Breweries Industry Overview

Excerpt from Breweries Report

Companies in this industry produce beer, ale, malt liquor, and nonalcoholic beer. Major companies include Anheuser-Busch InBev (Belgium), Asahi Breweries (Japan), Heineken (the Netherlands), Kirin (Japan), and SABMiller (UK).

Competitive Landscape

The major driver of demand is consumer leisure activity. The profitability of individual companies depends on marketing, distribution, and operational efficiency. Large companies have advantages in marketing and sales, production economies of scale, and influence with distributors. Small companies can compete effectively by developing specialty products and serving a local or regional market. The industry is highly concentrated: the eight largest breweries account for about 90 percent of US industry revenue.

Products, Operations & Technology

Canned beer and ale case goods account for about 50 percent of industry revenue; bottled beer and ale case goods, for about 40 percent; and beer and ale in barrels and kegs, for 6 percent. Additional products include other malt beverages, such as porter, stout, and non-alcoholic beer, and brewing materials, such as brewers grains and malt extracts.