Craft breweries continue to face the consequences of a national trend of American adults drinking less alcohol, as a Gallup Poll survey found, for the second year in a row in 2026, that 54% of U.S. adults ages 18 and over drink alcohol, matching the all-time low from 2025, which was the lowest number since 1939.
The share of American drinkers has fallen sharply since 2022 when 67% of U.S. adults drank alcohol, according to Gallup’s Consumption Habits survey.
Craft brewer volume sales declined by 4% in 2025, while retail dollar sales decreased by 2.8% to $28 billion, which accounts for 24.8% of the $113 billion U.S. beer market, the Brewers Association said.
Craft breweries have found it difficult to remain in business as the number of operating craft breweries declined by 2.9% to 9,578 in 2025, the association said.
One of the industry’s original breweries is closing shop for good, though the owners have not said anything about financial distress. They claim it’s time to retire.
Shutterstock
Triple Rock Brewery closes
Iconic Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse, one of the first five brewpubs to open in the U.S. after prohibition, plans to close its business by the end of 2026 after over 40 years of operating in Berkeley, Calif.
The brewery, which claims to be the oldest continuously operating brewpub in the U.S., is closing as its founders are looking toward retirement, according to a Sept. 17, 2026, statement.
“After 40 years, we are ready to spend less time navigating the day-to-day and more time exploring some of the other things we have put off along the way,” Triple Rock Brewery Co-founder John Martin said.
Brewery for sale or lease
The brewery’s founders, brothers John and Reid Martin, who own the building, said they plan to offer the Downtown Berkeley property for sale or lease.
The Martins originally opened the brewery as Roaring Rock Brewery on March 14, 1986, but later changed the name after a legal battle with Rolling Rock Brewing. The brewery has brewed 5,884 batches of beer, equal to more than 41,000 total barrels and over 10 million pints, according to the statement.
The Triple Rock founders built several other award-winning brewpubs and bars in California and Washington, including Twenty Tank Brewery in San Francisco, Big Time Brewery in Seattle, Drake’s Brewing in San Leandro, Calif., Drake’s Dealership in Oakland, and Jupiter in Berkeley.
Influenced other craft brewers
In addition to establishing their own brewpubs, many well-known brewers developed their craft at Triple Rock and went on to establish or lead respected breweries, such as Shaun O’Sullivan at 21st Amendment Brewery, which closed its San Francisco taproom and San Leandro brewery in November 2025 after 25 years; Rodger Davis of Faction Brewing; and Christian Kazakoff of Canyon Club.
“In the early days, many times we would have to explain what a ‘brewpub’ actually was,” John Martin said.
The City of Berkeley’s staff was among those who were unfamiliar with brewpubs when the Martins started. The city told the brothers that the microbrewery needed to be in an industrial part of town, not in the downtown business district.
“You have to remember that in those days there was very little small-batch beer made in America, it was almost all industrial stuff produced by huge breweries,” Reid Martin said.
Closing events planned
Triple Rock Brewery plans several events to celebrate the brewpub’s Berkeley history, such as special throwback celebrations featuring 1980s pricing and the return of favorite seasonal and specialty beers from Triple Rock’s brewing archives.
“We would love to see the community stop in to enjoy a few pints with friends, tell stories, and take in the old school atmosphere while it remains,” John Martin said.
Triple Rock has some good news for Cal fans and students, as the brewery expects to remain open through the end of nearby University of California Berkeley’s fall semester, which concludes Dec. 18, 2026.
Related: Burger franchisee closes 60 stores, files Chapter 11 bankruptcy
