The U.S. Brewers Association (BA) today released its annual list of the top 50 producing craft brewing companies and overall brewing companies in the U.S., based on beer sales volume. Of the top 50 overall brewing companies, 40 were small and independent craft brewing companies.
Except of some minor changes in the ranking, this year’s top of the list does not vary a lot from last year’s. Unlike the years before major takeovers of independent breweries by big brewing groups did not take place and therefore the players in the list of craft breweries are mainly the same as in former years. As BA’s guidelines stipulate, a brewery can only be listed as a craft brewer if “less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.”
In next year’s list, the number 4, New Belgium Brewing Co, will disappear because the brewery was bought in November by Lion Little World Beverages, the global craft beer division of Australasian brewer, Lion, which is part of brewing giant Kirin from Japan (inside.beer, 19.11.2019).
Another import change will come next year with Dogfish Head Brewery, currently number 13 on the list, which announced to join forces with Boston Beer Company, ranked second (inside.beer, 9.5.2019)
“Although 2020 will be a markedly different year than 2019 for the craft brewing market, these companies are well positioned to help the craft category weather the current market uncertainty and rebound with the flavor, variety, and innovation that beer lovers have come to expect from small brewers,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association, while releasing the new list.
Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies
Rank Rank Brewery Name City State
2019 2018
1 (1) D.G. Yuengling and Son Inc Pottsville PA
2 (2) Boston Beer Co Boston MA
3 (3) Sierra Nevada Brewing Co Chico CA
4 (4) New Belgium Brewing Co Fort Collins, San Francisco CO,CA
5 (5) Duvel Moortgat Paso Robles, Kansas City, Cooperstown CA,MO,NY
6 (6) Gambrinus Berkeley, Portland, Shiner CA,OR,TX
7 (7) Bell’s Brewery Inc. Comstock MI
8 (8) CANarchy Longmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, CO,FL,UT,
Comstock, Inglewood, Dallas MI,CA,TX
9 (9) Stone Brewing Escondido CA
10 (11) Artisanal Brewing Ventures Downingtown, Lakewood, Brooklyn PA,NY,NY
11 (10) Deschutes Brewery Bend OR
12 (12) Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
13 (13) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
14 (14) SweetWater Brewing Co Atlanta GA
15 (16) New Glarus Brewing Co New Glarus WI
The whole list can be found here.
