The Brewers Association just announced the top 50 breweries in the U.S. based on sales, by volume, for 2008, which is listed below here. For the second time, they’ve also released a list of the top 50 craft breweries based on the new definition adopted by the Brewers Association last year. Here is the new craft brewery list:
- Boston Beer Co.; Boston MA
- Sierra Nevada Brewing; Chico CA
- New Belgium Brewing; Fort Collins CO
- Spoetzl Brewery (Gambrinus); Spoetzl TX
- Pyramid Breweries; Seattle WA
- Deschutes Brewery; Bend OR
- Matt Brewing; Utica NY
- Boulevard Brewing; Kansas City MO
- Full Sail Brewing; Hood River OR
- Magic Hat Brewing Company; South Burlington VT
- Alaskan Brewing; Juneau AK
- Harpoon Brewery; Boston, MA
- Bell’s Brewery; Galesburg MI
- Kona Brewing; Kailua-Kona HI
- Anchor Brewing; San Francisco CA
- Shipyard Brewing; Portland ME
- Summit Brewing; Saint Paul MN
- Stone Brewing; Escondido CA
- Abita Brewing; New Orleans LA
- Brooklyn Brewery; Brooklyn NY
- New Glarus Brewing; New Glarus WI
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Lewes DE
- Long Trail Brewing; Bridgewater Corners VT
- Gordon Biersch Brewing; San Jose CA
- Rogue Ales/Oregon Brewing; Newport OR
- Great Lakes Brewing; Cleveland OH
- Lagunitas Brewing; Petaluma CA
- Firestone Walker Brewing; Paso Robles CA
- Sweetwater Brewing; Atlanta GA
- Flying Dog Brewery; Denver CO
- BJs Restaurant & Brewery; Huntington Beach CA
- Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants; Louisville CO
- Bridgeport Brewing; Portland OR
- Odell Brewing; Fort Collins CO
- Victory Brewing; Downingtown PA
- Mac and Jack’s Brewery; Redmond WA
- Big Sky Brewing; Missoula MT
- Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants; Chattanooga TN
- Karl Strauss Breweries; San Diego CA
- Breckenridge Brewery; Denver CO
- Lost Coast Brewery; Eureka CA
- Otter Creek Brewing; Middlebury VT
- Utah Brewers Cooperative; Salt Lake City UT
- North Coast Brewing; Fort Bragg CA
- Blue Point Brewing; Patchogue NY
- Boulder Beer; Boulder CO
- Pete’s Brewing; San Antonio TX
- McMenamins; Portland OR
- Anderson Valley Brewing; Boonville CA
- The Saint Louis Brewery; St Louis MO
From the press release:
“In 2007, 35 of the top 50 brewing companies were small and independent craft brewers. In 2008 there were 37,” states Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association. “Craft brewers continue to have success and generate excitement behind the flavorful beer movement, but not without recent challenges including price increases for raw materials and supplies, as well as access to market issues.”
Changes from last year’s list include breweries moving up or down in the rankings based on volume sales. There was one new entrant into the Top 50 Craft list, The Saint Louis Brewery, and two craft brewers have claimed spots in the Top 50 Overall list—Big Sky Brewing Co. and Mac & Jack’s Brewery. Consolidation of MillerCoors, last year’s number 2 and 3 brewers, opened up a slot, and the merger of Widmer Brothers and Redhook into the company now named Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc. opened up another slot filled by emerging small and independent craft brewers.
I’ll have my annual annotated list shortly.
What about the Magic Hat/Pyramid merger? Where woould the Independent Brewers United fit into the list? Do they move into the same category as the big boys?
My guess is that because it wasn’t finalized until late August of last year, that it was easier to keep them separate for calendar year 2008 and next year we’ll see them listed as one entity.
When I go this in my e-mail, I was really surprised at how high Boulevard was on the list. I used to live in Springfield, MO. I just figured that it was close to K.C., so that’s why I saw so much of it. Goes to show you that there’s always something to learn.
Maybe I don’t keep up with this enough, but I thought Kona Brewing was allied with Widmer and Redhook? Or at least they were tied into an AB distribution deal which was enough to get Goose Island removed from the craft list.