Swiss craft beer in the brewing landscape

The foamy revolution that is reshaping Switzerland

Imagine a country with 32 breweries in 1990. Now multiply that number by 40—no, that's not a miscalculation after an overenthusiastic tasting. In 2021, the 1,278 breweries produced approximately 3.4 million hectoliters of beer , and this creative explosion is transforming our relationship with beer, one bubble at a time.

With more than 1,200 beer producers, Switzerland has the highest number of breweries per capita, at 14 per 100,000 inhabitants, a world record that places our small Alpine country ahead of the traditional hop giants. We've been at the forefront of this metamorphosis since 2014, witnesses but above all actors in a movement that extends far beyond our stainless steel vats.

Because behind every new brewery, an entire ecosystem comes to life: from barley fields to tasting tables, from R&D labs to local festivals, craft brewing is redrawing the economic and cultural map of Switzerland. This revolution isn't limited to statistics—it's disrupting our traditions, our territories, and our very way of understanding conviviality.

From 32 to 1278 - The creative explosion that shakes up the codes

The figures of a spectacular metamorphosis

The number of producers exploded, from 32 in 1990 to 1,278 in 2021—growth that would make any Silicon Valley startup green with envy. This dizzying rise can be explained by a major historical event: the dissolution in 1991 of the beer cartel , a convention that had strictly regulated the market since 1935. Each member brewery was assigned an exclusive distribution radius, prices were fixed, and only four types of beer were allowed: pale lager, special lager, dark lager, and strong lager. This sudden liberalization opened the floodgates of brewing creativity like never before, finally allowing brewers to explore beyond imposed styles and conquer new territories.

The geographical distribution tells a fascinating story, with each canton becoming a unique chapter. More than half of the brewery-oriented tourist communities are located in the three cantons of Uri, Valais, and Graubünden, but the phenomenon is affecting the entire region with surprising force. The Swiss Brewery Association continues to welcome new members, as evidenced by the recent membership of Landskroner Bräu AG in Grellingen, La Nébuleuse SA in Renens, and Brauerei Hardwald AG in Wallisellen in May 2025—proof that this creative dynamic is unabated.

To put these figures into perspective, Switzerland, with its 14 breweries per 100,000 inhabitants, even surpasses Germany, which has only 1.8 per 100,000 inhabitants despite its legendary brewing reputation. We have literally transformed our small territory into a veritable laboratory of brewing innovation, proving that the size of a country has nothing to do with the intensity of its creativity and allowing us to understand the differences between craft and industrial beers . It is in this effervescent context that the rise of craft beers in French-speaking Switzerland is redefining the codes of the sector, creating a new geography of taste.

From dusty bistro to temple of tasting

Consumer codes are evolving at breakneck speed, radically transforming the way we enjoy beer. Beer tourism has grown alongside this exponential growth, transforming traditional bistros into truly sophisticated beer bars where wine cellars now share space with beer cellars guarded like liquid treasures.

Tasting is becoming an art in its own right, almost a science. Vertical sessions compare vintages of the same beer with the precision of a seasoned oenologist, while food pairings now rival the most sophisticated food and wine pairings. Our Moonshine , this Belgian white that stubbornly refuses clichés, perfectly embodies this new approach: as at home in a trendy Zurich bar as on a sunny Valais terrace, it blithely transcends traditional categories.

The cultural excitement surrounding beer is reaching unprecedented heights. There are now more than 50 hikes and 60 beer festivals organized each year in Switzerland, transforming our valleys into taste trails where each stop reveals a new facet of the craft. From small local markets to mega-urban events, each weekend becomes an opportunity for discovery where beer and gastronomy reveal their mutual secrets , creating a taste alchemy that redefines our culinary traditions.

The domino effect on the local economic ecosystem

The economic impact extends far beyond mere production figures, creating a positive ripple effect throughout the local economy. Many of these new brewers have started small family businesses or remain passionate amateurs who transform their garages into micro-brewing labs— each brewery becoming an economic catalyst that irrigates its territory with new opportunities.

Beer tourism is experiencing explosive growth, surprising even the most optimistic. Craft breweries are partnering with local stakeholders to create themed hikes where visitors explore our magnificent landscapes while discovering the art of brewing. Since 2015, no fewer than 178 beer festivals and more than 200 hikes have sprung up in various regions, transforming Switzerland into a must-see destination for discerning beer enthusiasts from around the world.

