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Top 50 Breweries For 2023

April 17, 2024 By Jay Brooks

The Brewers Association yesterday announced the top 50 breweries and craft breweries in the U.S. based on sales, by volume, for 2023, which is listed below here. I should also mention that this represents “craft breweries” according to the BA’s membership definition, and not necessarily how most of us would define them, as there’s no universally agreed upon way to differentiate the two. For a number of years now, they’ve also released a list of the top 50 breweries, which includes all breweries. In the past I’ve posted the two lists separately, but last year decided going forward to present them together since the two are increasingly intermingled.

I confess I used to look more forward to this list every year as it represented greater and wider acceptance of craft in the marketplace, but it doesn’t seem to hold the same thrill for me anymore, perhaps I’m getting jaded. Part of my malaise I think comes from the fact that consolidation has become such a part of the current landscape that it’s in a sense how things were before the rise of craft beer. There’s nothing inherently wrong this, it’s a natural part in the evolution of any industry. But as an old-timer in this nascent craft industry, it was the independent spirit of the early brewery pioneers that built the foundation of today’s beer scene. And seeing it contract into mini-conglomerates and empires, however natural, is not very pleasant to watch. Of the top ten, six of them are groups of two or more breweries, and number one is Yuengling, which is an old guard brewery that’s small and independent in name only, not in spirit (that’s not a knock on Yuengling, at least it’s not meant to be). It’s understandable, but no less disheartening, and will undoubtedly continue for the foreseeable future. Anyway, here is this year’s craft brewery list:

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies

RankCompanyCityState
1D. G. Yuengling and Son IncPottsvillePA
2Boston Beer CoBoston, MiltonMA, DE
3Sierra Nevada Brewing CoChicoCA
4Duvel Moortgat USAPaso Robles, Kansas City, CooperstownCA, MO, NY
5GambrinusShiner, BerkeleyTX, CA
6Tilray Beer BrandsAtlanta, Montauk, San Diego, Bend, Seattle, Portland, Breckenridge, PatchogueGA, NY, CA, OR, WA, OR, CO, NY
7Artisanal Brewing VenturesDowningtown, Lakewood, BrooklynPA, NY, NY
8Brooklyn BreweryBrooklynNY
9Monster BrewingLongmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, DallasCO, FL, UT, MI, TX
10Athletic Brewing CompanyMilfordCT
11New Glarus Brewing CoNew GlarusWI
12Deschutes BreweryBendOR
13Matt Brewing CoUticaNY
14Gordon Biersch Brewing CoSan JoseCA
15Allagash Brewing CompanyPortlandME
16Georgetown Brewing CoSeattleWA
17Great Lakes Brewing CompanyClevelandOH
18Harpoon BreweryBostonMA
19Stevens Point BreweryStevens PointWI
20Three Floyds BrewingMunsterIN
21Pittsburgh Brewing CoPittsburghPA
22Rhinegeist BreweryCincinnatiOH
23Narragansett Brewing CoPawtucketRI
24August Schell Brewing CompanyNew UlmMN
25Odell Brewing CoFort CollinsCO
26Craft ‘Ohana (Maui/Modern Times)Kihei, San DiegoHI, CA
27Troegs Brewing CoHersheyPA
28Fiddlehead BrewingShelburneVT
29Minhas Craft BreweryMonroeWI
30Kings & Convicts BrewingSan DiegoCA
31Alaskan Brewing Co.JuneauAK
32Kona Brewing HawaiiKailua-KonaHI
33Abita Brewing CoCovingtonLA
34Creature Comforts Brewing Co.AthensGA
35Great Frontier HoldingsEugene, PortlandOR, OR
36BrewDog Brewing CoCanal WinchesterOH
37Summit Brewing CoSt. PaulMN
38Jack’s Abby Brewing, LLCFraminghamMA
39Revolution BrewingChicagoIL
40Montucky Cold SnacksBozemanMT
41Saint Arnold Brewing CoHoustonTX
42Lost Coast BreweryEurekaCA
43Surly Brewing CompanyMinneapolisMN
44Rogue Ales BreweryNewportOR
45United States Beverage LLCSalt Lake City, ElmsfordUT, NY
46Shipyard Brewing CoPortlandME
47Pizza PortCarlsbadCA
48Coronado Brewing CoCoronadoCA
49Drake’s Brewing CoSan LeandroCA
50IndieBrewAtlanta, NashvilleGA, TN

The data was also accompanied by the following press release:

Boulder, Colo. — The Brewers Association (BA)—the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers—today released annual production figures for the U.S. craft brewing industry.

The number of operating craft breweries continued to climb in 2023, reaching an all-time high of 9,683, including 2,071 microbreweries, 3,467 brewpubs, 3,900 taproom breweries, and 245 regional craft breweries. The total U.S. operating brewery count was 9,812, up from 9,730 in 2022. Throughout the year, there were 495 new brewery openings and 418 closings. Openings decreased for a second consecutive year, with the trend reflecting a more mature market. The closing rate increased in 2023 but continued to remain relatively low, at approximately 4%.

Driven by the growing number of breweries and a continued shift to hospitality-focused business models, craft brewers directly employed 191,421 people in 2023, a 1.1% increase from 2022.

