Tapped out
Revisiting brewery closures and survival dynamics in three beer cities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19485178 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mark W Patterson (0000-0002-1226-7322, Kennesaw State University, corresponding author), Nancy Hoalst‐pullen (Kennesaw State University), Nancy Hoalst-Pullen (0000-0002-3250-9034, Kennesaw State University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-27 |
| Publication date | 2026-12-31 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Contemporary Social Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2158-2041 • E-ISSN: 2158-205X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/21582041.2026.2676063 |
| OpenAlex | W7161848488 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
The U.S. craft brewing industry is transitioning to a mature, saturated market, characterised by declining growth, accelerated closures, and economic pressures. This study revisits Nilsson et al. (2019, To cluster or not to cluster? Spatial determinants of closures in the American craft brewing industry. Papers in Regional Science) by (re)examining brewery closures in during the volatile 2018–2023 period, to see if the aspatial nature of closures persist during a craft beer contraction. Using logit regression, we assess how firm-level characteristics, neighbourhood demographics, location factors, and acute interventions from the COVID-19 pandemic influenced survivability. Results reveal a shift in survival dynamics, from an aspatial pattern in an expansion market to a spatial pattern with a maturing, saturated market. For saturated markets, spatial costs like high rent now override consumer demand benefits. Operationally, the taproom model offers a significant survival advantage over brewpubs. Spatially, regional market saturation remains a persistent threat, but more breweries per capita and local clustering reduce closure risk. Finally, the study finds closure risk in 2023 escalated to nearly 60 times the 2018 level. These findings highlight how spatial and temporal determinants impact brewery closures and underscore the necessity of strategic business models and location selection in a maturing, competitive landscape
Context (archaeology) · Dynamics (music) · Government (linguistics) · Supply chain · Work (physics) · Horticultural and Viticultural Research · Rural development and sustainability · Wine Industry and Tourism
Alcohol Consumption during the Covid-19 Pandemic
The Paycheck Protection Program and small business performance
To cluster or not to cluster? Spatial determinants of closures in the American craft brewing industry
Beer sales in grocery and convenience stores
Brewing at the time of Covid
Why the Microbrewery Movement? Organizational Dynamics of Resource Partitioning in the U.S. Brewing Industry
| Highly cited | No |
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