The Top 50 Annotated 2015

This is my ninth annual annotated list of the Top 50, skipping two years ago because the BA provided that information then, so here again 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 ten years, no surprise
2. MillerCoors; ditto for #2
3. Pabst Brewing; ditto for #3
4. D. G. Yuengling and Son; Same as last year
5. Boston Beer Co.; Same as last year
6. North American Breweries; Same as last year
7. Sierra Nevada Brewing; Same as last year
8. New Belgium Brewing; Same as last year
9. Craft Brewers Alliance; Same as last year
10. Lagunitas Brewing; Up 1 from #11 last year
11. Gambrinus Company; Down 1 from #10 last year
12. Bell’s Brewery; Same as last year
13. Deschutes Brewery; Same as last year
14. Minhas Craft Brewery; Up 2 from #16 last year
15. Stone Brewing; Down 1 from #14 last year
16. Sleeman Brewing; Down 1 from #15 last year
17. Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits; Rocketed up 20 from #37 last year
18. Brooklyn Brewery; Down 1 from #17 last year
19. Firestone Walker Brewing; Up 3 from #22 last year
20. Founders Brewing; Up 3 from #23 last year
21. Oskar Blues Brewing; Jumped up 9 from #30
22. Duvel Moortgat USA (Boulevard Brewing/Ommegang); Down 4 from #18 last year
23. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Down 4 from #19 last year
24. Matt Brewing; Down 4 from #20 last year
25. SweetWater Brewing; Down 1 from #24 last year
26. Harpoon Brewery; Down 5 from #21 last year
27. New Glarus Brewing; Down 2 from #25 last year
28. Great Lakes Brewing; Up 1 from #29 last year
29. Alaskan Brewing; Down 3 from #26 last year
30. Abita Brewing; Down 3 from #27 last year
31. Anchor Brewing; Down 3 from #28 last year
32. Stevens Point Brewery; Same as last year
33. Victory Brewing; Up 2 from #35 last year
34. August Schell Brewing; Down 1 from #33 last year
35. Long Trail Brewing; Down 1 from #36 last year
36. Summit Brewing; Down 2 from #34 last year
37. Shipyard Brewing; Down 6 from #31 last year
38. Full Sail Brewing; Up 5 from #39 last year
39. Odell Brewing; Up 1 from #40 last year
40. Southern Tier Brewing; Up 1 from #41 last year
41. Rogue Ales Brewery; Down 3 from #38 last year
42. 21st Amendment Brewery; Jumped up 7 from 49 last year
43. Ninkasi Brewing; Down 1 from #42 last year
44. Flying Dog Brewery; Same as last year
45. Narragansett Brewing; Not in Top 50 last year
46. Pittsburgh Brewing (fka Iron City); Down 1 from #45 last year
47. Left Hand Brewing; Up 1 from #48 last year
48. Uinta Brewing; Down 2 from #46 last year
49. Green Flash Brewing; Not in Top 50 last year
50. Allagash Brewing; Same as last year

Not too much movement this year, except for a few small shufflings. The top is virtually unchanged, with only numbers 10 and 11 switching places. And apart from those two small changes, the top 13 were all the same as 2014. The biggest jump came from Ballast Point, which leapt up 20 spots, while Shipyard slipped the furthest, dropping six slots. Only two new breweries made the list; Green Flash Brewing and Narragansett Brewing. Off the list was World Brew/Winery Exchange, a California contract label brewer making private label beers for retailers, and Bear Republic Brewing.

If you want to see the previous annotated lists for comparison, here is 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006.