“2023 was another competitive and challenging year for small and independent brewers,” said Bart Watson, vice president of strategy and chief economist of the Brewers Association. “Nevertheless, even as growth has downshifted, small brewers have proved quite resilient, as seen in the increase in number of breweries, relatively low closing rates, and gains in onsite sales and jobs.”

Collectively, small and independent brewers produced 23.4 million barrels of beer in 2023, a decline of 1.0% from 20223, though craft’s overall beer market share by volume grew to 13.3%, up from 13.1% in 2022 as craft’s declines were smaller than overall beer volume losses.

The overall beer market shrank 5.1% by volume in 2023. Retail dollar value was estimated at $28.6 billion, representing a 24.5% market share and 3% growth over a comparable value in 2022. Sales growth was stronger than volume primarily due to pricing but also due to slightly stronger onsite sales growth versus distribution.

“As always, the beverage alcohol market and consumer demand continue to evolve,” added Watson. ”Many brewers are accordingly updating their operations to match those changes, focusing on their business models, go-to-market strategies, and brand strategies to help their businesses match those shifts.”

And here’s the second list, which is the Top 50 Brewing Companies Overall, which means all companies, not just the ones eligible for membership in the Brewers Association, which excludes from membership breweries that are too large or with large ownership structures, among other specific qualifications.

In this list, the top ten are either a group of brewery businesses or quite larger and/or old enough to predate the 1980s. Number 11, Sierra Nevada, is the first actual craft brewery on the list. But overall the list is so filled with complicated business arrangements that there are 26 footnotes for 50 entries.

Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies 

RankCompanyCityState
1Anheuser-Busch IncSt. LouisMO
2MolsonCoorsChicagoIL
3ConstellationChicagoIL
4Heineken USAWhite PlainsNY
5Pabst Brewing CoLos AngelesCA
6DiageoNorwalkCT
7D. G. Yuengling and Son IncPottsvillePA
8FIFCO USARochesterNY
9Kirin-LionFort Collins, ComstockCO, MI
10Boston Beer CoBoston, MiltonMA, DE
11Sierra Nevada Brewing CoChicoCA
12Sapporo-Stone BrewingEscondidoCA
13Duvel Moortgat USAPaso Robles, Kansas City, CooperstownCA, MO, NY
14GambrinusShiner, BerkeleyTX, CA
15Mahou San MiguelGrand Rapids, BoulderMI, CO
16Tilray Beer BrandsAtlanta, Montauk, San Diego, Bend, Seattle, Portland, Breckenridge, PatchogueGA, NY, CA, OR, WA, OR, CO, NY
17Artisanal Brewing VenturesDowningtown, Lakewood, BrooklynPA, NY, NY
18Brooklyn BreweryBrooklynNY
19Monster BrewingLongmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, DallasCO, FL, UT, MI, TX
20Athletic Brewing CompanyMilfordCT
21New Glarus Brewing CoNew GlarusWI
22Deschutes BreweryBendOR
23Matt Brewing CoUticaNY
24Gordon Biersch Brewing CoSan JoseCA
25Allagash Brewing CompanyPortlandME
26Georgetown Brewing CoSeattleWA
27Great Lakes Brewing CompanyClevelandOH
28Harpoon BreweryBostonMA
29Stevens Point BreweryStevens PointWI
30Three Floyds BrewingMunsterIN
31Pittsburgh Brewing CoPittsburghPA
32Rhinegeist BreweryCincinnatiOH
33Narragansett Brewing CoPawtucketRI
34August Schell Brewing CompanyNew UlmMN
35Odell Brewing CoFort CollinsCO
36Craft ‘Ohana (Maui/Modern Times)Kihei, San DiegoHI, CA
37Troegs Brewing CoHersheyPA
38Fiddlehead BrewingShelburneVT
39Minhas Craft BreweryMonroeWI
40Kings & Convicts BrewingSan DiegoCA
41Alaskan Brewing Co.JuneauAK
42Kona Brewing HawaiiKailua-KonaHI
43Abita Brewing CoCovingtonLA
44Creature Comforts Brewing Co.AthensGA
45Great Frontier HoldingsEugene, PortlandOR, OR
46BrewDog Brewing CoCanal WinchesterOH
47Summit Brewing CoSt. PaulMN
48Jack’s Abby Brewing, LLCFraminghamMA
49Revolution BrewingChicagoIL
50Montucky Cold SnacksBozemanMT

Filed Under: Breweries, News Tagged With: Brewers Association, Commentary, Lists, Statistics, United States

Top 50 Breweries For 2022

April 18, 2023 By Jay Brooks

The Brewers Association just announced the top 50 breweries and craft breweries in the U.S. based on sales, by volume, for 2022, which is listed below here. I should also mention that this represents “craft breweries” according to the BA’s membership definition, and not necessarily how most of us would define them, as there’s no universally agreed upon way to differentiate the two. For a number of years now, they’ve also released a list of the top 50 breweries, which includes all breweries. In the past I’ve posted the two lists separately, but have decided going forward to present them together since the two are getting increasingly intermingled. I confess I used to look more forward to this list every year as it represented greater and wider acceptance of craft in the marketplace, but it doesn’t seem to hold the same thrill for me anymore, perhaps I’m getting jaded. Here is this year’s craft brewery list:

