Which States Brew The Most Craft Beer?Deep Dive

Which States Brew The Most Craft Beer? American craft brewers produced roughly 22 million barrels of beer in 2025, the equivalent of more than 7 billion 12-ounce cans. That output is concentrated in a few key states. This map, via Visual Capitalist's Niccolo Conte, shows the barrels of craft beer produced in every U.S. state in 2025, based on data from the Brewers Association. Figures reflect the association’s June 2026 revision and cover all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. To count as craft, a brewery must produce no more than 6 million barrels per year and be less than 25% owned by a large alcohol company. One barrel equals 31 gallons, or roughly 330 twelve-ounce cans. California Brews Nearly One in Every Six U.S. Craft Beers California tops the nation with 3.45 million barrels of craft beer brewed in 2025. The state’s 939 craft breweries are also the most in the country, well ahead of second-place Pennsylvania’s 538. Pennsylvania ranks second in volume at 2.0 million barrels, with much of that total coming from Yuengling, America’s oldest operating brewery, founded in 1829, and its largest craft brewer by volume. The data table below shows each state’s total production of craft beer in 2025 in barrels: RankStateBarrels of Craft Beer Produced (2025) 1California3,450,329 2Pennsylvania2,004,382 3Texas1,422,277 4Ohio1,298,489 5New York1,281,220 6Florida1,153,556 7Oregon1,109,391 8Colorado854,707 9Massachusetts812,974 10North Carolina772,964 11Wisconsin609,271 12Georgia601,462 13Washington533,296 14Minnesota466,625 15Connecticut450,232 16Illinois409,589 17Vermont357,138 18Virginia342,075 19Maine338,405 20Missouri284,297 21Michigan267,660 22Arizona229,212 23Indiana222,088 24Montana216,992 25Delaware186,803 26Hawaii179,149 27Maryland176,644 28Tennessee174,083 29New Jersey161,094 30Louisiana155,643 31Iowa134,108 32Alaska133,395 33New Mexico132,852 34South Carolina125,086 35Kentucky121,865 36Utah102,241 37New Hampshire88,320 38Alabama80,869 39Arkansas71,520 40Oklahoma69,318 41Idaho64,945 42Wyoming63,130 43Rhode Island59,768 44Nevada54,683 45Nebraska46,358 46Kansas35,059 47District of Columbia30,036 48West Virginia21,562 49South Dakota21,183 50North Dakota19,051 51Mississippi18,262 In total, seven states: California, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, New York, Florida, and Oregon, each brewed more than 1 million barrels in 2025. Together, they accounted for 53% of all U.S. craft beer production. At the other end of the list, Mississippi brewed 18,262 barrels of craft beer in 2025, the least of any state. Big States’ Beer Brewing and What Defines Craft Population explains much of the order, as the four most populous states, California, Texas, Florida, and New York, all rank in the top six, but not all of it. Ohio’s 1.3 million barrels edge out far larger New York and Florida, while Illinois, the sixth-most populous state, ranks just 16th at 409,589 barrels. Smaller states punch above their weight, too: Vermont, the second-smallest state by population, brewed 357,138 barrels in 2025, out-brewing far larger Virginia and Michigan, with Maine close behind at 338,405. Demand varies just as much as supply, with Americans’ alcohol spending per capita differing widely from state to state. Because the Brewers Association’s definition hinges on independent ownership, state totals can shift when breweries change hands. Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing, in 2019, and Michigan’s Bell’s Brewery, in 2021, were both acquired by Lion, a subsidiary of Japan’s Kirin. This moved their volumes out of the craft column and dented both states’ totals. That helps explain why Michigan’s 410 craft breweries produced just 268,660 barrels in 2025, ranking the state 21st by volume. If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Which States Have the Most Breweries Per Person? on Voronoi.   Tyler Durden Thu, 06/18/2026 - 22:10