# of physical breweries - Annual year end count

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For a number of years I have tried to compile the number of physical breweries per country. This year there are signs of stagnation in the rise of breweries.

There are several reasons why ths count is not exact. I assume the biggest flaw is that not all breweries are listed. Another could be that closed breweries have not been retired in our DB. Another flaw could be misclassification so that for instance client brewers are listed as physical breweries. (As probably 95%+ of breweries listed as “Contract Breweries” really are “Client Breweries” these have been mostly counted as non-physical breweries).

Only countries with 30+ breweries are listed.

Pos Country # of breweries 2017-12-31 Diff% since 2016 Change in pos
1 USA 5796 14,7% 0
2 Germany 1564 4,3% 0
3 England 1551 5,9% 0
4 Canada 783 26,7% 1
5 Italy 780 8,6% -1
6 France 731 23,7% 0
7 Spain 670 20,9% 0
8 Switzerland 426 9,8% 0
9 Australia 406 14,0% 1
10 Czech Rep. 386 7,8% -1
11 Sweden 332 17,7% 3
12 Brazil 331 15,7% 0
13 Mexico 325 22,6% 3
14 Russia 324 13,7% -1
15 Belgium 311 6,9% -4
16 Netherlands 292 9,8% -1
17 Japan 262 8,3% 0
18 Austria 257 15,8% 0
19 Argentina 230 9,0% 1
20 Norway 208 10,6% 1
21 Poland 204 -4,7% -2
22 China 186 17,0% 1
23 South Africa 177 5,4% -1
24 Denmark 161 14,2% 0
25 New Zealand 151 19,8% 2
26 Chile 150 7,9% -1
27 Scotland 144 10,8% -1
28 Ukraine 141 19,5% 0
29 Wales 100 9,9% 1
30 Ireland 95 3,3% -1
31 Portugal 92 15,0% 0
32 India 91 49,2% 3
33 Finland 90 20,0% 0
34 Hungary 89 21,9% 0
34 Colombia 89 89,4% 7
36 Thailand 82 60,8% 2
37 Slovenia 79 29,5% -2
38 Peru 74 72,1% 7
39 Slovakia 72 -5,3% -7
40 Vietnam 71 39,2% -2
41 Lithuania 62 3,3% -4
42 Greece 52 13,0% 0
43 Croatia 51 34,2% 4
44 South Korea 49 8,9% -1
45 Estonia 47 -4,1% -5
45 Costa Rica 47 4,4% -2
47 Latvia 45 7,1% -1
48 Romania 43 38,7% 1
49 Ecuador 40 11,1% -1
50 Phillippines 38 90,0% NEW
51 Serbia 37 19,4% -2
52 Belarus 30 20,0% NEW
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If counting the number of breweries per million inhabitants, I get the following numbers:

Pos Country 2017 bpm Change since 2016
1 Switzerland 50,32 0
2 Norway 39,32 1
3 Slovenia 38,24 3
4 Czech Rep. 36,42 0
5 Estonia 34,76 -3
6 Sweden 32,86 1
7 Wales 32,12 -2
8 New Zealand 31,19 1
9 Austria 29,15 2
10 England 28,06 -2
11 Denmark 27,86 1
12 Belgium 27,30 -2
13 Scotland 26,64 0
14 Latvia 23,30 0
15 Lithuania 22,06 0
16 Canada 21,30 2
17 Ireland 19,82 -1
18 Germany 18,89 -1
19 USA 17,76 1
20 Netherlands 16,99 -1
21 Australia 16,40 0
22 Finland 16,33 1
23 Spain 14,39 1
24 Slovakia 13,23 -2
25 Italy 12,89 0
26 Croatia 12,28 2
27 France 10,88 0
28 Costa Rica 9,50 -2
29 Hungary 9,08 2
30 Portugal 8,92 -1
31 Chile 8,54 -1
32 Poland 5,31 0
34 Serbia 5,24 0
33 Argentina 5,22 0
35 Greece 4,82 0
36 Belarus 3,16 NEW
37 Ukraine 3,15 0
38 South Africa 3,12 -2
39 Mexico 2,63 -1
40 Ecuador 2,37 -1
41 Peru 2,33 3
42 Russia 2,24 -2
43 Romania 2,19 -1
44 Japan 2,07 -3
45 Colombia 1,80 0
46 Brazil 1,59 -3
47 Thailand 1,24 0
48 South Korea 0,95 -2
49 Vietnam 0,86 -1
50 Phillippines 0,36 NEW
51 China 0,13 -2
52 India 0,07 -2
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wow! 26% increase in Canada!

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half of Swiss breweries still missing in the database. We need more Danes in Switzerland.

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47 seems like a correct number for Estonia in 2017, but no physical brewer has closed doors here for 5+ years, so 2016 number must have been wrong. 2017 actually 2 new microbreweries started and one brewpub, so there was actually increase from 44 to 47.
(2016 wrong number was probably caused by the fact that some client brewers were marked as contract brewers. They are fixed now).

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Fascinating thread.

