Breweries NAICS 312120

Sep 13, 2025 - US Drinking Rate at New Low

• The percentage of US adults who say they consume alcohol, including beer, has fallen to 54%, the lowest level in Gallup’s nearly 90-year trend, the polling firm reported in August. Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits survey, conducted in July, found the figure fell to 62% in 2023 and to 58% in 2024, before reaching 54% today. The downward trend coincides with recent research indicating that any level of alcohol consumption may negatively affect health, a sharp reversal from previous recommendations that moderate drinking could offer some protective benefits. More than a third (38%) of US drinkers cite beer as the alcoholic beverage they consume most often, exceeding the 30% who name liquor and 29% who name wine. The survey also found that men are far more likely than women to reach for a beer (52% vs. 23%).
• US craft brewers are suffering under tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, the CATO Institute reported in July. With canned beer accounting for about 75% of packaged craft beer by volume, craft brewers are especially sensitive to tariffs on aluminum and steel imports imposed on all countries by the Trump administration, which doubled to 50% in June. Most craft breweries are small and less able to absorb rising costs than larger breweries. Notably, the producer price index for aluminum can manufacturing rose 1.5% from March to May. “Costs for kegs, brewhouses, tanks, and even building infrastructure are climbing fast,” according to the Brewers Association. Moreover, switching to bottles is not an easy fix and bottles are hard to procure as big brewers switch to them crowding out smaller buyers. Ingredient prices, including specialty hops, are also rising due to tariffs.

• A new study has found polyfluoroalkyl substances in beer brewed in the US, the Brewers Association reports. The study – Hold My Beer: The Linkage between Municipal Water and Brewing Location on PFAS in Popular Beverages – focused on areas of the country where PFAS compounds are found in high concentrations in drinking water. Due to their “forever” nature, these chemicals can easily be transferred into beer if they are present in a brewery’s water source. According to the study, “approximately 18% of breweries operating in the US are located within zip codes served by public water supplies with detectable PFAS in drinking water.” Notably, perfluorosulfonic acids, particularly PFOS, were frequently detected, with PFOA or PFOS above the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Limits in some beers. Some of the highest PFAS levels and most chemically diverse samples came from beers brewed in North Carolina.
• Producer prices for breweries hit a new high in August, up 1.2% compared to a year ago, after rising 1.9% in the previous August-versus-August annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Brewers are facing rising costs as tariffs on aluminum for cans and wage increases pressure margins. In August, the retail price of beer, ale, and other malt beverages at home rose 1.2% year over year and 0.6% versus July, while the retail price of beer, ale, and other malt beverages away from home rose 3.2% YoY and 05% versus July, according to the August 2025 Consumer Price Index report. Meanwhile, employment by the industry grew 1.9% YoY in July, down a bit from its peak in June, BLS data shows.