Brewer's Number
A brewer's number is the unique TTB identifier assigned to each brewery authorized to produce malt beverages in the United States, required for COLA applications and production reporting.
In Plain English
A brewer's number is the TTB identification for a brewery, similar to how distilleries get DSP numbers and wineries get BW numbers. It follows the format BR-XX-XXX-NNNN, where the XX is the state code. Every commercial brewery in the United States must have a brewer's notice (the brewery equivalent of a basic permit) and a corresponding brewer's number to legally produce beer. There is an important catch though: unlike distillery and winery permits, brewery permits are NOT included in the TTB's public permit data. This is because brewery operations are classified under the Internal Revenue Code rather than the FAA Act, and IRC Section 6103 protects this tax return information from public disclosure.
Technical Detail
Breweries obtain their authorization through the brewer's notice process under 26 U.S.C. 5401 and 27 CFR Part 25, rather than through the basic permit process under the FAA Act. The brewer's number is assigned upon TTB approval of the Notice of Registration (TTB Form 5130.10). The format includes a state identifier and sequential number. While breweries must have approved COLAs for their malt beverage products, the brewery identification information in COLAs is protected under IRC Section 6103. This is why the TTB publishes permit data for distillers, wineries, importers, and wholesalers but not for breweries. As of the most recent TTB data, there are over 9,000 active breweries in the United States, but this information comes from industry surveys and tax receipts rather than public permit listings.
Why It Matters
The distinction between brewery permits and other permit types creates a data gap in market intelligence. Service providers cannot simply pull a list of breweries from TTB public data the way they can for distilleries and wineries. However, breweries do appear in COLA filing data when they submit label approvals for their products. BevAlc Intelligence captures brewery information through their COLA filings rather than through permit data, providing an alternative way to identify and track active brewing companies.
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are brewery permits not public information?
Brewery operations are authorized under the Internal Revenue Code rather than the FAA Act, and IRC Section 6103 protects certain tax return information from public disclosure. The TTB classifies brewery permit data as protected tax information, so it cannot be published in the same way distillery and winery permits are.
How can I find out if a company has a brewery permit?
While direct permit verification is not publicly available, you can identify active breweries through their COLA filings in the TTB database, through state licensing records which are often public, or through industry directories and association memberships.
How many breweries are there in the United States?
As of 2025, there are approximately 9,500 active breweries in the United States, including craft breweries, regional breweries, and large national producers. This count comes from industry surveys and TTB tax receipt data rather than public permit listings.