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies

RankCompanyCityState
1D. G. Yuengling and Son IncPottsvillePA
2Boston Beer CoBoston, MiltonMA, DE
3Sierra Nevada Brewing CoChicoCA
4Duvel Moortgat USAPaso Robles, Kansas City, CooperstownCA, MO, NY
5Gambrinus CompanyShiner, BerkeleyTX, CA
6Artisanal Brewing VenturesDowingtown, Lakewood, BrooklynPA, NY, NY
7Stone Brewing*EscondidoCA
8CANarchyLongmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, DallasCO, FL, UT, MI, TX
9Tilray Beer BrandsAtlanta, Montauk, San DiegoGA, NY, CA
10Brooklyn BreweryBrooklynNY
11Deschutes BreweryBendOR
12New Glarus Brewing CoNew GlarusWI
13Athletic Brewing CompanyMilfordCT
14Matt Brewing CoUticaNY
15Minhas Craft BreweryMonroeWI
16Harpoon BreweryBostonMA
17Gordon Biersch Brewing CoSan JoseCA
18Great Lakes Brewing CompanyClevelandOH
19Stevens Point BreweryStevens PointWI
20Allagash Brewing CompanyPortlandME
21Georgetown Brewing CoSeattleWA
22Odell Brewing CoFort CollinsCO
23Rhinegeist BreweryCincinnatiOH
24Three Floyds BrewingMunsterIN
25Troegs Brewing CoHersheyPA
26Summit Brewing CoSaint PaulMN
27Narragansett Brewing CoProvidenceRI
28Craft OhanaKihei, San DiegoHI, CA
29August Schell Brewing CompanyNew UlmMN
30Kings & Convicts BrewingSan DiegoCA
31Pittsburgh Brewing CoPittsburghPA
32Alaskan Brewing CoJuneauAK
33Kona Brewing CoKailua-KonaHI
34Flying Dog BreweryFrederickMD
35Abita Brewing CoCovingtonLA
36Fiddlehead BrewingShelburneVT
37Creature Comforts Brewing CoAthensGA
38BrewDog Brewing CompanyCanal WinchesterOH
39Revolution BrewingChicagoIL
40Lost Coast BreweryEurekaCA
41Rogue Ales BreweryNewportOR
42Surly Brewing CompanyMinneapolisMN
43Ninkasi Brewing CoEugeneOR
44Saint Arnold Brewing CoHoustonTX
45IndieBrewAtlanta, NashvilleGA, TN
46Shipyard Brewing CoPortlandME
47Jack’s Abby BrewingFraminghamMA
48North Coast Brewing CoFort BraggCA
49Pizza Port Brewing CompanyCarlsbadCA
50Made by the WaterNew Orleans, Apalachicola, Asheville, CharlestonLA, FL, NC, SC

The data was also accompanied by the following press release:

“The Brewers Association (BA)—the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers—today released annual production figures for the U.S. craft brewing industry. In 2022, small and independent brewers collectively produced 24.3 million barrels of beer, on par with 2021’s numbers, and craft’s overall beer market share by volume grew to 13.2%, up from 13.1% the previous year. 

The overall beer market* shrank 3% by volume in 2022. Retail dollar value was estimated at $28.46 billion, representing a 24.6% market share and 6% growth over 2021. Sales growth was stronger than volume due to pricing, share shift to smaller brewers—who are more likely to sell onsite and via distributed draught—as well as the continued channel shift back to on-premise, which has a higher average retail value. Craft brewers provided 189,413 direct jobs, a 9% increase from 2021, driven both by growth in the number of breweries and a continued shift to hospitality-focused business models. 

“2022 presented small brewers with a number of challenges, including rising operating and material costs and increasing competition, particularly in distribution,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “In this maturing and competitive market, collective growth for the category is hard to come by.” 

The number of operating craft breweries continued to climb in 2022, reaching an all-time high of 9,552, including 2,035 microbreweries, 3,418 brewpubs, 3,838 taproom breweries, and 261 regional craft breweries. The total U.S. operating brewery count was 9,709, up from 9,384 in 2021. Throughout the year, there were 549 new brewery openings and 319 closings. Openings decreased for a second consecutive year, with the continued decline reflecting a more mature market. The closing rate increased in 2022 but continued to remain relatively low, at approximately 3%.  

“The relatively low closure rate reflects both the solid demand for fuller flavored local beer as well as the versatility and flexibility of small brewers,” added Watson.”

And here’s the second list, which is the Top 50 Brewing Companies Overall, which means all companies, not just the ones eligible for membership in the Brewers Association, which excludes from membership breweries that are too large or with large ownership structures, among other specific qualifications.

Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies 

RankCompanyCityState
1Anheuser-Busch Inc (a)St. LouisMO
2MolsonCoors (b)ChicagoIL
3Constellation (c)ChicagoIL
4Heineken USA (d)White PlainsNY
5Pabst Brewing Co (e)Los AngelesCA
6Diageo (f)NorwalkCT
7D. G. Yuengling and Son IncPottsvillePA
8FIFCO USA (g)RochesterNY
9Boston Beer Co (h)Boston, MiltonMA, DE
10Kirin-Lion / New Belgium Brewing (i)Fort Collins, ComstockCO, MI
11Sierra Nevada Brewing CoChicoCA
12Duvel Moortgat USA (j)Paso Robles, Kansas City, CooperstownCA, MO, NY
13Founders Brewing / Mahou San Miguel (k)Grand Rapids, BoulderMI, CO
14Gambrinus (l)Berkeley, ShinerCA, TX
15Artisanal Brewing Ventures (m)Downingtown, Lakewood, BrooklynPA, NY, NY
16Stone Brewing (n)EscondidoCA
17CANarchy (o)Longmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, DallasCO, FL, UT, MI, TX
18Tilray Beer Brands (p)Atlanta, Montauk, San DiegoGA, NY, CA
19Sapporo USA (q)San FranciscoCA
20Brooklyn BreweryBrooklynNY
21Deschutes BreweryBendOR
22New Glarus Brewing CoNew GlarusWI
23Athletic Brewing CompanyStratfordCT
24Matt Brewing Co (r)UticaNY
25Minhas Craft Brewery (s)MonroeWI
26Harpoon BreweryBostonMA
27Gordon Biersch Brewing CoSan JoseCA
28Great Lakes Brewing CompanyClevelandOH
29Stevens Point Brewery (t)Stevens PointWI
30Allagash Brewing CompanyPortlandME
31Georgetown Brewing CoSeattleWA
32Odell Brewing CoFort CollinsCO
33Rhinegeist BreweryCincinnatiOH
34Three Floyds Brewing (u)MunsterIN
35Troegs Brewing CoHersheyPA
36Summit Brewing CoSaint PaulMN
37Narragansett Brewing CoPawtucketRI
38Craft Ohana (v)Kihei, San DiegoHI/CA
39August Schell Brewing Company (w)New UlmMN
40Kings & Convicts Brewing/Ballast PointSan DiegoCA
41Pittsburgh Brewing (x)PittsburghPA
42Alaskan Brewing CoJuneauAK
43Kona Brewing Co (y)Kailua-KonaHI
44Flying Dog BreweryFrederickMD
45Abita Brewing CoCovingtonLA
46Fiddlehead BrewingShelburneVT
47Creature ComfortsAthensGA
48BrewDog Brewing CoCanal WinchesterOH
49Revolution BrewingChicagoIL
50Lost Coast Brewing CoEurekaCA

But this second list requires quite a few footnotes, which tells you a lot, honestly.

Footnote notes from brand lists are illustrative and may not be exhaustive.

Volumes reflected are of beer brands only and do not include flavored malt beverages or hard seltzers. Ownership stakes reflect greater than 25% ownership. Consequently, Mark Anthony Brands, owner of White Claw and Mike’s Hard Lemonade as well as other brand families, does not appear in these rankings.

(a) Anheuser-Busch, Inc includes 10 Barrel, Bass, Beck’s, Blue Point, Bud Light,
Budweiser, Breckenridge, Busch, Craft Brew Alliance, Devils Backbone, Elysian, Four
Peaks, Golden Road, Goose Island, Karbach, King Cobra, Landshark, Michelob, Natural,
Platform, Rolling Rock, Shock Top, Veza Sur, Wicked Weed, and Ziegenbock brands, as
well as other brand families and imported brands;
(b) MolsonCoors includes A.C. Golden, Atwater, Batch 19, Blue Moon, Colorado Native,
Coors, Hamms, Hop Valley, Icehouse, Keystone, Killian’s, Leinenkugel’s, Mickey’s,
Milwaukee’s Best, Miller, Olde English, Revolver, Steel Reserve, Tenth & Blake, and
Terrapin brands, as well as other brand families and imported brands;
(c) Constellation Brewing Co includes domestic brands Four Corners, Funky Buddha, and
Tocayo Brands; it also includes imported brands Corona, Modelo, Pacifico, and Victoria;
(d) Heineken Brewing Co includes domestic brand Lagunitas Brewing Co as well as
imported brands Dos Equis, Heineken, and Tecate;
(e) Pabst Brewing Co includes Ballantine, Lone Star, National Bohemian, Pabst, Pearl,
Primo, Rainier, Schlitz, Small Town, and Stroh’s brands, as well as other brand families;
(f) Diageo Brewing Co includes both domestically produced and imported Guinness brands;
(g) FIFCO USA includes Dundee, Genesee, Labatt Lime, Mactarnahan’s, Magic Hat, and
Pyramid brands as well as import volume;
(h) Boston Beer Co includes Alchemy & Science, Angel City, Concrete Beach, Coney Island
Dogfish Head, and Sam Adams brands. Does not include volume from Truly, Twisted
Tea or Angry Orchard brands;
(i) New Belgium Brewing Co includes Bell’s and Magnolia Brewing brands;
(j) Duvel Moortgat includes Firestone Walker and the Duvel Moortgat USA brands of
Boulevard and Ommegang;
(k) Mahou San Miguel includes Founders and Avery Brewing volume;
(l) Gambrinus includes Shiner and Trumer brands;
(m)Artisanal Brewing Ventures includes Sixpoint, Southern Tier, and Victory brands; Does
not include Bold Rock Hard Cider volume;
(n) Stone Brewing was acquired by Sapporo late in 2022. It will be included in the Sapporo
USA volume starting in 2023. See footnote (q);
(o) CANarchy was acquired by Monster Beverage Corporation in 2021. Volume includes
Cigar City, Deep Ellum, Oskar Blues Brewing Co, Perrin, and Utah Brewers Cooperative
brands;
(p) Tilray Beer Brands include Sweetwater, Montauk, Green Flash, and Alpine Beer brands;
(q) Sapporo USA includes Anchor Brewing and imported brands. Stone Brewing (n) will be
included in future years;
(r) Matt Brewing Co includes Flying Bison, Saranac, and Utica Club brands;
(s) Minhas Craft Brewery includes Huber, Mountain Crest, and Rhinelander brands as well
as export volume;
(t) Stevens Point Brewery includes James Page and Point brands;
(u) Three Floyds Brewing also includes volume for the WarPigs USA brand;
(v) Craft Ohana includes Maui Brewing and Modern Times brands;
(w)August Schell Brewing Co includes Grain Belt and Schell’s brands;
(x) Pittsburgh Brewing includes Iron City, IC Light, and other brand families;
(y) Volume is for the independently owned Kona Brewing Co in Hawaii. Does not include Kona volume owned by Anheuser-Busch (a) sold in the mainland USA.

