Brewers Association Releases Top 50 Breweries of 2012

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Boulder, CO • April 10, 2013 – The Brewers Association—the not-for-profit trade group that tabulates production statistics for the U.S. brewing industry—today released its annual lists of the top 50 craft and overall brewing companies in the U.S., based on 2012 beer sales volume. Of the top 50 overall brewing companies, 39 are small and independent craft brewing companies¹.

“In 2012, craft surpassed six percent of the total U.S. beer market, with volume and dollar sales reaching record levels,” said Paul Gatza, director, Brewers Association. “Increasingly, beer lovers are turning to craft brewed beer from small and independent producers to satisfy their thirst for bold, innovative and flavor-forward beers.”

Top 50 U.S. Craft Brewing Companies
(Based on 2012 beer sales volume)

 

 Rank Brewing Company City State
1 Boston Beer Co. Boston MA
2 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico CA
3 New Belgium Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
4 The Gambrinus Co. San Antonio TX
5 Deschutes Brewery Bend OR
6 Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
7 Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Galesburg MI
8 Matt Brewing Co. Utica NY
9 Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
10 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
11 Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn  NY
12 Boulevard Brewing Co. Kansas City MO
13 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
14 Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs LA
15 Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland ME
16 Alaskan Brewing Co. Juneau AK
17 New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus WI
18 Long Trail Brewing Co. Bridgewater Corners VT
19 Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland OH
20 Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
21 Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA
22 Rogue Ales Newport OR
23 Summit Brewing Co. St. Paul MN
t. 24 Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR
t. 24 SweetWater Brewing Co. Atlanta GA
26 Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA
27 Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont CO
28 Cold Spring Brewing Co./
Third Street Brewhouse
Cold Spring MN
29 Flying Dog Brewery Frederick MD
30 Founders Brewing Co. Grand Rapids MI
31 Ninkasi Brewing Co. Eugene OR
32 CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc. Chattanooga & Louisville TN/CO
33 Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
34 Bear Republic Brewing Co. Cloverdale CA
35 Stevens Point Brewery Stevens Point WI
36 Blue Point Brewing Co. Patchogue NY
37 Southern Tier Brewing Co. Lakewood NY
38 Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe Eureka CA
39 Karl Strauss Brewing Co. San Diego CA
40 BJ’s Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Inc. Huntington Beach CA
41 Breckenridge Brewery Denver CO
42 North Coast Brewing Co. Fort Bragg CA
43 Left Hand Brewing Co. Longmont CO
44 St. Louis Brewery, Inc./
Schlafly Beers
St. Louis MO
45 Saint Arnold Brewing Co. Houston TX
46 Ballast Point Brewing Co. San Diego CA
47 Big Sky Brewing Co. Missoula MT
48 Allagash Brewing Co. Portland ME
49 Uinta Brewing Co. Salt Lake City UT
50  Tröegs Brewing Co. Hershey PA

Top 50 Overall U.S. Brewing Companies
(Based on 2012 beer sales volume)

Rank Brewing Company City State
1 Anheuser-Busch Inc. (a) St. Louis MO
2 MillerCoors (b) Chicago IL
3 Pabst Brewing Co. (c) Los Angeles CA
4 D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc. Pottsville PA
5 Boston Beer Co. (d) Boston MA
6 North American Breweries (e) Rochester NY
7 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico CA
8 New Belgium Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
9 Craft Brew Alliance, Inc. (f) Portland OR
10 The Gambrinus Co. (g) San Antonio TX
11 Minhas Craft Brewery (h) Monroe WI
12 Deschutes Brewery Bend OR
13 Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
14 Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Galesburg MI
15 Matt Brewing Co. (i) Utica NY
16 Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
17 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
18 Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
19 Boulevard Brewing Co. Kansas City MO
20 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
21 Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs  LA
22 World Brews/Winery Exchange (j) Novato CA
23 Shipyard Brewing Co. (k) Portland ME
24 Alaskan Brewing Co. Juneau AK
25 August Schell Brewing Co. (l) New Ulm MN
26 New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus WI
27 Long Trail Brewing Co. (m) Bridgewater Corners VT
28 Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland OH
29 Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
30 Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA
31 Rogue Ales Newport OR
32 Summit Brewing Co. St. Paul MN
t. 33 Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR
t. 33 SweetWater Brewing Co. Atlanta GA
35 Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA
36 Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont  CO
37 Pittsburgh Brewing Co. (n) Pittsburgh PA
38 Mendocino Brewing Co. (o) Ukiah CA
39 Cold Spring Brewing Co./
Third Street Brewhouse (p) 
Cold Spring MN
40 Flying Dog Brewery Fredrick MD
41 Founders Brewing Co. Grand Rapids MI
42 Ninkasi Brewing Co. Eugene OR
43 CraftWorks Breweries & Restaurants, Inc. (q) Chattanooga & Louisville TN/CO
44 Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
45 Bear Republic Brewing Co. Cloverdale CA
46 Stevens Point Brewery (r) Stevens Point WI
47 Blue Point Brewing Co. Patchogue NY
48 Southern Tier Brewing Co. Lakewood NY
49 Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe Eureka CA
50 Karl Strauss Brewing Co. San Diego CA

*Top 50 U.S. Overall Brewing Companies notes: (a) includes Bass, Beck’s, Bud Light, Budweiser, Busch, Goose Island, Landshark, Michelob, Rolling Rock, Shock Top and Wild Blue brands. Does not include partially owned Coastal, Craft Brew Alliance, Fordham, Kona, Old Dominion, Omission, Red Hook and Widmer brands; (b) includes A.C. Golden, Batch 19, Blue Moon, Colorado Native, Coors, Keystone, Killian’s, Leinenkugel’s, Miller and Tenth & Blake brands; (c) includes Pabst, Schlitz and 28 other brand families; (d) includes Alchemy & Science and Sam Adams brands; (e) includes Dundee, Genesee, Labatt Lime, Magic Hat and Pyramid brands; (f) includes Kona, Omission, Red Hook and Widmer Brothers brands; (g) includes BridgePort, Shiner and Trumer brands; (h) includes Mountain Crest and 10 other brand families; (i) includes Flying Bison, Saranac and Utica Club brands; (j) private label brands, primarily for grocery store chains; (k) includes Casco Bay, Sea Dog and Shipyard brands; (l) includes Grain Belt and Schell’s brands; (m) includes Long Trail, Otter Creek, The Shed and Wolaver’s brands; (n) includes Iron City and 17 other brand families; (o) includes Butte Creek, Kingfisher, Mendocino and Olde Saratoga brands; (p) includes Cold Spring and John Henry brands; (q) includes A1A, Big River, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants, Rock Bottom Restaurants, Ragtime and Seven Bridges brewpubs; (r) includes James Page, Point and Whole Hog brands.

The Association’s full 2012 industry analysis, which shows regional trends and sales by individual breweries, will be published in the May/June issue of The New Brewer, available May 17, 2013.

For additional statistics, see the craft brewing statistics, and 2012 craft brewer sales numbers.

¹The definition of a craft brewer as stated by the Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional. Small: Annual production of beer less than 6 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition. Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer. Traditional: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewer’s brands) or has at least 50% of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.

Contact:
Abby Berman (on behalf of the Brewers Association)
abby@rosengrouppr.com
646.695.7044

###

 

About the Brewers Association
The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup® Great American Beer Festival®Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America®,  SAVOR?: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.

Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association. Follow us on Twitter.

The Brewers Association is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/familial status. The BA complies with provisions of Executive Order 11246 and the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor.