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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.

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