US. Brewers Association Releases 2010 Top 50 Breweries Lists

  • Reading time:5 min(s) read

The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group that tabulates production statistics for U.S. breweries, released its annual lists reporting the top 50 brewing companies in the country, based on 2010 beer sales volume. The two lists are the Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies, comprising small and independent craft brewers,? and the Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies. Thirty-six of the top 50 brewing companies are small and independent craft brewing companies.

“At more than 1,700, the number of breweries in the U.S. is higher than any time since the late 1800s,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. “Beer lovers’ appreciation for American craft brewers and their craft beers continue to grow.”

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies
(Based on 2010 beer sales volume)

 RankBrewing CompanyCityState
1Boston Beer Co.BostonMA
2Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.ChicoCA
3New Belgium Brewing Co.Fort CollinsCO
4Spoetzl Brewery*ShinerTX
5Deschutes BreweryBendOR
6Independent Brewers United  (IBU)*BurlingtonVT
7Matt Brewing Co.UticaNY
8Bell’s Brewery, Inc.GalesburgMI
9Harpoon BreweryBostonMA
10Boulevard Brewing Co.Kansas CityMO
11Dogfish Head Craft BreweryMiltonDE
12Alaskan Brewing and Bottling Co.JuneauAK
13Long Trail Brewing Co.Bridgewater CornersVT
14Stone Brewing Co.EscondidoCA
15Abita Brewing Co.Abita SpringsLA
16Brooklyn BreweryBrooklynNY
17Lagunitas Brewing Co.PetalumaCA
18Full Sail Brewing Co.Hood RiverOR
19Shipyard Brewing Co.PortlandME
20Summit Brewing Co.St. PaulMN
21New Glarus Brewing Co.New GlarusWI
22Great Lakes Brewing Co.ClevelandOH
23Anchor Brewing Co.San FranciscoCA
24Kona Brewery LLC*Kailua-KonaHI
25Rogue AlesNewportOR
26Firestone Walker Brewing Co.Paso RoblesCA
27Sweetwater Brewing Co.AtlantaGA
28Flying Dog BreweryFrederickMD
29Victory Brewing Co.DowningtownPA
30Gordon Biersch Brewing Co.San JoseCA
31BJ’s Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Inc.Huntington BeachCA
32Stevens Point Brewery Co.Stevens PointWI
33Odell Brewing Co.Fort CollinsCO
34BridgePort Brewing Co.*PortlandOR
35Rock Bottom Brewery RestaurantsLouisvilleCO
36Oskar Blues BreweryLongmontCO
37Blue Point Brewing Co.PatchogueNY
38Lost Coast Brewery and CafeEurekaCA
39Big Sky Brewing Co.MissoulaMT
40North Coast Brewing Co. Inc.Fort BraggCA
41Mac and Jack’s BreweryRedmondWA
42The Saint Louis Brewery, Inc.MaplewoodMO
43Bear Republic Brewing Co.CloverdaleCA
44Karl Strauss Brewing Co.San DiegoCA
45Breckenridge BreweryDenverCO
46Utah Brewers CooperativeSalt Lake CityUT
47Gordon Biersch Brewery RestaurantsChattanoogaTN
48Saint Arnold Brewing Co.HoustonTX
49Real Ale Brewing Co.BlancoTX
50Ninkasi Brewing Co.EugeneOR

 

*Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies notes: Spoetzl is part of Gambrinus Company; IBU January-August only prior to sale to North American Breweries (NAB); Kona January-September only prior to sale to Craft Brewers Alliance (CBA); BridgePort is part of Gambrinus Company.

Top 50 Brewing Companies
(Based on 2010 beer sales volume)

RankBrewing CompanyCityState
1Anheuser-Busch Inc.St. LouisMO
2MillerCoors Brewing Co.ChicagoIL
3PabstWoodbridgeIL
4D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc.PottsvillePA
5Boston Beer Co.BostonMA
6Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.ChicoCA
7New Belgium Brewing Co.Fort CollinsCO
8North American Breweries*RochesterNY
9Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc.*PortlandOR
10Spoetzl Brewery*ShinerTX
11Deschutes BreweryBendOR
12Independent Brewers United  (IBU)*BurlingtonVT
13Matt Brewing Co.UticaNY
14Minhas Craft BreweryMonroeWI
15Bell’s Brewery, Inc.GalesburgMI
16Harpoon BreweryBostonMA
17Boulevard Brewing Co.Kansas CityMO
18Goose Island Beer Co.ChicagoIL
19Dogfish Head Craft BreweryMiltonDE
20Alaskan Brewing and Bottling Co.JuneauAK
21Long Trail Brewing Co.Bridgewater CornersVT
22August Schell Brewing Co.New UlmMN
23Stone Brewing Co.EscondidoCA
24Abita Brewing Co.Abita SpringsLA
25Brooklyn BreweryBrooklynNY
26Lagunitas Brewing Co.PetalumaCA
27Full Sail Brewing Co.Hood RiverOR
28Shipyard Brewing Co.PortlandME
29Summit Brewing Co.St PaulMN
30New Glarus Brewing Co.New GlarusWI
31Great Lakes Brewing Co.ClevelandOH
32Anchor Brewing Co.San FranciscoCA
33Iron City Brewing Co.PittsburghPA
34Kona Brewery LLC*Kailua-KonaHI
35Rogue AlesNewportOR
36Firestone Walker Brewing Co.Paso RoblesCA
37Winery Exchange Inc. / World BrewsNovatoCA
38Sweetwater Brewing Co.AtlantaGA
39Mendocino Brewing Co.UkiahCA
40Flying Dog BreweryFrederickMD
41Victory Brewing Co.DowningtownPA
42Gordon Biersch Brewing Co.San JoseCA
43BJ’s Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Inc.Huntington BeachCA
44Stevens Point Brewery Co.Stevens PointWI
45Odell Brewing Co.Fort CollinsCO
46BridgePort Brewing Co.*PortlandOR
47Cold Spring Brewing Co.Cold SpringMN
48Rock Bottom BreweryLouisvilleCO
49Oskar Blues BreweryLongmontCO
50Straub BrewerySaint MarysPA

 

*Top 50 Brewing Companies notes: NAB includes IBU August-December; CBA includes Kona October-December; Spoetzl is part of Gambrinus Company; and IBU is January-August only (sale to NAB); Kona is January-September only (sale to CBA); BridgePort is part of Gambrinus Company. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for the Top 50 rankings.

The Association’s full 2010 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 18.

For additional statistics, see the craft brewing statistics, and 2010 craft brewer sales numbers press release.

?The 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.