The Texas Craft Beer Report and Texas Craft Brewery Rankings were calculated using input from both Texas craft beer consumers and Texas craft brewing industry professionals.
Texas Craft Beer Report
The 40-page Texas Craft Beer Report is a comprehensive overview of the Texas craft beer consumer market. The report analyzes Texan consumer preferences on beer styles, brewery preferences and criteria that encourage them to visit a new craft brewery. It also contains analysis of a survey of Texas craft brewing industry professionals and compares responses to that of consumers.
Within the pages of the report you can expect to find information that supports the idea that the Texas craft beer market is both thriving and changing. And in a changing landscape, we believe that with more information from their peers, consumers are more likely to try out a new craft brewery or beer; especially if it is highlighted for something that is important to them.
The most controversial part of the report – The Texas Craft Brewery Rankings – are a compilation of data based on breweries named by respondents in each survey. The methodology is fully transparent and we meticulously scored and weighted each input.
Texas Craft Brewery Rankings
The Texas Craft Brewery Rankings are made-up of 4 categories:
| Category | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Overall Consumer Reputation and Experience | 40% |
| Reputation for Quality of Beer | 40% |
| How excited we are for what they will do in the next 12 months | 15% |
| Contribution to the growth of the Texas Craft Beer Industry | 5% |
Using the 1,070 Texas Craft Beer Survey responses (926 consumers and 144 brewing industry) we were able to score each craft brewery for each category.
Criteria for inclusion in the rankings
In order to be included in the Texas Craft Brewery Rankings, craft breweries had to meet 3 criteria:
- Be independent – and carrying the Independent Craft Brewer Seal as defined by the Brewers Association
- Reported beer sales in 2018 – and so have been established for the entirety of 2019
- A member Texas Craft Brewers Guild – and so making the smallest commitment to growing the Texas Craft Beer Industry
429 breweries were considered and listed for respondents to choose from (although respondents could also write-in brewery names). 265 of the 429 Texas breweries received at least 1 consumer or brewer vote.
Appearing in the top 100 puts a brewery in approximately the top 23% of operating breweries in Texas.
To see this data in-depth, and to see the comparison of consumer perspective vs brewing industry perspective, download the Texas Craft Beer Report.
Consumer Respondents
Our 926 Texas Craft Beer Survey consumer respondents came from across the State, however, 92% of respondents live in one of 4 consumer-market areas: Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston & San Antonio.
Over 3,000 people started the survey and gave us some information however only 926 were classified as having completed the survey with enough data to contribute to the report.
The largest percentage of consumers not completing the survey had been to less than 10 Texas craft breweries and/or were from outside of the 4 metro centers mentioned in the Texas Craft Beer Report.
| Consumer Metro Area | # of respondents |
|---|---|
| Austin | 268 |
| Dallas/Fort Worth | 226 |
| Houston | 217 |
| San Antonio | 144 |
The average consumer survey respondent had been to approximately 29 Texas breweries and reported drinking at least 4 out of the 7 beer styles that we allowed them to choose from.
Texas Craft Beer Report: Beer styles that Texans drink
| Beer styles that Texans drink | State Avg | Austin | Dallas/Fort Worth | Houston | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ales & IPAs | 81% | 81% | 77% | 80% | 83% |
| Stouts & Porters | 77% | 67% | 82% | 84% | 81% |
| Hazy & NE IPAs | 76% | 72% | 76% | 75% | 82% |
| Lagers & Pilsners | 66% | 70% | 68% | 61% | 54% |
| Wild & Sours | 57% | 54% | 67% | 55% | 49% |
| Belgian | 49% | 43% | 53% | 56% | 47% |
| Wheat | 41% | 37% | 51% | 39% | 38% |
Texas Craft Beer Report: What attracts consumers to visit Texas breweries
| What is important to brewery visitors | State Avg | Austin | Dallas/Fort Worth | Houston | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taproom Atmosphere | 84% | 84% | 74% | 86% | 86% |
| Food Options | 66% | 68% | 54% | 68% | 65% |
| Dog-Friendliness | 27% | 24% | 30% | 24% | 35% |
| Live Music | 25% | 25% | 16% | 22% | 32% |
| Kid-Friendliness | 22% | 21% | 19% | 24% | 13% |
| None of the above – just the beer! | 20% | 19% | 31% | 17% | 14% |
Read more: Aled Owens, author of the Texas Craft Beer Survey, explains in more detail about the way that the consumer data was collected.