(Courtesy Beer & Beyond / Terrapin Beer)

For the better part of a decade, the craft beer aisle has been a sea of aluminum. The satisfying crack of a freshly opened can became the unofficial soundtrack of weekend hikes, backyard barbecues, and brewery taprooms alike. But after years of relentless, industry-shifting growth, the great migration from traditional glass bottles to aluminum cans is finally tapping the brakes.

According to 2025 data from the Brewers Association, aluminum cans now account for a commanding 78% of all packaged craft beer volume in the U.S., leaving glass bottles with the remaining 22%. That’s a massive jump from just a few years ago—cans sat at 69% in 2022—but the explosive, year-over-year gains the industry once enjoyed are beginning to level off.

So, why is the aluminum juggernaut suddenly losing steam? It comes down to a mix of market saturation, economic pressure, and regional quirks.

Hitting the Aluminum Ceiling

At a certain point, growth simply runs out of room. Matt Gacioch, staff economist for the Brewers Association, has noted that the industry appears to be approaching a natural “steady state.” When nearly four out of every five craft beers on shelves are already in cans, the runway for further conversion gets shorter.

Geography plays a surprisingly big role, too. Take Rhode Island, where a staggering 92% of craft beer is canned. At that level, saturation is essentially complete. The beers that remain in bottles are likely there for good—heritage styles, wild ales, and barrel-aged releases where the ritual and presentation still matter.

On the flip side, states like Mississippi and Louisiana hover closer to 58% canned, a reminder that in some pockets of the country, the classic bottle still carries cultural weight.

Tariffs and Tough Math

Then there’s the not-so-fun business reality: cost.

Packaging has become a growing headache for independent brewers. With 25% tariffs tightening the imported aluminum market in early 2025, the financial case for switching from glass to cans isn’t as clear-cut as it once was.

Transitioning formats is expensive. Breweries that have already invested heavily in canning lines are effectively locked in. But for those still bottling, the current economic climate—combined with aluminum supply concerns—offers plenty of incentive to stay the course.

A Shift in Size, Not Just Format

Even as the bottle-versus-can battle cools, another packaging shift is gaining momentum: size.

The traditional six-pack is slowly losing ground to two extremes as value-conscious drinkers rethink how they buy beer.

• The Rise of the Stovepipe: Single-serve 19.2-ounce cans now dominate the grab-and-go cooler, accounting for roughly 60% of single craft beer sales.
• The Return of the Case: At the other end, 24-packs are quietly making a comeback. While still a small slice of the market, they were the only major pack size to post volume growth in 2025, driven by consumers chasing a lower price per ounce.

Bottom Line

Make no mistake: cans have won the war. They’re lighter, easier to transport, and do a better job protecting beer—especially hop-forward styles—from light and oxygen.

But the era of rapid takeover is over.

The can may still rule the cooler, but the glass bottle is no longer on the brink of extinction—it’s simply found its lane.

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