The Craft Beer Shakeout (2020–2025)
American craft breweries grew every year through the 2010s. From 2020, the market reversed: brewery closures outpaced openings as costs rose and taprooms competed for a shrinking pool of drinkers. Hundreds of small breweries closed nationwide.
Independent brewers pulled back expansion plans; many closed flagship locations rather than open new ones.
The shakeout pushed the industry toward larger regional players and multi-location operators that spread fixed costs.
Crooked Run's fourth taproom runs against this wave. Its success depends on a neighborhood like Del Ray drawing enough foot traffic to keep an 800-square-foot spot profitable.
