Some local craft breweries in Chester County and Pennsylvania reported significant growth last year after a pandemic-driven sales slump in 2020, writes Mike D’Onofrio for Axios. 

Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester and Exton, which is the seventh largest craft brewery in the state by production volume in 2021 (10.000 barrels), saw a 36 percent increase in sales last year compared to 2020. 

Sly Fox Brewing in Phoenixville, the sixth largest craft brewery in Pennsylvania (10.800 barrels), saw an increase in sales of 16 percent over that same period. 

Meanwhile, the state’s largest craft brewery, Victory Brewing in Downingtown, which produced 190.000 barrels in 2021, saw a decrease in sales of one percent compared to 2020. Levante Brewing in West Chester, the state’s ninth largest craft brewery (9.500 barrels), also reported a decrease in sales of seven percent. 

Overall, the number of craft breweries in Pennsylvania increased by over nine percent from 2020 to 2021 to reach 486. The production of craft beer also climbed in that period by 2.6 percent to more than 3.2 million barrels, making it the second-highest volume in the country, behind only California. 

Read more about the local craft breweries in Axios.