Top 20 US craft breweries

Yesterday, US trade body, The Brewers Association, released a list of the largest craft brewers in the country by sales volume.

While there was little change among the top four brewers, the Sweet Water Brewing Company in Atlanta saw the biggest jump scaling the list by five places, closely followed by the Firestone Walker Brewing Company in California which jumped four spots.

In 2013 US craft brewers saw an 18% rise in volume representing a total of 15.6 million barrels – a 20% increase in retail value – accounting for 7.8% of the entire US beer market.

Exports of US craft beer also rocketed by 49% with a total of 282,526 barrels valued at US$73 million shipped in 2013.

Of the 2,822 breweries currently operating in the US, 2,768 are considered craft showing that craft breweries currently make up 98% of all US operating breweries.

The Brewer’s Association currently defines an American craft brewer as “small, independent, and traditional” with an annual production of beer less than six million barrels, where 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, and who has “either an all malt flagship, or has at least 50% of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavour.”

Scroll through to see which are the biggest US craft breweries by sales volume… 

20. Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland, Ohio

Position change: -1

Established in 1988 by brothers Patrick and Daniel Conway, the Great Lakes Brewing Company is a brewery and brewpub and holds the title of Ohio’s first brewpub and microbrewery.

The brewery produces its beer in accordance with the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516.

19. SweetWater Brewing Co. Atlanta, Georgia

Position change: +5

The SweetWater Brewing Company was founded in 1997 by former college room mates Freddy Bensch and Kevin McNerny.

Having worked part time cleaning kegs at a local brewery, both went on to work within the world of brewing with Bensch moving to California to study at the American Brewers Guild and  McNerney learning the trade working at several breweries in Colorado and California.

Its flagship brew is SweetWater 420 – an extra pale 5.4% abv beer.

 

18. New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus, Wisconsin

Position change: -1

The New Glarus Brewing Company was founded in 1993 by Deborah and Dan Carey with Deborah believed to be the first woman in the US to found and operate a brewery.

It began by selling its products exclusively in Wisconsin but has since grown to be the 18th biggest craft brewery in the US.

The couple’s philosophy on beer making is based on individuality, cooperation and the use of 100% natural ingredients with brews including their Spotted Cow farmhouse ale and Raspberry Tart ale.

17. Alaskan Brewing Co. Juneau, Alaska

Position change: -1

Founded in 1986 by Marcy and Geoff Larson, the Alaskan Brewing Company produces five year-round beers, four limited release seasonal ales and several specialty beers with limited distribution each year.

16. Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles, California

Position change: +4

The Firestone Walker brewing Co. was founded in 1996 by Adam Firestone and his brother-in-law David Walker.

The pair brew their beer based on classic brewing traditions from Burton-Upon Trent in the UK and specialise in pales ales.

 

15. Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs, Louisiana

Position change: -1

The Abita Brewing Company was formed by home brewers Jim Patton and Rush Cumming in 1986 and comprises a brewery and brew pub.

Its selection of seven year-round beers include Abita Amber, Golden, Light, Turbodog, Purple Haze, Jockamo I.P.A. and Restoration Pale Ale.

The company also produces Abita root beer made with Louisiana sugarcane.

14. Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland, Maine

Position change: +1

Founded in 1994 The Shipyard Brewing Company comprises of the Sea Dog Brewing Company and Casco Bay Brewing Company. 

The brewery also produces beer under contract for Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Company including an American version of the English classic Old Thumper under license from Ringwood Brewery.

13. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton, Delaware

Position change: -1

Dogfish Head Brewings & Eatswas first opened in 1995 by Sam Calagione and was the state’s first brewpub located on Rehoboth Beach.

Its first batch, Shelter Pale Ale, was brewed using three kegs with propane burners brewing 12–gallon batches of beer.

Its website reads: “The one benefit to brewing on such a small system was the ability to try out a myriad of different recipes.

“We quickly got bored brewing the same things over and over – that’s when we started adding all sorts of weird ingredients and getting kind of crazy with the beers.”

12. Harpoon Brewery Boston, Massachusetts

Position change: +1

The Harpoon Brewery was founded in 1986 by college friends Rich Doyle and Dan Kenary out of their love of beer, and was the first company to obtain a permit to manufacture and sell alcohol in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in over 25 years.

Of their venture the pair said: “There was only one problem: we were beer lovers, not brewers. We knew what we wanted to drink, but we needed some help actually brewing it. So we enlisted our first brewer, took over some warehouse space on the Boston waterfront, and began introducing fresh, local craft beer to Boston drinkers.”

It is perhaps best known for its Harpoon India Pale Ale alongside other brews including its UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen, UFO White, Leviathan IPA Rich & Dan’s Rye IPA, and Boston Irish Stout.

11. Matt Brewing Co. Utica, New York

Position change: -2

The Matt Brewing Company is the second oldest family-owned brewery in the United States and was first founded by Francis Xavier Matt I, an immigrant from Germany, in 1988 as the The West End Brewing Company.

The brewery was later renamed Matt Brewing Company and is now under the fourth generation of family ownership by Nick Matt and Fred Matt.

Its most popular range is its Saranac Pale Ale.

10. Stone Brewing Co. Escondido, California

Position change: -2

Founded in 1996 by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner, the Stone Brewing Company’s first beer was Stone Pale Ale, which is still its flagship ale. Known for higher than average alcohol content, the breweries abv ranges from 4.4% to 13%.

In 2006 the brewery opened the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens next to its facility in Escondido, California.

In 2013 the brewery produced 213,277 barrels of beer, a 20% increase on 2012.

9. Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn, New York

Position change: +1

The Brooklyn Brewery was founded in 1988 Steve Hindy and Tom Potter and currently distributes its beer in 25 states and 20 countries. Throughout 2011 The Brewery underwent an expansion to double its capacity in 2012 and quintuple by 2013 and is one of the biggest US craft beer exporters.

In 2005 Hindy and Potter published Beer School: Bottling Success At The Brooklyn Brewery as a guide to both entrepreneurship and beer brewing and as a memoir of the building of the Brooklyn Brewery.

8. Duvel Moortgat USA Kansas City & Cooperstown

Position change:  New entry

7. Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Galesburg, Michigan

Position change: 0

Founded by Larry Bell as a home brewing supply shop in 1983, Bell’s Brewery, Inc. has grown from producing 135 barrels in 1986 to more than 216,000 barrels in 2012. Its first commercial beer was sold in September 1985, initially brewed in a 15-gallon soup kettle.

2003, Bell’s opened a new brewery in nearby Comstock, Michigan, boasting 32-acres of land.

6. Deschutes Brewery Bend, Oregon

Position change: -1

Deschutes was founded as a brewery and small brew pub by Gary Fish in 1988 and currently distributes to 21 states. In 1993 the brewery expanded to keep up with rising demand and now has two brew houses. A new brew pub opened in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon in May 2008. It expanded again in 2012 allowing an additional 105,000 barrels to be brewed per year.

Its range of beers include Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Chainbreaker White IPA, Deschutes River Ale, Obsidian Stout and Red Chair NWPA.

5. Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA

Position change: +1

The Lagunitas Brewery was founded in 1993 by Tony Magee. In 2012 it announced a $9.5 million expansion plan in 2012 to increase its production capacity to 600,000 barrels.

Its flagship brew is its IPA made with Copious Cascade and Centennial hops with Crystal malt.

Its website reads: “The Lagunitas Brewing Co. was not so much an act of ordinary ‘foundling’ as it was willed into being by the unspoken desire of supportive beer-lovers in Northern California after which they continued to nurture their creation and urged us forward to fulfill the unifying needs of that same beer-loving diaspora from coast to coast and beyond. It is good to have friends!”

4. Gambrinus San Antonio, Texas

Position change: 0

Founded by Carlos Alvarez in 1986, The Gambrinus Company began as a small beer importer serving the Southwest region of the United States and today owns a number of breweries including the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas, the BridgePort Brewing Company in Portland, Oregon and Pete’s Brewing Company, a leading craft brewery founded by Pete Slosberg.

Headed by President Carlos Alvarez, The Gambrinus company is a privately held corporation located in San Antonio, Texas and is best know as the producer of Shiner Beers, brewed at its Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas.

3. New Belgium Brewing Co. Fort Collins, Colorado

Position change: 0

The New Belgium Brewing Company was founded in 1991 by home brewer Jeff Lebesch. Its flagship ale is Fat Tire, an amber ale inspired by a bicycle trip taken by Lebesch’s through Belgium from brewery to brewery in 1989.

Not long after his return, the New Belgium Brewing Company was born.

 

 

2. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico, California

Position change: 0

The Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. was founded in 1979 by Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi who started out as home brewers with a passion for beer.

The friends started their venture with a $50,000 loan from friends and family which they used to rent a 3,000-square-foot warehouse to produce their first beer in 1980 – a pale ale. Today the company employs 450 people and produces around 780,000 barrels per year.

1. Boston Beer Co. Boston, Massachusetts

Position change: 0

The largest craft brewer by volume sales in the US is the Boston Beer Co, producers of Samuel Adams beer. As the country’s largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for just under 1% of the entire US beer market.

The Boston Beer Company was founded in 1984 by Jim Koch, Harry M. Rubin, and Lorenzo Lamadrid. Today it produces around 2.5 million barrels of its Sam Adams beers.

 

US breweries placed 20 to 50 by sales volume

21. Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA – Position change:0

22. Long Trail Brewing Co. Bridgewater Corners VT – Position change: -4

23. Summit Brewing Co. St. Paul MN – Position change: 0

24. Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont CO – Position change: 3

25. Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR – Position change: -1

26. Founders Brewing Co. Grand Rapids MI – Position change: 4

27. Rogue Ales Newport OR – Position change: -5

28. Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA – Position change: -2

29. Ballast Point Brewing Co. San Diego CA – Position change: 17

30. Ninkasi Brewing Co. Eugene OR – Position change: 1

31. Southern Tier Brewing Co. Lakewood NY – Position change: 6

32. Cold Spring Brewing Co./Third Street Brewhouse Cold Spring MN – Position change: -4

33. Flying Dog Brewery Frederick MD – Position change: -4

34. Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO – Position change: -1

35. Stevens Point Brewery Co. Stevens Point WI – Position change: 0

36. Bear Republic Brewing Co. Cloverdale CA – Position change: -2

37. Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe Eureka CA – Position change: 1

38 .Left Hand Brewing Co. Longmont CO – Position change: 5

39. CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc. Chattanooga & Louisville TN/CO – Position change: -7

40. Breckenridge Brewery Denver CO – Position change: 1

41. Karl Strauss Brewing Co. San Diego CA – Position change: -2

42. Blue Point Brewing Co. Patchogue NY – Position change: -6

43. Sixpoint Brewery Brooklyn NY – Position change: New

44. BJ’s Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Inc. Huntington Beach CA – Position change: -4

45. North Coast Brewing Co. Inc. Fort Bragg CA – Position change: -3

46. Uinta Brewing Co. Salt Lake City UT – Position change: 3

47. Allagash Brewing Co. Portland ME – Position change: 1

48. Saint Arnold Brewing Co. Houston TX – Position change: -3

49. Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. San Jose CA – Position change: New

50. 21st Amendment Brewery San Francisco CA – Position change: New