The Top 50 Annotated 2008

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.

1. Anheuser-Busch InBev; #1 last year, no surprises, apart from the name change
2. MillerCoors; ditto for #2, including a name change
3. Pabst Brewing; Moved up 1, thanks to Miller/Coors merger
4. Boston Beer Co.; Moved up 1, thanks to M/C, before that 2 years at #5
5. D. G. Yuengling and Son; Moved up 1, thanks to M/C
6. Sierra Nevada Brewing; Moved up 1, thanks to M/C
7. Craft Brewers Alliance; Widmer moved up 4 & Redhook 5 as a combined company
8. New Belgium Brewing; Same as last year
9. High Falls Brewing; Same as last year
10. Spoetzl Brewery; Same as last year
11. Pyramid Breweries; Up 2 spots, their 2nd two spot jump in a row
12. Deschutes Brewery; Up 4 from #16 last year
13. Iron City Brewing (fka Pittsburgh Brewing); Up 4 from #17 last year
14. Minhas Craft Brewery; Up 1 over last year
15. Matt Brewing; Down 1 spot, switched places with Minhas
16. Boulevard Brewing; Up 2 from #18 last year
17. Full Sail Brewing; Up 2 from #19 last year
18. Magic Hat Brewing; Up 4 from #22
19. Alaskan Brewing; Up 2 from #21 last year
20. Harpoon Brewery; Same as last year
21. Bell’s Brewery; Up 3 from #24 last year
22. Goose Island Beer; Up 3 from #25 last year
23. Kona Brewing; Shot up 14 from #37 last year, after dropping Down 14 the year before
24. Anchor Brewing; Down 1 from #23, 2nd year Down 1
25. August Schell Brewing; Up 1 from #26 last year
26. Shipyard Brewing; Up 1 from #27 last year
27. Summit Brewing; Up 1 from #28 last year
28. Stone Brewing; Up 5 from 33, after moving Up 4 last year & 11 the year before
29. Mendocino Brewing; Same as last year
30. Abita Brewing; Same as last year
31. Brooklyn Brewery; Up 1 from #32 last year
32. New Glarus Brewing; Up 4 from #36, after dropping 1 last year, but jumping 10 spots the year before
33. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Up 5 from #38, after being Up 4 the year before
34. Long Trail Brewing; Up 1 #35
35. Gordon Biersch Brewing; Down 4 from #31, from Down 6 the previous year
36. Rogue Ales; Down 2 from #34, canceling being Up 2 the year before
37. Great Lakes Brewing; Up 3 from #40
38. Lagunitas Brewing; Up 3 for 2nd year, this time from #41 last year
39. Firestone Walker Brewing; Same as last year
40. Sweetwater Brewing; Up 3 for second time, this time from #43 last year
41. Flying Dog Brewery; Up 1 from #42 last year
42. BJs Restaurant & Brewery; Up 7 from #49 last year
43. Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants; Up 2 from #45 last year
44. BridgePort Brewing; Same as last year
45. Odell Brewing; Up 3 from #48 last year
46. Victory Brewing; Up 4 from #50 last year
47. Straub Brewery; Same as last year, after dropping 4 the previous year
48. Cold Spring Brewery (fka Gluek Brewing); Down 2 from #46 last year
49. Mac and Jack’s Brewery; Redmond WA; Not in Top 50 last year
50. 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.