Beer Institute

What Beer Institute does

The Beer Institute is the national trade association representing the U.S. brewing industry, headquartered at 701 8th Street NW in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1862 as the U.S. Brewers Association and reorganized under its current name in 1986, it serves large brewers, craft and independent brewers, beer importers, and industry suppliers, representing a $471 billion industry that supports 2.42 million American jobs across 7,228 active breweries. The organization is funded through membership dues on a recurring subscription basis, with pricing not publicly disclosed and a membership application process managed via the website. Its product set is non-software and consists of policy advocacy services (federal and state legislative representation on excise tax, aluminum pricing, Dietary Guidelines, hemp/cannabis, and the CHEERS Act), recurring data products (monthly taxable removals estimates, packaging mix dating to 1981, import/export data with the U.S. Department of Commerce, and new research on World Cup and non-alcohol beer trends), and two compliance programs — the Advertising & Marketing Code with a third-party Code Compliance Review Board, and the Brewers' Voluntary Disclosure Initiative for nutritional labeling. Its go-to-market is sales-led and member-driven, anchored by a Board of Directors that includes senior representatives from Molson Coors (Chairman), Anheuser-Busch (Vice Chairman), Constellation Brands, HEINEKEN USA, and F.X. Matt Brewing Company. The Institute is governed under President & CEO Brian Crawford, appointed December 2022, and operates BeerPAC as a multi-candidate political action committee; it coordinates extensive cross-association coalitions with the Brewers Association, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Distilled Spirits Council, Wine Institute, and others on shared regulatory priorities.

Name

Beer Institute

Legal name

Beer Institute

Website

https://beerinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1862

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Beer Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based national trade association, founded in 1862, that represents the U.S. brewing industry — large brewers, craft brewers, importers, and suppliers — through federal and state policy advocacy, recurring industry data products, and self-regulatory compliance programs funded by membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Trade Association Services

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (42481)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Beer Brewing & Craft Brewing (AFAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Beer industry advocacy
• Brewing trade association
• Policy advocacy services
• Industry data research
• Federal excise tax

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The Beer Institute generates revenue through membership dues from brewers, importers, suppliers, and allied organizations in the beer industry. The organization provides advocacy, representation before Congress and state legislatures, and member services in exchange for membership fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Beer Institute is a national trade association representing the American brewing industry, founded in 1862 as the U.S. Brewers Association and reorganized under its current name in 1986. It provides federal and state legislative advocacy on issues such as federal excise tax, aluminum pricing, Dietary Guidelines, and the CHEERS Act, and delivers industry data products, voluntary compliance programs, and responsible consumption initiatives to its brewer, importer, and supplier members.