But it is perhaps in agriculture that the revolution is most tangible. Swiss hops are becoming an aromatic treasure that international brewers envy, with local varieties developing unique profiles, true fingerprints of our Alpine terroirs. This agricultural renaissance is creating a virtuous circle where the best opportunities to enjoy a craft beer are naturally multiplying, weaving a new social bond around craft culture.

Collaborative DNA - When competition becomes synergy

Shared brews, collective innovation laboratories

In the Swiss brewing world, something magical happens: competition gives way to collaboration , transforming potential rivals into creative allies. It's a lot of fun to brew a small batch of beer, play with the flavors, and see if the result matches the original intention—a philosophy of sharing that transforms our industry into a true open-air collaborative laboratory.

Collaborative brewing between artisans is thus becoming the new norm, not the exception. Brewers in Geneva are merging their expertise with their counterparts in Grisons, creating beers impossible to conceive alone—creations that tell the story of two terroirs, two visions, united in a single glass. Knowledge circulates like open-source code in Silicon Valley, but with more foam and infinitely more conviviality.

Environmental challenges and disruptive solutions

Faced with climate challenges, our breweries are transforming into veritable circular economy laboratories, proving that ecology and taste excellence are a perfectly matched pair. Spent grains—the malted residue that was once shamelessly thrown away—now feed local livestock , are transformed into energy bars for athletes, or even become the breeding ground for gourmet mushrooms. Creative recycling that would make even the most innovative cleantech startups green with envy.

Carbon dioxide capture from fermentation, long considered brewing science fiction, is becoming our everyday reality. Ingenious systems recover the carbon dioxide naturally produced by our hardworking yeasts to reinject it during carbonation - zero emissions, zero guilt, 100% natural bubbles. Our Zepp , with its production process optimized down to the smallest detail, embodies this new generation where environmental performance and taste excellence dance together.

While the challenges remain daunting, rather than giving up, the industry is rolling up its sleeves and innovating like never before. NASA-worthy water recovery systems, revolutionary biodegradable packaging, short supply chains optimized by artificial intelligence... Sustainability is being written one sip at a time , transforming each challenge into a creative opportunity.

The Future is Written in Bubbles - Biotech, AI and Beyond

Technological innovation is transforming our practices at a speed that would make a laboratory centrifuge dizzy. The application of machine learning via Big Data can be used in various applications in the beer industry—a phrase that would have been laughed off ten years ago, but today is part of the industry's vocabulary. It is now possible to predict the percentage of fermented beer in each batch and when to move on to the next stage of production. AI is making its way into recipe and process optimization, and yet... the artisanal soul remains intact, more alive than ever.

Immersive experiences are revolutionizing the way we share our passion. Augmented reality that reveals the story of each hop with a simple scan, virtual tours of our cellars from your couch, NFTs of ultra-limited brews for 3.0 collectors—the future is being built in our tanks, a fascinating blend where the age-old tradition of brewing meets the most cutting-edge technologies without ever compromising.

Switzerland, the new beacon of global craftsmanship

In mountain regions, tourism is a major economic driver, and craft beer is gradually becoming a new first-class wagon. Our small Alpine country, once known for its watches and chocolate, has been transformed into a laboratory of brewing innovation where each valley now hides its hoppy gem. La Nébuleuse is riding this golden wave from our Renens vats, actively participating in this collective adventure that is redefining Swiss identity one beer at a time.

Of course, it's not all roses (or gold, let's stick with the theme). Three years after the 2021 peak, the country has 86 fewer breweries —a slight decline that reminds us that even the best fermentations sometimes misfire. Current economic challenges test our resilience like a high-temperature fermentation tests our yeast. But here's the Swiss miracle: passion remains intact, bubbling even, and consumers support their local breweries with a loyalty that warms the heart more surely than a winter stout.

The future? It's already fizzing in our fermenters like an effervescent promise. New hop varieties that adapt to our changing alpine climate, symbiotic partnerships with organic farmers who understand that land and beer share the same soul, bold experiments that would make Louis Pasteur himself raise an eyebrow in admiration. This revolution goes far beyond our glasses—it's a whole swathe of Swiss culture that's fermenting, bubbling, and reinventing itself.

So, are you ready to dive into this perpetually fermenting universe? Each Swiss brewery now tells its own story, each creation becoming a liquid manifesto that reflects its terroir, its philosophy, its vision of craft. We've moved from a uniform market dictated by the cartel to a creative mosaic where innovation rubs shoulders with tradition, where the local dialogues with the global. Because ultimately, this entire frothy revolution has only one simple and essential goal: to restore meaning to what we drink, to transform consumption into an experience, and to prove that another way of producing and enjoying beer is possible.

Cheers 🍻