It’s official: 2024 was the “hardest year for Oregon Craft Brewers,” based on a press release from the Oregon Beverage Alliance. I don’t know if this applies for the past 40 or so years, but according to the lede in the release, more breweries, brewpubs, and taprooms closed than opened last year, for the first time since 2000.
The data here is leaning on the New School’s post on 2024’s closures, which as far as I know is one of the only source that regularly tracks these things (though the Brewers Association tracks at least brewery closures, I believe).
Not every brewery on that list closed entirely; some, like Redmond’s Cascade Lakes Brewing, closed its Lodge pub and restaurant on Bend’s west side in favor of the new east Bend location. So in some cases it’s more shifting of resources than closings, but make no mistake, plenty of breweries did go out of business.
Here’s the full press release:
For the first time this century, more breweries, taprooms and brewpubs closed than new ones opened in 2024.
Oregon’s brewers faced yet another challenging year in 2024, with more breweries, taprooms and brewpubs closing for a third year.
“It’s tough times for Oregon’s craft brewers,” said Sam Pecoraro, President of the Oregon Brewers Guild and Brewmaster of Von Ebert Brewing. “Between inflation, supply chain issues, employee shortages, a pandemic and a downward trend of drinking, these local businesses need the support of the public and lawmakers to survive.”
According to the Brewers Association, more breweries, taprooms and brewpubs have closed than new ones have opened – 399 closures compared to 335 openings nationwide in 2024. Since the pandemic, Oregon lost nearly 75 – at least 35 of those in 2024. Craft beer volume is also down -2% this year, as people are drinking less.
“I’ve seen it in my own taproom. People are going out less, especially since Covid. There is a lot of competition when it comes to a customer choosing to drink your beer, not just from other breweries, but many other beverage producers as well,” said Sonia Marie Leikam, cofounder of Leikam Brewing and member of the Oregon Brewers Guild. “We need to rally together to weather this storm. So please support your favorite local brewery.”
Beer is an essential part of Oregon’s identity and economy. Oregon is home to more than 300 breweries, brewpubs and taprooms generating more than $8.7 billion in economic output, $2.8 billion in wages, creating 50,000 jobs in the state. Unfortunately, some state lawmakers in the upcoming 2025 session are considering a tax increase proposal on these homegrown businesses despite a recent task force declining to recommend a tax increase and 87.5% of the public comments submitted opposed tax increases.
About the Oregon Beverage Alliance
The Oregon Beverage Alliance is made up of local brewers, winemakers, cidermakers, distillers and their supply and hospitality partners creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and generating $17 billion of economic activity for Oregon annually. Learn more: www.DontTaxMyDrink.org
It’s not just breweries and taprooms, either: the 2024 hop harvest was also down in 2024. This was more a factor of overproduction in the hop market, as Stan Hieronymus details in his Hop Queries newsletter.
Overall, it was a rough year for the industry, and we’ll have to watch closely to see how 2025 shapes up.