Product overview

The Beer Institute operates as a national trade association for the American brewing industry, offering a portfolio of data products, compliance programs, and advocacy services rather than a unified software platform. Its data products include monthly taxable removals reports tracking beer industry volume, import/export data published with the U.S. Department of Commerce, an annual packaging mix report dating to 1981, and specialized research on non-alcohol beer trends and World Cup sales. The Institute also manages two compliance programs: the Advertising & Marketing Code with a third-party Code Compliance Review Board (CCRB) for ad complaints, and the Brewers' Voluntary Disclosure Initiative for nutritional labeling. Policy advocacy services address federal excise tax, aluminum pricing, dietary guidelines, and the CHEERS Act. Responsible consumption initiatives include partnerships with SoberRide, TEAM Coalition, and TIPS training programs. The Institute does not offer a technology product with APIs, integrations, or AI capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Taxable Removals Reports
• Import/Export Data Reports
• Packaging Mix Report
• World Cup Beer Sales Data
• Non-Alcohol Beer Growth Trends
• Economic Impact Studies
• Advertising & Marketing Code
• Brewers' Voluntary Disclosure Initiative
• Policy Advocacy Services
• Responsible Consumption Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully achieved permanent federal excise tax relief for brewers and beer importers through the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brewers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Collaborative partnership supporting the CHEERS Act legislation that would allow bars, restaurants, and taprooms to recover costs for draft beer equipment more quickly through tax code modifications.
• National Beer Wholesalers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Joint advocacy coalition supporting the CHEERS Act legislation for tax code modifications benefiting the draft beer equipment supply chain.
• American Distilled Spirits AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Coalition partner in advocating for federal restrictions on intoxicating hemp products containing THC, working together to urge senators to maintain hemp ban language in federal legislation.
• Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Coalition partner advocating for hemp THC ban legislation, representing the broader alcohol industry's position on intoxicating hemp product regulation.
• Wine AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Coalition partner in the alcohol industry's unified stance on federal hemp legislation restricting intoxicating THC products.
• Wine InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Coalition partner advocating for regulations on intoxicating hemp and cannabis products as part of the alcohol industry's unified policy position.
• Science Over Bias CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2025Broad coalition of national agriculture, beverage, and hospitality industry associations urging rejection of ICCPUD's Alcohol Intake and Health report due to alleged conflicts of interest and panel bias.
• WRAP (Washington Regional Alcohol Program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting SoberRide programs providing free rideshare fare to prevent drunk driving during high-risk holiday periods. Since 1991, WRAP's SoberRide has provided more than 80,000 safe rides home.
• TEAM CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, stadium service providers, concessionaires, brewers, distillers, broadcasters, and government safety experts united in promoting responsible drinking and positive fan behavior.
• TIPS (Training for Intervention Procedures)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining program developed to educate bartenders, wait staff, and store clerks about proper ID checking and alcohol abuse prevention in various settings.
• Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational road safety institute working since 2004 with Beer Institute support to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries through research-based strategies.
• Alcohol in Moderation (AIM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter for review of scientific and medical research on responsible drinking, communicating relevant findings through publications contributed by international Council of medical specialists.
• Proposition 65 Sign Management, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministered jointly with Distilled Spirits Council and Wine Institute to distribute Proposition 65 alcohol warning signs to California retail licensees at no charge.
• ShowMeTheLabel.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWebsite supporting the Brewers' Voluntary Disclosure Initiative, helping consumers find nutritional and ingredient information on beer products.
• MidwestPremiumExposed.orgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducational resource explaining how the Midwest Premium pricing mechanism affects brewers and other industries dependent on aluminum, supporting the Beer Institute's advocacy for pricing transparency.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brewers Association: National trade association for small and independent U.S. craft brewers; directly comparable in mission and structure to the Beer Institute, and an active coalition partner on the CHEERS Act and other legislative efforts.
• National Beer Wholesalers Association: Trade association representing U.S. beer distributors; operates as a parallel advocacy organization in the same beer industry value chain and frequently co-advocates with the Beer Institute on legislative priorities like the CHEERS Act and excise tax.
• Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS): National trade association for the U.S. spirits industry; structurally identical to the Beer Institute in mission and advocacy approach, and a coalition partner on shared issues including Dietary Guidelines, hemp THC, and Proposition 65.
• Wine Institute: Trade association representing California wineries; performs a similar advocacy and policy representation function for the wine industry and works with the Beer Institute on joint alcohol industry initiatives.
• Wine America: National trade association for the American wine industry; comparable in structure and member-funded advocacy model, and a formal coalition partner with the Beer Institute on federal hemp and Dietary Guidelines lobbying.
• American Distilled Spirits Alliance: Trade group representing craft distillers in the U.S.; operates as a more focused, smaller-scale version of DISCUS and partners with the Beer Institute on coalition advocacy around intoxicating hemp products.

Regional players

• Beer Canada: National trade association representing the Canadian brewing industry; performs the same national advocacy function for brewers in Canada as the Beer Institute does in the United States, making it a strong functional peer.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM): Largest U.S. industrial trade association; operates as a broad incumbent in trade association advocacy with overlapping capabilities in federal lobbying, PAC management, and policy research, and has historically hired Beer Institute staff.
• American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA): National trade association for the U.S. hotel and lodging industry; comparable in advocacy structure and D.C. operating model, and notably the previous employer of Beer Institute CEO Brian Crawford.

Others

• National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB): Trade association representing small and independent businesses; relevant as the prior employer of Beer Institute Chief Economist Andrew Heritage, and an indirect peer in representing small business interests on federal tax and regulatory policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BeerInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/BeerInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/beer-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/beerinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Beer Institute