Competition in the U.S. Brewing Industry 1985, Americans spent $38 billion to buy 183 million barrels of beer of their expenditure, the remainder to was applied to taxes, 42% retailers margins, 1 to wholesalers' margins, and at an beer at (net) wholesale prices. Domestic producers supplied 96% of the market which average wholesale price of $67 per barrel The rest of section the the major U.S. brewers made and sold beer, and the industry structure that had resulted.