Filed Under: Breweries, News Tagged With: Brewers Association, Lists, Statistics, United States

V Is For Vomit

January 8, 2015 By Jay Brooks

vomit
Inexplicably today is “Vomit Day,” though I’m not entirely sure why. Usually days have sponsors, or were created by somebody. Nope. Often they make sense, like if it was possibly the day after St. Patrick’s Day or New Year’s Eve. Or perhaps something significant occurred in history to mark the day or there’s some tradition behind it. Nope. I’ve been collecting holidays and dates since I lived in New York City in the late 1970s, so I got it from somewhere, I just don’t know where I found it, and Google didn’t turn up anything useful or definitive. So I’m left scratching my head as to why today might be “Vomit Day.” But celebrate we will.

A few years ago I made a list of Puke Words, that is different slang terms for throwing up, tossing your cookies or paying homage to the porcelain god. It’s not nearly as exhaustive as my Drunk Words list, but it was only a one day project on a slow news day once upon a time. It was merely a love of language that set me down that path. But whether by getting sick or — gasp — drinking a bit too much, I reckon it’s happened to all of us at one time in our lives and I thought it would be fun to see how many puke words I could find. If you know of one I missed, please leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list. If you know where it came from, or anything more about it, that would be even better, but if it’s just something you heard somewhere while your head was bent over in the commode, that’s okay, too. Happy Vomit Day, everybody! Let’s be careful out there.

vomit-day

Filed Under: Just For Fun, Related Pleasures Tagged With: Health & Beer, Lists, trivia

Top 10 Beer Brands Worldwide 2014

November 11, 2014 By Jay Brooks

top-10
Last year, I posted a list of The World’s Top 10 Beer Brands . That list, from Drinks Business, was for sales as of the end of 2012. Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal tweeted a chart showing a newer list of the top ten, from Euromonitor International. Their data was accompanying a story, SABMiller Considers Best Route to a Global Beer Brand, though I couldn’t see the context, since only WSJ subscribers could see the entire article. No matter, I was keen to see if this year’s numbers were similar, as you’d expect, from last year, even though the source of the information is slightly different.

top-10-beers-world-2014

It’s pretty close to last year’s list. The top two, both Chinese brands, remain unchanged. But Bud Light has jumped up from #5 to claim the third spot, while Bud slipped down one to #4. Yanjing Beer, which was #4 on last year’s chart, slipped to #6, while Brazil’s Skol shimmied up from seventh to #5. Heineken moved up one to #7, while another Chinese brand (owned by ABI) — Harbin — is at #8, but was not on last year’s list. Finally, Brahma and Coors Light switched placed at the bottom of the list. Last year, Coors Light was #9, this year it’s Brahma. Corona was #6 on last year’s chart, but is not on the list at all this year.

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Business, International, Lists, Statistics

Homebrewers Pick The Best Beers In America 2013

June 17, 2013 By Jay Brooks

usa
For the 11th straight year, the readers of Zymurgy magazine were asked to send in a list of their 20 favorite commercially available beers. With a record number of votes in the poll’s eleventh year, over 1,100 different breweries were represented in the voting. The results were not exactly shocking, and most of the beers and breweries that got the most votes were what you’d expect, I think, but it’s an interesting list all the same. The results are also printed in the latest issue.
best-beers-amer
Top Rated Beers
(T indicates tie)

Seven of the top ten are California beers, with 26 making the list. This is the fifth year in a row AHA members chose Pliny the Elder as the top beer. This also the fourth consecutive year that Bell’s Two Hearted Ale came in second.

