U.S. Beer Production Fell 3.5% in August, Beer Institute Estimates

U.S. brewers produced 10.9 million barrels of beer subject to excse tax during August, the Beer Institute estimated. That's down 3.5% from a year earlier.

The actual figure may be a bit lower. Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau's official figures for April through June were 840,000 barrels, 2.9% below Beer Institute's initial estimates. But Andrew Heritage, Beer Institute chief economist, says he expects TTB's figures to move higher.

Import/Export

Imported beer volumes into the U.S. increased by 7.8% year over year according to the Department of Commerce. Imports grew for the month, after lapping an abnormally soft August 2025 (-16.0% y/y) due to imports being front loaded last year over the summer months.

Heritage notes August's increase in imported beer shipments brings the year-to-date trend to -2.1%. Beer imports from Mexico jumped 12.2% from a year earlier, and the year-to-date trend is now negative just 0.2%.

Imports from Ireland were up 19.8% in a yea, and imports from Germany soared 53.6%.