Since you presumably have this in a spreadsheet is it possible to post the first table sorted by Diff% to 2016 so it’s easier to see who the biggest growers are? From a quick glance down it seems South American and South East Asian countries have experienced a lot of growth.

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I would definitely love to see what the changes are like in Hong Kong, as well.

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:switzerland: :switzerland: :switzerland:

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Here you, table sorted by increase (in %) since last year.
A not too wild guess is that the big climbs can be associated with individual users that should be recognized for their efforts in adding info…

Pos Country # of breweries 2017-12-31 Diff%
1 Phillippines 38 90,0%
2 Colombia 89 89,4%
3 Peru 74 72,1%
4 Thailand 82 60,8%
5 India 91 49,2%
6 Vietnam 71 39,2%
7 Romania 43 38,7%
8 Croatia 51 34,2%
9 Slovenia 79 29,5%
10 Canada 783 26,7%
11 France 731 23,7%
12 Mexico 325 22,6%
13 Hungary 89 21,9%
14 Spain 670 20,9%
15 Finland 90 20,0%
16 Belarus 30 20,0%
17 New Zealand 151 19,8%
18 Ukraine 141 19,5%
19 Serbia 37 19,4%
20 Sweden 332 17,7%
21 China 186 17,0%
22 Austria 257 15,8%
23 Brazil 331 15,7%
24 Portugal 92 15,0%
25 USA 5796 14,7%
26 Denmark 161 14,2%
27 Australia 406 14,0%
28 Russia 324 13,7%
29 Greece 52 13,0%
30 Ecuador 40 11,1%
31 Scotland 144 10,8%
32 Norway 208 10,6%
33 Wales 100 9,9%
34 Switzerland 426 9,8%
35 Netherlands 292 9,8%
36 Argentina 230 9,0%
37 South Korea 49 8,9%
38 Italy 780 8,6%
39 Japan 262 8,3%
40 Chile 150 7,9%
41 Czech Rep. 386 7,8%
42 Latvia 45 7,1%
43 Belgium 311 6,9%
44 England 1551 5,9%
45 South Africa 177 5,4%
46 Costa Rica 47 4,4%
47 Germany 1564 4,3%
48 Lithuania 62 3,3%
49 Ireland 95 3,3%
50 Estonia 47 -4,1%
51 Poland 204 -4,7%
52 Slovakia 72 -5,3%
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Hongkong has 23 breweries. Up from around 16 last year. Withe current growth they’ll reach 30 and be part of the stats next year.

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Damn. I just screwed up your count by adding two Florida breweries… haha

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They’ll count next year :slight_smile:

I try to use midnight (UCT) as cutoff, although breweries that are retired the last days of the year will still count as open. (Do not want to put too much manual labour in every year at 1:00 in Jan 1st…)

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Cheers! Yeah you might be right, especially for the South American and South East Asian countries although I must admit I know next to nothing about beer in those regions, with the exception of hearing that Vietnam has a booming craft beer scene so I’m not surprised to see them appear in the top 10.

The eastern/central European ones I’m slightly more familiar with, mainly Romania as I’ve been following their scene for the past couple of years. They’re experiencing genuine growth there and it helps they have a couple of active admins so I’m pleased to see them appear in the top 10 too and hope they continue to grow, and hopefully start exporting some of their beers.

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brb, opening seven breweries~ :hong_kong:

Also, Hong Kong.

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Have you been able to find Romanian non-macro brews elsewhere in Europe? I’m quite excited about what’s going on in Poland and Hungary lately, but I’d like to find a new European country to fall in love with.

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Very cool data!

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If you’re into trading, you could try contacting dnicolaescu, who is based over the border in Moldova. He knows Romanian beer very well. Last time I traded with him he set me up with five very decent Romanian craft brews by Bereta and Hop Hooligans.

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I’m the wrong person to ask as I’m not much of a travlr at the moment, but as far as I’m aware none of the craft breweries there export any of their beers, except perhaps to Moldova as @dnicolaescu seems to rate literally every one of them which is good to see.

I have a bunch of Romanian friends here in the UK, a couple of which are into beer so that’s why I follow the scene. I find it interesting to follow a traditional wine country that’s blossoming into a small yet quality craft beer country. I’ve also been learning the language (sort of) and although I can’t speak it I can read/write well enough to understand what the brewers are describing in social media posts and whatnot!

I currently have 5 Hop Hooligans (regarded as one of, if not the best brewer in Romania right now) beers sitting in my fridge waiting for me to enjoy over the next week, very much looking forward to them :smiley:
During 2018 I intend to get some trades done to acquire many more.

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Does not compute :laughing: not to mention there are some here that would suggest that you spelled it wrong anyway…

Maybe I should inquire. I rarely trade, though, as I would rather just travel to said country because it means that I get a chance to visit a country like Romania on top of getting to experience their beers. I can’t always do that, of course (I’m looking at you, Mongolia), but flights from Amsterdam or Brussels remain extremely reasonable.

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Edited to satisfy “some people” here :laughing:

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