Life has really come at you fast if you’ve been running a brewery in the 2020s. Taproom traffic took a hard turn into packaged beer and takeaway with the pandemic; when its effects waned, people’s habits had changed—they were drinking at home, drinking less, or opting for giant, single cans from convenience stores.
Now, however, it would appear that the bar is back—and that’s a positive plot twist that offers small breweries an opportunity.
A Bank of America study in February 2026 found that while spending on alcohol at retail is on the decline, spending in bars is gaining. People are still drinking less overall—but when they do drink, they’re increasingly looking to do so out with others.
For smaller breweries, including those that self-distribute, this trend spells potential—craft beer has long been stronger than other beer in the on-premise. It may be an uphill battle to get your beer into the shrinking space on retail shelves, but that beer bar or pizza place across town? Now we’re talking.
If people are spending more at bars again, the goal is to position your beer to be something they’re spending on. And while it may not mean a big boost to revenue—because the highest margins are still in your taproom—it does introduce your beer to a wider audience.