1. Russian River Pliny the Elder
2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
3. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
4. Bell’s Hopslam Ale
5. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
6. Founders Breakfast Stout
7. Arrogant Bastard Ale
8. Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA
T9. Lagunitas Sucks
T9. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
T9. Stone Ruination IPA
T12. North Coast Old Rasputin
T12. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
T12. Stone Enjoy By IPA
15. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
16. The Alchemist Heady Topper
T17. Firestone Walker Double Jack
T17. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
19. Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
20. Firestone Walker Wookey Jack
T21. Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA
T21. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
T23. Firestone Walker Union Jack
T23. Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’
25. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
26. Surly Furious
T27. Deschutes Black Butte Porter
T27. Green Flash West Coast IPA
T27. Troegs Nugget Nectar
30. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
31. Russian River Consecration
T32. Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
T32. New Belgium La Folie
T32. Russian River Supplication
35. Avery the Maharaja
36. Lagunitas IPA
37. Stone IPA
38. Odell IPA
T39. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald
T39. Left Hand Milk Stout
T39. Russian River Pliny the Younger
T42. Odell Myrcenary
T42. Russian River Blind Pig I.P.A.
T42. Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous
45. Firestone Walker Parabola
T46. Ommegang Hennepin Saison Ale
T46. Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro
T48. Ommegang Three Philosophers
T48. Deschutes the Abyss
T48. Green Flash Palate Wrecker
T48. Lagunitas Brown Shugga’

Brewery Rankings

Brewery rankings are based on total votes received by each brewery’s beers. This year’s top brewery is Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, Calif. Stone placed five beers in the top 50, including its Arrogant Bastard Ale. Best Beer in America producer, Russian River Brewing Company finished second. Seven California breweries made the list, with five from Colorado, and two apiece from Michigan and Pennsylvania.

1. Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, Calif.
2. Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, Calif.
3. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, Calif.
4. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Del.
5. Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, Mich.
6. Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, Calif.
7. Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, Mich.
8. Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, Calif.
9. New Belgium Brewing Company, Fort Collins, Colo.
10. Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Ore.
11. Odell Brewing Company, Fort Collins, Colo.
12. Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, Ind.
13. Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, Colo.
14. Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, Colo.
15. Green Flash Brewing Company, San Diego, Calif.
16. The Boston Beer Company, Boston, Mass.
17. Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, Mo.
18. Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, Ill.
19. New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, Wis.
T20. Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver, Colo.
T20. Ballast Point Brewing Company, San Diego, Calif.
22. Troegs Brewing Co., Hershey, Pa.
23. Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
24. Victory Brewing Company, Downington, Pa.
25. Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, N.Y.

Best Portfolio

They also determined which breweries got the most votes for different beers that they produce, and called that list “best portfolio.” The number following their name is how many of their beers got at least one vote.

1. The Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) (40 beers)
2. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (38 beers)
3. Avery Brewing Company (35 beers)
4. Cigar City Brewing (30 beers)
5. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (29 beers)
6. Bell’s Brewery (28 beers)
7. New Belgium Brewing (27 beers)
T8. Stone Brewing Co. (26 beers)
T8. Goose Island Beer Company (26 beers)
9. Boulevard Brewing Company (25 beers)
10. Deschutes Brewery (24 beers)
T11. Foudners Brewing Company (23 beers)
T11. New Glarus Brewing Company (23 beers)
T11. The Bruery (23 beers)
T11. The Saint Louis Brewery (23 beers)
T15. Rogue Ales (21 beers)
T15. Lagunitas Brewing Company (21 beers)
T15. Odell Brewing Company (21 beers)
T15. Great Divide Brewing Company (21 beers)
T19. Firestone Walker Brewing Company (20 beers)
T19. Three Floyds Brewing Company (20 beers)
T19. Manayunk Brewing Company (19 beers)
22. Papago Brewing Company (19 beers)
T23. Great Lakes Brewing Company (18 beers)
T23. Southern Tier Brewing Company (18 beers)
T23. Victory Brewing Company (18 beers)
T23. Russian River Brewing Company (18 beers)

Top Imports

With a lot of ties, a few imports also received votes as readers’ favorite beers. As in years past, there was a decidedly all-American bent to the voting. Of the top 50 beers in the poll, none were produced by a foreign brewery, although Orval claimed the number one spot among imports.

T1. Orval (Belgium)
T1. Saison Dupont (Belgium)
3. Guinness Draught (Ireland)
T4. Rodenbach Grand Cru (Belgium)
T4. Unibroue La Fin du Monde (Canada)
6. St. Bernardust Abt 12 (Belgium)
7. Duchesse De Bourgogne (Belgium)
T8. Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout (England)
T8. Chimay Grande Reserve/Blue Label (Belgium)
T10. Duvel (Belgium)
T10. Cantillon Gueuze (Belgium)

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun, News Tagged With: Brewers Association, Homebrewing, Lists, Press Release

Codex Fermentarius

December 15, 2012 By Jay Brooks

10-commandments
Here’s another interesting list of the The Brewer’s Ten Commandment, this one more contemporary. It was created by Kelly Ryan, my friend Luke’s assistant brewer at Epic Brewing in New Zealand. He apparently recently left to take a job at a new brewpub in Hamilton, and on his new blog, BeeRevolution, proposed the following as his Codex Fermentarius:

