Breweries
Description
Establishments within the breweries sector are dedicated to the comprehensive manufacturing of beer, ale, lager, malt liquors, and nonalcoholic beer products. These operations transform raw agricultural inputs such as water, grain, hops, and yeast into finished beverages through fermentation and blending processes. Typical business activities include agricultural sourcing, grain milling, mash production, fermentation, filtration, packaging, and distribution logistics. Operators range from small family-owned craft breweries that focus on locally distributed micro-batches to large multi-state corporations producing millions of barrels annually. The scale varies significantly, with some facilities specializing exclusively in specific styles like stout or IPAs while others produce a diverse portfolio of standard lagers. Many breweries also engage in direct-to-consumer sales through taprooms and retail shops, though many still rely heavily on wholesale partners. Production capacity can be measured in barrels per year, where major industrial producers distinguish themselves by their automated filling lines and extensive inventory management systems. This industry remains a significant contributor to the beverage manufacturing landscape, balancing tradition with modern brewing technology to meet diverse consumer demands for quality, variety, and regional flavor profiles while maintaining strict quality control standards throughout the production lifecycle.
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Manufacturing 2-digit sector | The Sector as a Whole The Manufacturing sector comprises establishments engaged in the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components into new products. The assembling of component parts of manufactured products is considered manufacturing, except in cases where the activity is appropriately classified in Sector 23, Construction. Establishments in the Manufacturing sector are often described as plants, factories, or mills and characteristically use power-driven machines and material handling equipment. However, establishments that transform materials or substances into new products by hand or in the worker's home and those engaged in selling to the general public products made on the same premises from which they are sold, such as bakeries, candy stores, and custom tailors, may also be included in this sector. Manufacturing establishments may process materials or may contract with other establishments to process their materials for them. Both types of establishments are included in manufacturing. Selected industries in the Manufacturing sector are comprised solely of establishments that process materials for other establishments on a contract or fee basis. Beyond these dedicated contract manufacturing industries, establishments that process materials for other establishments are generally classified in the Manufacturing industry of the processed materials. The materials, substances, or components transformed by manufacturing establishments are raw materials that are products of agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, or quarrying as well as products of other manufacturing establishments. The materials used may be purchased directly from producers, obtained through customary trade channels, or secured without recourse to the market by transferring the product from one establishment to another, under the same ownership. The new product of a manufacturing establishment may be finished in the sense that it is ready for utilization or consumption, or it may be semi-finished to become an input for an establishment engaged in further manufacturing. For example, the product of the alumina refinery is the input used in the primary production of aluminum; primary aluminum is the input to an aluminum wire drawing plant; and aluminum wire is the input for a fabricated wire product manufacturing establishment. The subsectors in the Manufacturing sector generally reflect distinct production processes related to material inputs, production equipment, and employee skills. In the machinery area, where assembling is a key activity, parts and accessories for manufactured products are classified in the industry of the finished manufactured item when they are made for separate sale. For example, an attachment for a piece of metalworking machinery would be classified with metalworking machinery. However, component inputs from other manufacturing establishments are classified based on the production function of the component manufacturer. For example, electronic components are classified in Subsector 334, Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing, and stampings are classified in Subsector 332, Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing. Manufacturing establishments often perform one or more activities that are classified outside the Manufacturing sector of NAICS. For instance, almost all manufacturing has some captive research and development or administrative operations, such as accounting, payroll, or management. These captive services are treated the same as captive manufacturing activities. When the services are provided by separate establishments, they are classified in the NAICS sector where such services are primary, not in manufacturing. The boundaries of manufacturing and the other sectors of the classification system can be somewhat blurry. The establishments in the Manufacturing sector are engaged in the transformation of materials into new products. Their output is a new product. However, the definition of what constitutes a new product can be somewhat subjective. As clarification, the following activities are considered manufacturing in NAICS: <table width=100%><tr><td width=10%> </td><td><dl><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Milk bottling and pasteurizing;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Water bottling and processing;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Fresh fish packaging (oyster<br/> shucking, fish filleting);</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Apparel jobbing (assigning<br/> materials to contract<br/> factories or shops for<br/> fabrication or other contract<br/> operations) as well as<br/> contracting on materials<br/> owned by others;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Printing and related activities;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Ready-mix concrete production;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Leather converting;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Grinding lenses to<br/> prescription;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Wood preserving;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Lapidary work for the trade;</dt></dl></td><td width=10%> </td><td><dl><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Electroplating, plating, metal<br/> heat treating, and<br/> polishing for the trade;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Fabricating signs and<br/> advertising displays;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Rebuilding or remanufacturing<br/> machinery (i.e., automotive<br/> parts);</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Making manufactured homes<br/> (i.e., mobile homes) or<br/> prefabricated buildings,<br/> whether or not assembling/<br/> erecting at the customers'<br/> site;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Ship repair and renovation;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Machine shops; and</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Tire retreading.