in the state, whereas PA is producing 1 barrel for every 3.4 people in the state!

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That’s not the only area that PA ranks in the top part of the country. In fact in most major categories the state ranks no lower than #6. Pennsylvania is #2 in economic impact, #4 in gallons produced per 21+ year old adult, #4 in impact per capita and #6 in Craft Breweries per state (however that last number is always rising as more open!)

See the stats for yourself:

TRENDING UP AND DOWN

From 2017 to 2018 there are trends heading in both directions.

Trending Up:

Brewery openings. In 2018 72 new breweries opened. The number of breweries in Pennsylvania rose from 282 to 354 over the year. This also means breweries per capita (21+ aged adults) increased. Breweries per capita raised from 2.9 to 3.6 from 2017 to 2018.

Trending Down:

While Pennsylvania continued to be number one in the country, the state is producing less beer in 2018. During 2017 PA produced 3,724,010 million barrels of beer. In 2018 that number dropped slightly by 5,000 to 3,719,475 million. (Still producing enough to be #1!)

BREWERIES OPENING IN THE STATE

While production may be down, breweries opening remains steady. 2016 to 2017 saw the biggest jump in breweries openings with 77. In 2018 that number dipped slightly to 72 opening throughout the year. It’s hard to believe, but 7 years ago (2011) there were only 88 breweries operating in the state. Before 2017 the largest jump the state ever had in breweries opening was between 2015 and 2016 when the state grew by 42 breweries.

While some trends were down, and others up 2019 should continue to be a great year for Pennsylvania Craft Beer. The state has never operated with this many breweries before, which is going to lead to a lot of new excitement and innovation. We look forward to what 2019 has to offer for PA Beer.