Packaging Mix

Beer is a fragile product susceptible to damage from exposure to light, heat, oxygen and other contaminants. As such, proper packaging is critical to ensuring that the beer drinker gets only the finest, freshest beer possible. Packaging innovations can also enhance the enjoyment of beer in other ways, from making it easier to carry to allowing it to stay colder for longer. The Beer Institute works with its members, other allied associations and government agencies to provide a holistic view of the beer packaging landscape. 

2025 Packaging Report

The Beer Institute updated Packaging Mix Report is the longest-running source of beer packaging trends dating back to 1981. It is the most comprehensive time series on beer packaging showing the distribution of beer volume by aluminum cans, glass bottles and kegs by state. 

The current distribution for 2025 is 63.4% aluminum cans, 27.1% glass bottles and 9.6% draft. Draft beer has gained 3.8 percentage points since 2020 as the on-premise has gained share within the industry in recent years, though it remains below its 2019 level of 10.4%. Cans remain the most common packaging for beer at nearly two-thirds of beer. Yet, the overall packaging mix for the beer over the past few years has stabilized. 

Imported beer continues to skew toward glass packaging more heavily than the overall U.S. market. In 2025, imported beer volume was 53% glass bottles, 41% aluminum cans and 6% draft, reflecting the traditional bottle-forward packaging mix of many leading import brands. 

Methodology 

This updated report covers the past two years for 2024 and 2025. This edition introduces a new methodology that leverages the Beer Institute’s Sales-to-Retailer data, which covers 88.1% of beer industry volume, to estimate industry package mix with greater accuracy. The Beer Institute thanks Vermont Information Processing for providing the underlying data that makes this analysis possible. 

If you are a member of the media, please contact media@beerinstitute.org with questions. 

Additional Information for Beer Institute Members

Full 2025 Packaging Mix data is available in our Members Only portal here: https://www.beerinstitute.org/member%20items/2025-packaging-mix-report/