The Brewers Association has just announced the top 50 breweries in the U.S. based on sales for 2006. Here is the new list:
- Anheuser-Busch; St Louis MO
- Miller Brewing; Milwaukee WI
- Coors Brewing; Golden CO
- Pabst Brewing; Woodridge IL
- Boston Beer Co.; Boston MA
- D. G. Yuengling and Son; Pottsville PA
- Sierra Nevada Brewing; Chico CA
- Gambrinus; San Antonio TX
- New Belgium Brewing; Fort Collins CO
- High Falls Brewing; Rochester NY
- Widmer Brothers Brewing; Portland OR
- Redhook Ale Brewery; Woodinville WA
- Pittsburgh Brewing; Pittsburgh PA
- Pyramid Breweries; Seattle WA
- Minhas Craft Brewery; Monroe WI
- Matt Brewing; Utica NY
- Deschutes Brewery; Bend OR
- Boulevard Brewing; Kansas City MO
- Alaskan Brewing; Juneau AK
- The Harpoon Brewery; Boston, MA
- Full Sail Brewing; Hood River OR
- Anchor Brewing; San Francisco CA
- Kona Brewing; Kailua-Kona HI
- Magic Hat Brewing Company; South Burlington VT
- Gordon Biersch Brewing; San Jose CA
- Bell’s Brewery; Galesburg MI
- Summit Brewing; Saint Paul MN
- August Schell Brewing; New Ulm MN
- Shipyard Brewing; Portland ME
- Mendocino Brewing; Ukiah CA
- Goose Island Beer; Chicago IL
- Abita Brewing; New Orleans LA
- Long Trail Brewing; Bridgewater Corners VT
- Brooklyn Brewery; Brooklyn NY
- New Glarus Brewing; New Glarus WI
- Rogue Ales; Newport OR
- Stone Brewing; Escondido CA
- Stevens Point Brewery; Stevens Point WI
- Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants; Louisville CO
- Firestone Walker Brewing; Paso Robles CA
- Great Lakes Brewing; Cleveland OH
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Lewes DE
- Straub Brewery; Saint Mary’s PA
- Lagunitas Brewing; Petaluma CA
- Flying Dog Brewery; Denver CO
- Sweetwater Brewing; Atlanta GA
- Odell Brewing; Fort Collins CO
- Mac and Jack’s Brewery; Redmond WA
- Big Sky Brewing; Missoula MT
- Otter Creek Brewing; Middlebury VT
From the press release:
The Brewers Association, which tabulates industry growth data, reports that in 2006 77.7% of the craft beer produced was made from the top 50 craft brewing companies. Additionally, 34 out of the top 50 brewing companies in the U.S meet the Brewers Association’s definition of a craft brewer.
“Beer made by small, independent and traditional breweries is definitely an American success story,” states Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association. “There’s a change in lifestyle going on. People are trading up and that is what is creating such strong demand for craft beer”.
With just under 1400 small breweries the segment eclipsed 6.7 million barrels in 2006. The fastest growing craft beer sector in 2006 was microbreweries (those under 15,000 barrels a year). Sales were up 16%, showing customer support for local breweries. Total craft beer industry sales have grown 31.5% over the last 3 years an early 2007 indicators point toward accelerating sales growth.
“If you Google craft beer you’ll see more press coverage than ever before. This is because beers from craft breweries provide diversity and flavor and that’s what people want,” stated Julia Herz, a spokesperson for the Brewers Association.
Twenty-two states are represented in the top 50 brewing companies list, according to the Brewers Association. California hosts (7) top breweries. Colorado has (5) and Oregon and Wisconsin each host (4) top producers. The remainder of the top 50 operate from New York (3), Pennsylvania (3), Vermont (3), Washington (3), Illinois (2), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (2), Missouri (2), Alaska (1) , Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Michigan (1), Montana (1), Ohio (1) and Texas (1).
In 2006, while sales of large domestic brewers still lagged behind their 2004 peak, the craft beer segment continued to explode. Scan data from Information Resources Inc. shows craft beer with a 17.8% increase in supermarket sales for 2006—more growth than any other alcohol beverage category in the supermarket sales channel. For more sales statistics, the Brewers Assocation has set up a statistics page on their website.
This is more excellent news for craft beer, as the final number even exceeded easrlier estimates. Let’s raise a glass and offer a toast to craft beer’s continuing success. Cheers to all of those brewers making such wonderful, world-class beer.