Survey Reveals Factors Driving Craft Beer Growth

It’s no secret that the craft beer industry has been booming throughout the last decade. According to the Brewers Association, the number of craft breweries has grown from 1,511 in 2007 to more than 7,000 as of 2018. We were curious to find out what factors are contributing to the growth of the craft beer industry, so we polled 2,000 Americans between the ages of 21 to 70 who drink alcohol to dig into the mindset of the craft beer drinker*. 

* This study acknowledges a subject matter bias as it relies on self-reporting by respondents who are over the age of 21 and identify as regular alcohol drinkers and does not represent a scientific sample. Polling was conducted through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk online platform.

Craft Beer Popularity

According to people that took our poll, almost half drink craft beer at least once a week. Perhaps even more surprising is that nearly all say they drank craft beer at least once within the last month. On average, respondents said they spend about $59 per month on craft beer. Males typically spend about $7 more than the average and females spend about $50 per month. 

What is it about craft beer that is so appealing? Respondents said taste and quality were by far the biggest factors separating craft beer from big beer brands. In fact, 91% said they prefer craft beer over big brand beer and 86% said they would pay more for the craft beer of their preference, even if cheaper options were available. 
 

Millennials and Craft Beer

The next time you step into a brewpub or a brewery, there’s a good chance you’ll spot a millennial or two. According to our poll, 43% of Millennials said they visit a brewpub or brewery at least once per month and spend about $63 a month on craft beer per month. (So much for that avocado toast budget!). There’s also a good chance they’ll be sipping on an IPA, which is the generation’s preferred style of beer. 

Methodology 

From March 11 through March 22 of 2019, we conducted an online poll of 2,000 Americans from across the country utilizing Amazon’s Mechanical Turk online platform. Respondents were a mixture of self-reporting males and females ranging from ages 21 to 70 who identified as people who drink alcohol regularly. This study does not represent a scientific sample.