Codex Fermentarius

  1. Thou shalt not covet another brewers’ kegs or casks.
  2. Honour thy other brewer’s recipe choice.
  3. Rejoice to thy daughter yeast and thy mother yeast.
  4. Thy glass shalt always be full. Never half full. Never half empty.
  5. Remember thy first brew day. And keep it holy.
  6. Thou shalt not steal another brewer’s hop combination. This is hopdultery.
  7. Thou shalt not covet another brewery’s name. Or beer name. Especially if it is that of a German cyclist.
  8. Seven days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work. Thou art a brewer. Drinking is work.
  9. Taste thy water, taste thy malted grains, taste thy yeast. Don’t taste thy hop flowers.
  10. Thou shalt not drink false beverages. We know what thee are.

In the body of the text, Ryan also offered to expand the list, and invited people to suggest additional commandments. Here’s a sample of some of the ones he got so far:

  • Release not the fruits of thy labour until thou has rested (at least) upon the seventh day (to banish all traces of the unholy VDK).
  • Thou shall wasteth NO beer. Even if it is 8am.
  • Thou shalt have no other beverage before Beer. A whiskey chaser afterwards, fine, but not before.
  • Ever shalt thou have full tanks and clean lines.
  • Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s brewsheet.
  • Thou shall worship local brews, locally – only if your hair doesn’t drop out.
  • Thou shall cry over spilt beer.
  • Thou shall burp as a sign of worship.

There’s some good ones in there. What would you add?

Filed Under: Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Lists, New Zealand

The Brewer’s 10 Commandments

December 14, 2012 By Jay Brooks

10-commandments
Here’s an interesting list of the The Brewer’s 10 Commandments, or Die 10 Gebote des Bierbrauers, that I found on the website for the Museum of Beer & Brewing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It’s origin is apparently from “the Brewers 1887 Convention.”

The Brewer’s 10 Commandments

  1. Thou shalt love the god Gambrinus above all and not cloud his honor with bad beer.
  2. Thou shalt not honor any other beer gods and not stretch your beers with chemical additions.
  3. Thou shalt brew good beer during the week so the people can become healthy again on Sundays.
  4. Thou shalt obey mother Hops and father Barley, honor them as providers of your wealth.
  5. Thou shalt not kill, with beers of poor quality.
  6. Thou shalt watch your taverner more, than the pretty waitresses and women.
  7. Thou shalt not steal money from the people’s pockets, nor fill kegs and bottles with water.
  8. Thou shalt not mix unlawful materials into the beer, nor sell bad beer as good.
  9. Thou shalt not expect more from the people than thy beer hath worth because there is already enough poor quality on the market.
  10. Thou shalt not demand that your wife, children and workers drink your beer if it is spoiled, watered down or of poor taste.

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Germany, History, Lists

Travel Channel Picks The “Top 7 Beer Destinations”

July 29, 2012 By Jay Brooks

top-7
Okay, these things are pretty easy to pick apart because no one will ever agree on where the “best” or “top” destinations are for anything, beer or otherwise. I understand that top x lists are very popular. Hell, I enjoy making them myself. They can be fun. But take a look at what the Travel Channel, written by NYC-based travel writer Jimmy Im, has chosen as the Top 7 Beer Destinations.

  1. Asheville, North Carolina
  2. Los Angeles’ Popular Breweries
  3. Virginia’s Lagers and Ales
  4. Toronto’s Craft Breweries
  5. Finger Lakes, New York’s Beer Hub
  6. Atlanta’s New Brews
  7. Traverse City, Emerging Beer Town

So while I’m sure none of the places he’s listed are bad beer destinations, and certainly a few of them deserve to be on this list, I have a hard time accepting these as the very top destinations. The list strikes me as being from someone who’s not really connected to the beer community in any meaningful way. If they had only resisted calling them the top beer destinations and called them instead something like “seven beer destinations worth visiting” that might have worked, but they didn’t. Im specifically states that “these destinations that are fast becoming beer scene kings that offer some of the best suds in town.”

So while I have no problem with Asheville being here, ignoring Philly, Portland (both Oregon and Maine), San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Denver, Boston, Chicago and several others makes this list more infamous for what it’s left out than what was chosen. Certainly L.A. is an up and coming beer city, and has made great strides over the last few years, but I’m not sure I’d put it as the second-best beer destination, especially over so many others left out. And he singles out the Strand Brewing Co. and El Segundo Brewing Company as “two of the more popular breweries.” No disrespect to those two breweries — I haven’t been to either of them but I’m sure they’re fine places — but those are not the L.A breweries that are making a splash lately.

Third is the entire state of Virginia, and Im seems to have chosen the Old Dominion State because it’s “so obsessed with its beer culture, it is officially naming the month of August ‘Virginia Craft Brew Month'” and now has 40 breweries. Well July is Oregon Beer Month and February is California Beer Month. Oregon has over 160 breweries and California around 325. So while Virginia is a terrific state and undoubtedly has some fine breweries, if obsession, state beer months and the number of breweries is his criteria, then I’m just not sure Virginia is the right one to choose.

