The Breweries to Know in 2026
Despite what the doom-and-gloom headlines want you to think, craft beer is not dead. Yes, one of the most repeated facts of the industry right now is that more breweries are closing than opening. But the more level-headed truth is that after dramatic spikes of growth dotted across a nearly four-decade history, craft beer has reached its cruising altitude.
Experts Featured
Chris Chamberlain is a drinks writer.
Chris Maestro is the co-owner of the beer bar BierWax.
David Nilsen is a beer writer and educator.
Ryan Pachmayer is a beer writer and brewer.
Sayre Piotrkowski is a beer writer and consultant.
Jon Sicotte is executive editor of Brewer magazine.
Frances Tietje-Wang is a writer and brewing chemist.
Saturation, competition, a global pandemic and shifts in culture and consumer preferences have all shaped craft beer. We’ve also, however, reached an inevitable maturation that comes for any industry. Craft beer couldn’t be the cool new kid on the block forever.
What does that mean for breweries now? They’re focusing less on making their way onto the shelves of national grocery chains and more on hospitality and being a hub in their own communities. They’re keeping volumes smaller, but using that agility to make more interesting beers, or to develop tightly curated lineups. In 2026, the breweries to know are specializing in specific categories, tapping into new trends like low-ABV beer and non-Eurocentric ingredients, and putting real time into their taproom atmospheres and events.
Here’s who’s shaping craft beer now.
Known for: Lower-ABV, mid-strength beers
The can to know: Rosato Rosé IPA
“Andiamo is playing around in uncharted waters: the land of low-ABV, but not non-alcoholic, beers,” says beer writer and brewer Ryan Pachmayer. This category has slowly been finding its audience: Dad Strength Brewing, which makes a 2.9 percent ABV beer, recently secured a $300,000 investment on Shark Tank after bringing in nearly that amount in its first year, and light beer brand Garage Beer hit a $200 million valuation in 2025.
After years of extremes—either 9 percent ABV IPAs or zero-booze lagers—Andiamo found a niche in the middle ground. Cousins Brian Terra and Kevin Barnes can a 3.5 percent ABV Italian-style pilsner, a 3.9 percent ABV lagered pale ale, a 3.2 percent ABV Czech-style dark lager, and a 3.8 percent ABV rosé IPA, made with pinot noir grape juice, a white-wine yeast strain and the white-wine-expressive Nelson Sauvin hops. Andiamo’s Italian-inspired branding bridges a gap between classic beer aesthetics and chic, low-proof aperitivo culture—the rosé IPA even drinks like a spritz.