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Brewers Association lists 50 largest craft breweries

The Brewers Association has released ts annual lists of the top 50 craft and overall brewing companies in the United States. Because the BA rewrote its definition of what constitutes a craft brewery last March, Boston Beer Co. was bumped from the top spot by Yuengling.

“The companies on this list include the vanguard of the craft industry,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “They are exposing new beer lovers to craft, opening new markets and creating opportunities for the entire category. As they continue to grow, so will the availability of innovative and high-quality beers produced for all to enjoy.”

1 D. G. Yuengling and Son, Inc, Pottsville PA
2 Boston Beer Co, Boston MA
3 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, Chico CA
4 New Belgium Brewing Co, Fort Collins CO
5 Gambrinus, Shiner TX
6 Lagunitas Brewing Co, Petaluma CA
7 Bell’s Brewery, Inc, Galesburg MI
8 Deschutes Brewery, Bend OR
9 Stone Brewing Co, Escondido CA
10 Minhas Craft Brewery, Monroe WI
11 Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn NY
12 Duvel Moortgat USA, Kansas City & Cooperstown MO/NY
13 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton DE
14 Matt Brewing Co, Utica NY
15 Harpoon Brewery, Boston MA
16 Firestone Walker Brewing Co, Paso Robles CA
17 Founders Brewing Co, Grand Rapids MI
18 SweetWater Brewing Co, Atlanta GA
19 New Glarus Brewing Co, New Glarus WI
20 Alaskan Brewing Co, Juneau AK
21 Abita Brewing Co, Abita Springs LA
22 Anchor Brewing Co, San Francisco CA
23 Great Lakes Brewing Co, Cleveland OH
24 Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont, CO
25 Shipyard Brewing Co Portland, ME
26 Stevens Point Brewery Co, Stevens Point WI
27 August Schell Brewing Co, New Ulm MN
28 Summit Brewing Co, Saint Paul MN
29 Victory Brewing Co, Downingtown PA
30 Long Trail Brewing Co, Bridgewater Corners VT
31 Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits, San Diego CA
32 Rogue Ales Brewery & Headquarters, Newport OR
33 Full Sail Brewing Co, Hood River OR
34 Odell Brewing Co, Fort Collins CO
35 Southern Tier Brewing Co, Lakewood NY
36 Ninkasi Brewing Co, Eugene OR
37 Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick MD
38 Uinta Brewing Co, Salt Lake City UT
39 Bear Republic Brewing Co, Cloverdale CA
40 Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont CO
41 21st Amendment Brewery Cafe, San Francisco CA
42 Allagash Brewing Co Portland, ME
43 Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe, Eureka CA
44 Troegs Brewing Co, Hershey PA
45 Karl Strauss Brewing Co, San Diego CA
46 Saint Arnold Brewing Co, Houston TX
47 Narragansett Brewing Co Providence RI
48 Green Flash Brewing Co, San Diego CA
49 Craftworks Restaurants & Breweries, Chattanooga & Louisville TN/CO
50 Breckenridge Brewery, Denver CO

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Worldwide thirst for American craft beer grows

The Brewers Association reports that exports of craft beer increased almost 36% in 2014 as brewers shipped 383,422 31-gallon barrels valued at an estimated $99.7 million.

US Craft Beer Exports

In 2014, the fastest growing markets were Brazil, South Korea, Thailand and the United Kingdom. The strongest growth was found in Brazil, which was up 63.9%; Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan), up 38.1%; Western Europe, up 36.6%; Canada, up 32.3%; and Japan, up 31.7%.

The top five markets for American craft beer remained nearly the same in 2014, with South Korea surpassing Japan for fifth place. In terms of market share, Canada accounted for 53% of exports, Sweden for 12%, the United Kingdom for 10.7%, Australia for 5.1%, and Korea for 3.4%.

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LongShot contest adds ‘East vs. West’ theme

Boston Beer Co. has added to new twist to its Samuel Adams LongShot contest from homebrewers. For the first time it will feature an “East vs. West” battle. Judges will choose one winning beer from east of the Mississipi River and one from the west. Each will be brewed by Samuel Adams and sold in the 2016 LongShot six-pack along with a beer from the winner of the Samuel Adams employee contest.

The submission window for the contest is May 1-16 and details are available at the company website. Winners will be announce at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

While Samuel Adams is accepting entries for the 2015 contest, the Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew Contest variety six-pack with winning brews from the 2014 winners will be available nationwide in select retail stores this spring. This year’s winners include Forestville, Calif., resident Greg Rasmussen; Smithtown, N.Y., resident Matthew Knott; and Brooklyn, N.Y., resident and Samuel Adams employee John Marra. The variety pack will include two bottles each of Greg’s “Raspy’s Robust Porter,” Matthew’s “Smokehouse Rauchbier” and John’s “Dark Night in Brooklyn” Dunkelweiss.

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Craft beer surpasses 10% market share

The Brewers Association announced today that for the first time craft breweries reached double-digit share of the beer marketplace. Back in 2003, Kim Jordan of New Belgium Brewing had challenged industry members during her keynote address at the Craft Brewers Conference to strive to reach 10% share. To many that looked to a goal that might take decades to reach. Now the BA has set a target to reach 20% share in just five more years.

In 2014, craft breweries — as defined by the BA — produced 22.2 million barrels, and 18% increase in volume. Retail dollar value was estimated at $19.6 billion, representing 19.3% market share.

Craft brewing growth - Brewers Association

“With the total beer market up only 0.5 percent in 2014, craft brewers are key in keeping the overall industry innovative and growing. This steady growth shows that craft brewing is part of a profound shift in American beer culture—a shift that will help craft brewers achieve their ambitious goal of 20 percent market share by 2020,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association.

The number of operating breweries in the U.S. in 2014 grew 19%, totaling 3,464 breweries, with 3,418 defeined as craft. They include 1,871 microbreweries, 1,412 brewpubs and 135 regional craft breweries. Throughout the year, there were 615 new brewery openings and only 46 closings.

Combined with already existing and established breweries and brew pubs, craft brewers provided 115,469 jobs, an increase of almost 5,000 from the previous year.

“These small businesses are one of the bright spots in both our economy and culture. Craft brewers are serving their local communities, brewing up jobs and boosting tourism,” Watson said.