Home brewing is supported by a broad network of clubs, specialist retailers, repeat customers, and competitions. The available figures span the AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019, the 2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey, and AHA membership and competition information published for 2025. Together, they show how home brewing communities are organized, where they meet, how shops operate, and how participation reaches national scale.
Contents
- Homebrew clubs at a glance
- Club age, membership, and regional differences
- How clubs operate and meet
- Homebrew shop structure and customer activity
- Sales, spending, and shop performance
- Marketing, membership, and organized competition
Homebrew clubs at a glance
The AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019 collected 113 responses. That represented about 5% of the 2,210 clubs registered with the American Homebrewers Association (AHA). The survey therefore describes responding clubs rather than every registered club, an important distinction when interpreting the percentages below.
Club structures varied considerably. Among responding clubs, 43% reported no organized structure, while 29% were 501(c)(7) social or recreational organizations. Another 14% were 501(c)(3) educational or charitable organizations, 9% were incorporated or LLCs, and 8% selected another organizational type (AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019).
The clubs also reported a wide range of annual budgets. All clubs combined reported total annual budgets of $172,530, with an average of $1,159.25. The reported totals and averages by organizational type were:
| Club organization | Reported total annual budget | Reported average |
|---|---|---|
| 501(c)(3) educational or charitable | $95,800 | $7,983.33 |
| 501(c)(7) social or recreational | $55,570 | $1,792.58 |
| Incorporated or LLC | $2,500 | $416.67 |
| No organized structure | $8,160 | $209.00 |
| All clubs combined | $172,530 | $1,159.25 |
Insurance was not universal. In the survey, 61.47% of responding clubs said they were insured through AHA general and liquor liability insurance, while 38.57% said they were not (AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019).
Club age, membership, and regional differences
The responding clubs included both newer groups and long-running organizations. Sixty-three percent had existed for 10 years or less, and 35% had existed for five years or less. The average age of all clubs that answered was 13 years (AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019).
Regional results showed differences in both club size and composition. The West supplied 37 survey responses, compared with 21 from the Midwest, 26 from the South, and 23 from the Northeast. West-region clubs averaged 15 years in age and 76 members. Midwest clubs averaged 13 years and 37 members; South clubs averaged 10 years and 46 members; and Northeast clubs averaged 14 years and 47 members (AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019).
| Region | Survey responses | Average club age | Average members | Average female share | Average non-white share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West | 37 | 15 years | 76 | 16% | 13% |
| Midwest | 21 | 13 years | 37 | 18% | 12% |
| South | 26 | 10 years | 46 | 15% | 17% |
| Northeast | 23 | 14 years | 47 | 20% | 20% |
The survey reported that women represented 16% of members on average in West-region clubs, 18% in the Midwest, 15% in the South, and 20% in the Northeast. The reported average non-white shares were 13% in the West, 12% in the Midwest, 17% in the South, and 20% in the Northeast (AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019).
These are survey averages for responding clubs, not population estimates for every homebrewer in each region. They are most useful for comparing the participating club groups within the survey.
How clubs operate and meet
Meeting frequency and attendance depended on club size. Eighty percent of clubs met in person about once per month. Average attendance was 79% of members in clubs with 10 or fewer members, 72% in clubs with 11 to 25 members, 56% in clubs with 26 to 50 members, 40% in clubs with 51 to 100 members, and 26% in clubs with more than 100 members. Across all clubs, average attendance was 57% of members (AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019).
Commercial breweries were the most commonly reported regular meeting location, used by 71% of clubs. Other regular locations included private residences at 33%, homebrew supply shops at 29%, restaurants or bars at 24%, community facilities or venues at 14%, and dedicated clubhouses at 7% (AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019).
Meeting locations were relatively stable for many clubs: 57% generally met in the same place every time, while 37% used a different venue each meeting (AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019).
Bottle shares were especially common. Eighty-one percent of clubs held homebrew bottle-share events regularly, defined in the survey as six or more times per year. Educational presentations reached 36%, commercial-beer bottle shares 31%, homebrew competitions 12%, and group brew days 11% at that same regularity threshold. Fourteen percent reported regular BJCP/Cicerone training, and 14% reported regular raffles (AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019).
Other recurring activities were less common: 7% held brewery tours or pub crawls, 6% taught homebrew classes, 5% volunteered at local beer events, 4% held club parties, 4% made bulk ingredient purchases, and 4% volunteered or fundraised for charitable organizations six or more times per year (AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019).
Digital presence varied by platform. Seventy-three percent of clubs maintained a Facebook Group, 70% a Facebook Page, and 59% a website. Instagram was used by 30%, Twitter by 22%, Google Groups by 10%, and Slack by 7%. LinkedIn and MeetUp were each reported by 2% of clubs, while 1% used Flickr (AHA Homebrew Club Survey 2019).
