Survey on How Craft Beer is Consumed and Discovered - New Encounters Driven Mainly by 'In-Store Discovery' and 'Word-of-Mouth' -
Ishii Shokai LLC released a survey on craft beer consumer behavior. 73% enjoy trying different brands, mostly drinking at home on weekends, and discovering new beers primarily in-store or through word-of-mouth.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 31, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 13:39 (17h 39m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 02:17 (492h 37m after Collected)
Ishii Shokai LLC (Machida City, Tokyo) conducted a "Survey on Craft Beer - The Reality of Consumer Behavior and Store Selection -" targeting individuals who have drunk craft beer within the last 3 months and drink it at least once every 2 to 3 months.
[Survey Background]
While the number of domestic craft beer breweries is approaching 1,000 as of 2025, their market share remained at just 1.72% in fiscal 2023.
Given these changes in the market environment, we conducted this survey to understand the drinking realities, behaviors, and attitudes of craft beer drinkers.
[Survey Results Topics]
* Over 70% of drinkers replied, "Trying various brands and styles is fun."
* The primary drinking scene is "at home on weekends and holidays," followed by "at taprooms and craft beer specialty stores on weekends and holidays."
* New encounters are primarily through 'in-store discovery' and 'introductions and word-of-mouth from friends and acquaintances.'
* In a preliminary survey of 13,554 people, only 5.1% had drunk craft beer within the last 3 months.
[Survey Summary]
* Survey period: March 17-18, 2026
* Target audience: People who have drunk craft beer in the past 3 months and drink it at least once every 2-3 months.
* Survey method: Internet survey using Uni-Research
* Number of valid responses: 431
[Over 70% of Drinkers Answered 'Trying Various Brands and Styles is Fun']
As a tendency when enjoying craft beer, "trying various brands and styles is fun (73.0%)" scored the highest, indicating that exploration and curiosity are at the core of craft beer consumption. This was followed by "drinking on the occasion of trips or events (68.9%)" and "relaxing alone / as a reward for myself (66.6%)," showing a high affinity with special occasions and personal time.
*Numbers in parentheses are the total of "Applies" and "Somewhat applies."
[Drinking Scenes are Primarily 'At Home on Weekends', followed by 'Taprooms/Specialty Stores on Weekends']
The most common scene for drinking craft beer was "at home on weekends and holidays" at 59.9%, followed by "at taprooms and craft beer specialty stores on weekends and holidays" at 41.1%, "at home on weekdays" at 38.5%, and "before or after events" at 35.0%.
[Survey Background]
While the number of domestic craft beer breweries is approaching 1,000 as of 2025, their market share remained at just 1.72% in fiscal 2023.
Given these changes in the market environment, we conducted this survey to understand the drinking realities, behaviors, and attitudes of craft beer drinkers.
[Survey Results Topics]
* Over 70% of drinkers replied, "Trying various brands and styles is fun."
* The primary drinking scene is "at home on weekends and holidays," followed by "at taprooms and craft beer specialty stores on weekends and holidays."
* New encounters are primarily through 'in-store discovery' and 'introductions and word-of-mouth from friends and acquaintances.'
* In a preliminary survey of 13,554 people, only 5.1% had drunk craft beer within the last 3 months.
[Survey Summary]
* Survey period: March 17-18, 2026
* Target audience: People who have drunk craft beer in the past 3 months and drink it at least once every 2-3 months.
* Survey method: Internet survey using Uni-Research
* Number of valid responses: 431
[Over 70% of Drinkers Answered 'Trying Various Brands and Styles is Fun']
As a tendency when enjoying craft beer, "trying various brands and styles is fun (73.0%)" scored the highest, indicating that exploration and curiosity are at the core of craft beer consumption. This was followed by "drinking on the occasion of trips or events (68.9%)" and "relaxing alone / as a reward for myself (66.6%)," showing a high affinity with special occasions and personal time.
*Numbers in parentheses are the total of "Applies" and "Somewhat applies."
[Drinking Scenes are Primarily 'At Home on Weekends', followed by 'Taprooms/Specialty Stores on Weekends']
The most common scene for drinking craft beer was "at home on weekends and holidays" at 59.9%, followed by "at taprooms and craft beer specialty stores on weekends and holidays" at 41.1%, "at home on weekdays" at 38.5%, and "before or after events" at 35.0%.