This is my third annual annotated list of the Top 50 so you can see who moved up and down, who was new to the list and who dropped off. So here is this year’s list again annotated with how they changed compared to last year.
- Anheuser-Busch InBev; #1 last year, no surprises, apart from the name change
- MillerCoors; ditto for #2, including a name change
- Pabst Brewing; Moved up 1, thanks to Miller/Coors merger
- Boston Beer Co.; Moved up 1, thanks to M/C, before that 2 years at #5
- D. G. Yuengling and Son; Moved up 1, thanks to M/C
- Sierra Nevada Brewing; Moved up 1, thanks to M/C
- Craft Brewers Alliance; Widmer moved up 4 & Redhook 5 as a combined company
- New Belgium Brewing; Same as last year
- High Falls Brewing; Same as last year
- Spoetzl Brewery; Same as last year
- Pyramid Breweries; Up 2 spots, their 2nd two spot jump in a row
- Deschutes Brewery; Up 4 from #16 last year
- Iron City Brewing (fka Pittsburgh Brewing); Up 4 from #17 last year
- Minhas Craft Brewery; Up 1 over last year
- Matt Brewing; Down 1 spot, switched places with Minhas
- Boulevard Brewing; Up 2 from #18 last year
- Full Sail Brewing; Up 2 from #19 last year
- Magic Hat Brewing; Up 4 from #22
- Alaskan Brewing; Up 2 from #21 last year
- Harpoon Brewery; Same as last year
- Bell’s Brewery; Up 3 from #24 last year
- Goose Island Beer; Up 3 from #25 last year
- Kona Brewing; Shot up 14 from #37 last year, after dropping Down 14 the year before
- Anchor Brewing; Down 1 from #23, 2nd year Down 1
- August Schell Brewing; Up 1 from #26 last year
- Shipyard Brewing; Up 1 from #27 last year
- Summit Brewing; Up 1 from #28 last year
- Stone Brewing; Up 5 from 33, after moving Up 4 last year & 11 the year before
- Mendocino Brewing; Same as last year
- Abita Brewing; Same as last year
- Brooklyn Brewery; Up 1 from #32 last year
- New Glarus Brewing; Up 4 from #36, after dropping 1 last year, but jumping 10 spots the year before
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Up 5 from #38, after being Up 4 the year before
- Long Trail Brewing; Up 1 #35
- Gordon Biersch Brewing; Down 4 from #31, from Down 6 the previous year
- Rogue Ales; Down 2 from #34, canceling being Up 2 the year before
- Great Lakes Brewing; Up 3 from #40
- Lagunitas Brewing; Up 3 for 2nd year, this time from #41 last year
- Firestone Walker Brewing; Same as last year
- Sweetwater Brewing; Up 3 for second time, this time from #43 last year
- Flying Dog Brewery; Up 1 from #42 last year
- BJs Restaurant & Brewery; Up 7 from #49 last year
- Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants; Up 2 from #45 last year
- BridgePort Brewing; Same as last year
- Odell Brewing; Up 3 from #48 last year
- Victory Brewing; Up 4 from #50 last year
- Straub Brewery; Same as last year, after dropping 4 the previous year
- Cold Spring Brewery (fka Gluek Brewing); Down 2 from #46 last year
- Mac and Jack’s Brewery; Redmond WA; Not in Top 50 last year
- Big Sky Brewing; Missoula MT; Not in Top 50 last year
Unlike last year, no breweries dropped off the list, primarily because consolidation in the market cased many to rise a couple of places, making room for two new breweries on the list.