Homebrew shop structure and customer activity
The 2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey included shops in 48 states. Shops had been open under the current proprietor for an average of 10.4 years, with a median tenure of 5.0 years. Thirty-seven percent of respondents had been in business under the current proprietor for more than 10 years, while 37% had been open for three years or less and 7% had been under the current proprietor for less than one year (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
Homebrew retail was not always the main business. Thirty-six percent of homebrew retailers said homebrew or home winemaking was not their primary source of income. Those businesses derived an average of 22.6% of total sales revenue from homebrew or winemaking supplies (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
Across all shops, the average total size was 5,400 square feet and the median size was 2,000 square feet. An average of 66% of space was dedicated to retail. Shops where home beverage-making supplies were the primary source of income averaged 3,422 square feet, with a median of 1,800 square feet and 66% of space devoted to retail.
Among primary-income shops that did not have 70% or more of sales through online or mail order, the average size was 2,370 square feet, the median was 1,800 square feet, and 68% of space was retail. Shops open at least five years averaged 5,367 square feet, with a 2,125-square-foot median and 62% retail space. Shops open less than one year averaged 1,627 square feet, with a 1,400-square-foot median and 63% retail space (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
The typical shop was open six days per week and 49 hours per week on average. Shops employed an average of four full-time workers, three part-time workers, and six total workers, including owners (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
Customer activity was substantial in the survey. Shops had an average of 5,444 individual customers who made at least one purchase in the last year. Shops primarily selling home beverage-making supplies averaged 6,298 such customers. Customers visited shops an average of 9.05 times per year overall, with beer-brewing customers averaging 9.88 visits and wine-making customers averaging 5.67 visits (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
Beginner equipment kits also showed reported growth. Beginner homebrew equipment kits had an average sales increase of 23.7% and a median increase of 15.0%. Beginner winemaking equipment kits had an average increase of 21.4% and a median increase of 10.0% (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
Sales, spending, and shop performance
The overall average sale per purchase fell in the $26–$50 range. For beer ingredients, 63.0% of purchases fell in that range, 16.5% fell in the $51–$75 range, and 2.2% fell in the $76–$100 range. The survey separately reported that 66.5% of wine-ingredient sales averaged more than $50 per purchase (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
Revenue measures differed sharply by shop type. All shops averaged $113.92 in annual gross revenue per square foot. Home beverage-making-only shops averaged $217.28 per square foot, while those without 70% or more online sales averaged $105.15. The comparable figure for those shops open at least five years was $107.96 per square foot (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
Shops not primarily selling home beverage-making supplies reported average gross revenue of $81,198 in 2013, with a median of $56,000. Home beverage-making supplies represented 21% of gross revenue for those shops on average. Across all shops, fourth-quarter gross revenue averaged $371,057 in 2013, with a median of $91,070 (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
Year-over-year results were mixed. Forty-four percent of respondents saw fourth-quarter gross-revenue growth of 10% or more from 2012 to 2013, while 37% saw growth of 20% or more. Nineteen percent reported a decline, and those declining respondents averaged an 11% year-over-year decrease. Ten percent reported no growth (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
All shops averaged $120,823 in net income for 2013, with a median of $37,500. Primary-income shops averaged $134,529, also with a $37,500 median. Primary-income shops without 70% or more online sales averaged $83,343, with a $29,821 median. For that same group open at least five years, average net income was $116,738 and median net income was $38,750 (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
Marketing, membership, and organized competition
Facebook was the leading marketing platform in the shop survey: 89% of retailers used it for marketing. Retailers spent an average of 6.5% of gross revenue on marketing and advertising, while the median was 5.0%. A reported 1.8% spent nothing, and 13.9% spent more than 10% of gross revenue on marketing or advertising (2014 AHA Homebrew Shop Survey).
The AHA Monthly Membership 2025 offer listed a price of $4.99 per month, more than 2,000 member discounts, more than 1,375 trusted recipes, and more than 540 instructional videos. Its membership pitch cited more than 3,900 reasons to sign up. The AHA Book Offer 2025 described a one-year offer including more than 60 qualifying Brewers Publications books, access to more than 600 medal-winning recipes, and savings at more than 1,800 AHA Member Deal locations. Zymurgy was described there as the homebrewer’s companion since 1978.
Competition participation provides another measure of organized home brewing. The 2025 National Homebrew Competition received 2,974 entries, including 1,086 AHA members. The event involved 48 states, Washington, D.C., and seven countries. It awarded 120 medals across 40 categories, with nine major awards presented (AHA Home Page 2025; AHA NHC 2025 Winners).
The AHA NHC 2025 Winners information says the National Homebrew Competition has evaluated more than 169,000 entries since 1979. A 2026 NHC Sponsor Prospectus states that the first competition in 1979 had 34 entries. These are historical figures reported by the AHA, and the earlier total should be read as a retrospective organizational figure rather than as a newly reconstructed series (AHA NHC 2025 Winners; NHC Sponsor Prospectus 2026).