DENVER (KDVR) — If you live in or have ever been to Colorado, one thing you may notice is that Coloradans love a good brewery. Colorado has boasted the likes of breweries such as Coors, New Belgium Brewing Company, Left Hand Brewing and Odell Brewing Co. While Colorado has breweries in its DNA, beer sales are down and 41 breweries closed or left the state last year, according to a press release from the Colorado Beverage Coalition. The Colorado Beverage Coalition said that 2024 was another challenging year for Colorado brewers. Beer sales are down by 3.2% which is higher than the national average that saw a 2% decrease in 2024, according to the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division. This town recorded the coldest overnight low Monday to Tuesday night The National Brewer's Association said that more breweries, taprooms and brewpubs have been closed in Colorado than new ones have opened. It also said that Colorado has lost 140 since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. One of the most notable closures in recent memory was the Denver offices of Molson Coors shutting down in 2019. Though production still occurs at the facility in Golden, the offices were moved to Chicago. What has been known as "Coors" to many Coloradans and people globally, the Golden-based company has developed into one of the most popular beers in the world. Coors had been a staple in Colorado since its founding in 1873. “We are arguably the most important beer-producing state in America and should be proud to be the State of Craft Beer. But Colorado’s breweries are facing major challenges,” Shawnee Adelson, executive director of the Colorado Brewers Guild, said in a release. “Between inflation, supply chain issues, employee shortages, a pandemic and a downward trend of drinking, these local businesses need the support of the public and lawmakers to survive.” Colorado has the fourth most breweries per state in the United States with 468 craft breweries, trailing only Pennsylvania (530), New York (539) and California (987). Colorado also has the fifth most breweries compared to its population over 21 years old, according to the National Brewer Association. “It was an incredibly difficult decision to close our Denver taproom,” Christa Kilpatrick, former co-owner of the closed Fiction Beer Company taproom, said in a release. “The craft beer business is a difficult and demanding one, and it was time to move on to less stressful ventures.” Colorado lost 35 breweries in 2023 and 41 in 2024. “To continue to serve our community and support local jobs, Colorado’s breweries need the support of our elected officials through certainty and stability in the tax code,” Carlin Walsh, chair of the Colorado Brewers Guild and head brewer at Elevation Beer Company, said in a release. “With the highest cost increases in generations and people drinking less, tax increases would only make it harder for our local businesses to invest in hiring and expansion.” City of Denver could limit new gas station development The 468 breweries in Colorado were responsible for creating 63,000 jobs, $4 billion in wages and $12.7 billion in economic activity for the state, according to the press release.