---
title: "MONEY: America Now Has a Record-High 5,000 Breweries and Counting"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/553fda4a-70b8-4541-bebb-cda2abf997bb
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/money-america-now-has-a-record-high-5000-breweries-and-counting-8456
category: "Beverage & juice"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Beverage & juice"
published: 2016-12-12T14:09:02.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:35:43.401Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/349da983393ee16f05156201eb4b08514349.jpg
---

# MONEY: America Now Has a Record-High 5,000 Breweries and Counting

**TL;DR:** The US has a record-high 5,000 breweries, according to the Brewers Association. The craft beer industry has seen significant growth, but its rate of growth has started to decrease.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-12-12. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/money-america-now-has-a-record-high-5000-breweries-and-counting-8456).*

## Story

America has never had such a large beer selection as it does right now. According to a recent MONEY article, the Brewers Association reported that there are over 5,000 breweries in the U.S, which is a record-high.

In the 1980s, there were fewer than 100 breweries in operation throughout the country due to mass-market companies dominating the industry. Consumer tastes began to change and prefer craft beer, which quickly inflated the brewing scene. By 2008, the U.S. had 1,500 breweries and by 2015 there were 3,500, a quick increase.

Despite the quick climb, growth in the craft beer industry has started to decrease and this has prompted many to wonder if it has reached its highest point—Peak beer. While this is a concern, it isn’t the first time people have started to discuss overcrowding in the industry.

“While the craft brewing industry is entering a period of maturation, most markets are not near saturation,” Bart Watson, the Brewers Association’s chief economist, said this past summer. “As craft’s base gets larger, as with any industry, it becomes more difficult for it to grow at the same percentage rate.”

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- industry growth (topic)
- craft beer (topic)
- brewery expansion (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/money-america-now-has-a-record-high-5000-breweries-and-counting-8456). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/553fda4a-70b8-4541-bebb-cda2abf997bb).