USA: Brewers charging bars, restaurants and distributors more for wholesale draft beer

U.S. breweries have been charging bars, restaurants and distributors more for wholesale draft beer over the past five years, Axios.com reported on March 4 citing federal data.

The rising cost offers some insight into why consumers might be seeing more expensive pints of lagers and IPAs on menus.

The wholesale cost of draft beer in barrels and kegs from domestic breweries increased about 15% from January 2020 to December 2025, an Axios analysis of producer price index data shows.

It spiked at the end of 2025.

This producer price index for the brewery industry measures how beer prices have changed over time for sellers, not consumers. It doesn't show prices in dollars.

The upward trend reflects the increased costs to brew beer and operate production facilities as ingredients, labor, rent and utilities get more expensive.

04 March, 2026