The remaning four, Toronto, the New York Finger Lakes, Atlanta and Traverse City, Michigan, again I’m sure are all fine beer places, but do they deserve to be among the “top 7?” By choosing Toronto, he’s also opened the door to other international beer destinations, of which there are numerous examples, many of which most people would choose over some of the destinations on the Travel Channel’s list. With the last one, Traverse City, Im seems even to have forgotten his own mandate, when he refers to the Michigan town as an “emerging beer town.” It may well be, but shouldn’t we wait until it’s emerged before putting it on the list of the top spots?

So while these things are, as I alluded to, very subjective and depend greatly on how you define the criteria used to rank them, these choices wouldn’t pass muster for even a casual beer lover. It could have been a fun list if they’d only resisted the temptation to declare them the “Top 7 Beer Destinations.” They’re just not.

Filed Under: Breweries, Editorial, Just For Fun, Top 10 Tagged With: Lists, Mainstream Coverage, Statistics

10 Healthy Reasons To Drink Beer

January 16, 2012 By Jay Brooks

catholic-vatican
I may not always see eye-to-eye with the roman catholic church, but I’m with them all the way on this one. While many religious denominations forbid their followers from drinking alcohol and others preach against it, it’s nice to see at least one take a more rational approach. Not only does Catholic Online tell everyone: “Have a beer. Really, go ahead and have one.” They even go so far as to encourage you to spread the word to your fellow man (and woman): “Tell everyone we said it’s okay to pop a cold one.” Talk about a great beginning.

The article published today on the catholic website is entitled 10 healthy reasons to have a beer! and also carries this subtitle: “Beer outperforms wine as a healthy beverage in several categories.” After detailing beer’s long history and its changing perception today, they get to the meat of their thinking:

Several years ago, it became understood that wine had a surprising number of health benefits. Since then, beer drinkers have had to endure a litany of praises about how great wine was for health as opposed to beer. But now, it turns out that the wine drinkers needn’t be so smug when comparing their beverage to beer.

Researchers from around the world have spent years studying one of our favorite beverages in detail, and there’s some good news. The latest collection of studies from around the world reveals that if the beer is enjoyed in moderation, meaning one for women, and no more than two for men, per day, then it can yield a surprising number of health benefits.

Below is the list of their ten reasons to drink a beer, but check out the original story to read the background for each of these ten.

  1. Strong Bones
  2. Strong Heart
  3. Kidney Stone Prevention
  4. Dementia Prevention
  5. Reduced Cancer Risk
  6. Taking Your Vitamins
  7. Stroke Prevention
  8. Diabetes Prevention
  9. Blood Pressure
  10. Long Life

I’ve seen, read and even written about most, if not all, of these health benefits from drinking beer in moderation, but it’s nice to see them all in one place. The article ends with this appropriate suggestion. “So the next time you decide to have a beer, you can enjoy it without the guilt.” Amen to that.

Filed Under: Beers, Just For Fun, News, Top 10 Tagged With: Health & Beer, Lists, Religion & Beer

Travel + Leisure Chooses The Best American Beer Cities

July 14, 2011 By Jay Brooks

travel+leisure
Travel + Leisure magazine, in their July 2011 issue, made their picks for America’s Best Beer Cities. Actually, the title is a bit misleading. It’s not really the “best” cities so much as the most “popular;” and most popular according to the magazine’s readers; and not all of their readers but specifically the ones who took the time to answer the poll. Looking more closely, the readers polled were asked to choose among 35 pre-chosen cities, too, meaning there was no chance for any town not on the starting list, too. Asheville, NC, for example, was presumably not among the 35 cities on Travel + Leisure’s list.

So that’s a very different thing and probably accounts for what I can only describe as some odd, but interesting, inconsistencies with other similar polls. Certainly Portland deserves the top spot, though it probably goes without saying I’d place San Francisco a tad higher than ninth. But Philly fourth from the cellar — along with San Diego even lower? — that seems like a travesty.

It does, however, tell us how people who like travel enough to subscribe to a periodical devoted to it perceive which cities are best for beer. Undoubtedly, many people voted for their local city so in a sense it’s partly a reflection of the magazine’s geographic readership. But that probably doesn’t tell the whole story. When asked to rank 35 cities, most people (apart from the very well traveled) I’d wager have not been to all of the cities. That would mean they’d be inclined to go with what they’d heard or read about the cities they hadn’t personally visited. They’d make a value judgment based on that particular city’s perception of beer-worthiness. Seen through that prism, it’s a more interesting list, to me at least. It also means I need to visit Savannah. What’s your take on the list?

Travel + Leisure’s 2011 Poll: America’s Best Beer Cities

  1. Portland, OR
  2. Denver, CO
  3. Seattle, WA
  4. Providence, RI
  5. Portland, ME
  6. Savannah, GA
  7. Boston, MA
  8. Austin, TX
  9. San Francisco, CA
  10. Nashville, TN
  11. Kansas City, MO
  12. Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
  13. Charleston, SC
  14. Chicago, IL
  15. Anchorage, AK
  16. New Orleans, LA
  17. Philadelphia, PA
  18. San Diego, CA
  19. Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ
  20. Houston, TX

Filed Under: Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Lists, Travel

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