</dt></dl></td><td width=10%> </td></tr></table> Conversely, there are activities that are sometimes considered manufacturing, but which for NAICS are classified in another sector (i.e., not classified as manufacturing). They include: 1. Logging, classified in Sector 11, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, is considered a harvesting operation; 2. Beneficiating ores and other minerals, classified in Sector 21, Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction, is considered part of the activity of mining; 3. Constructing structures, assembling prefabricated buildings, and fabricating at the construction site by contractors are classified in Sector 23, Construction; 4. Breaking bulk and reselling in smaller lots, including packaging, repackaging, or bottling products, such as liquors or chemicals; assembling and selling computers on a custom basis; sorting and reselling scrap; mixing and selling paints to customer order; and cutting metals to customer order for resale are classified in Sector 42, Wholesale Trade, or Sector 44-45, Retail Trade; and 5. Publishing and the combined activity of publishing and printing, classified in Sector 51, Information, transform information into a product for which the value to the consumer lies in the information content, not in the format in which it is distributed (i.e., the book or software compact disc). |
| 312 | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing subsector manufacture beverages and tobacco products. The Beverage Manufacturing industry group includes three types of establishments: (1) those that manufacture nonalcoholic beverages; (2) those that manufacture alcoholic beverages through the fermentation process; and (3) those that produce distilled alcoholic beverages. Ice manufacturing, while not a beverage, is included with nonalcoholic beverage manufacturing because it uses the same production process as water purification. In the case of activities related to the manufacture of beverages, the structure follows the defined production processes. Brandy, a distilled beverage, is not placed under distillery product manufacturing, but rather under winery product manufacturing since the production process used in the manufacturing of alcoholic grape-based beverages produces both wines (fermented beverage) and brandies (distilled beverage). The Tobacco Manufacturing industry group includes two types of establishments: (1) those engaged in redrying and stemming tobacco and (2) those that manufacture tobacco products, such as cigarettes and cigars. |
| 3121 | Beverage Manufacturing 4-digit industry group | This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing soft drinks and ice; purifying and bottling water; and manufacturing brewery, winery, and distillery products. |
| 31212 | Breweries 5-digit NAICS industry | See industry description for 312120. |
| 312120 | Breweries 6-digit U.S. detail | Establishments within the breweries sector are dedicated to the comprehensive manufacturing of beer, ale, lager, malt liquors, and nonalcoholic beer products. These operations transform raw agricultural inputs such as water, grain, hops, and yeast into finished beverages through fermentation and blending processes. Typical business activities include agricultural sourcing, grain milling, mash production, fermentation, filtration, packaging, and distribution logistics. Operators range from small family-owned craft breweries that focus on locally distributed micro-batches to large multi-state corporations producing millions of barrels annually. The scale varies significantly, with some facilities specializing exclusively in specific styles like stout or IPAs while others produce a diverse portfolio of standard lagers. Many breweries also engage in direct-to-consumer sales through taprooms and retail shops, though many still rely heavily on wholesale partners. Production capacity can be measured in barrels per year, where major industrial producers distinguish themselves by their automated filling lines and extensive inventory management systems. This industry remains a significant contributor to the beverage manufacturing landscape, balancing tradition with modern brewing technology to meet diverse consumer demands for quality, variety, and regional flavor profiles while maintaining strict quality control standards throughout the production lifecycle. |
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Classification References
- 01Bottling or canning purchased malt liquors and wholesaling bottled or canned malt liquors--are classified in Industry 424810, Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers; and
- 02Manufacturing malt--are classified in U.S. Industry 311213, Malt Manufacturing.
Index Items
Ale brewing
Beer brewing
Beverages, beer, ale, and malt liquors, manufacturing
Breweries
Grain, brewers' spent, manufacturing
Lager brewing
Malt liquor brewing
Microbreweries without restaurant or bar
Near beer brewing
Nonalcoholic beer brewing
Porter brewing
Stout brewing
How Item Can Help
Item.com's Warehouse Management System streamlines the inventory tracking and order fulfillment for brewing facilities, ensuring fresh ingredients are accurately stocked while managing complex production schedules.
Data Intelligence platforms provide breweries with real-time analytics to predict sales trends and optimize recipe costs based on historical production data and market demand.
The Order Management System integrates sales channels to streamline customer orders, reducing the time needed to process and ship perishable goods directly from the brewery to the distributor.
Item.com Tools
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 312120.
Beer Institute
Leading trade association representing the global brewing industry.
Brewers Association
Primary organization for brewers and related industries in the United States.
National Association of Homebrewers
Industry body serving homebrewers and small craft breweries.
