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By the numbers: The sobering reality behind B.C.’s craft beer boom

Falling consumption, rising costs and brewery closures are reshaping B.C.’s craft beer industry, as new data points to a post-boom reset.

By Michael McCullough /

What can bring cheer to the short autumn days ahead? For the 19th-century Bavarians who invented Oktoberfest, the obvious answer was beer! But, as these statistics show, an aging population, tariffs on aluminum and a hangover from the craft beer boom are taking some of the froth off the industry.

  • Only 37% of craft breweries in Canada are profitable.
  • B.C. is home to about 240 breweries, down from its  pandemic-era high. 17 licensed brewers closed their doors in the 12 months  to June 2025.
  • The province’s per-capita consumption declined 7.4% in 2023 from the previous year, to 57 litres per person
  • $1.032 billion in B.C. beer sales through liquor stores, 2024-25:

B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch beer sales (000s of litres)

Though microbrews represented just 13.3% of beer sales through liquor stores and 20.5% of bar and restaurant beer sales last year, 4,270 British Columbians worked in craft breweries and brewpubs as of 2023.

Sources: Government of B.C., BC Craft Brewers Guild, Beer Canada, IBISworld, BCLDB

Michael McCullough

Michael McCullough

Michael is a financial journalist based in the Cowichan Valley. He's a former managing editor of Canadian Business and editorial director of Canada Wide Media, BCBusiness's publisher. In 2024, he co-authored Personal Finance for Canadians for Dummies, 7th Edition (Wiley, 2024).