Monday, April 13, 2009

Brewers Association releases Top 50 breweries list

Boulder, Colorado • April 13, 2009Brewers Association, which represents the majority of brewing companies in the U.S., announced the annual list of top 50 brewing companies. Released are lists for both Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies¹ of small and independent craft brewers (see Craft Brewing Statistics) plus a Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies list. Rankings are based on sales volume in 2008.

"In 2007, 35 of the top 50 brewing companies were small and independent craft brewers. In 2008 there were 37," states Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association. "Craft brewers continue to have success and generate excitement behind the flavorful beer movement, but not without recent challenges including price increases for raw materials and supplies, as well as access to market issues."


Changes from last year's list include breweries moving up or down in the rankings based on volume sales. There was one new entrant into the Top 50 Craft list, The Saint Louis Brewery, and two craft brewers have claimed spots in the Top 50 Overall list—Big Sky Brewing Co. and Mac & Jack's Brewery. Consolidation of MillerCoors, last year's number 2 and 3 brewers, opened up a slot, and the merger of Widmer Brothers and Redhook into the company now named Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc. opened up another slot filled by emerging small and independent craft brewers.


A more extensive analysis of statistics on the craft beer segment in 2008 will be released April 22 during the Craft Brewers Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. The Association's full 2008 industry analysis, which shows regional trends and sales by individual breweries, will publish in the May/June issue of The New Brewer on May 19.


Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies by Beer Sales Volume
(Based on 2008 sales)



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 Spoetzl Brewery Shiner TX
5 Pyramid Breweries Inc. Seattle WA
6 Deschutes Brewery Bend OR
7 Matt Brewing Co. Utica NY
8 Boulevard Brewing Co. Kansas City MO
9 Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR
10 Magic Hat Brewing Co. Burlington VT
11 Alaskan Brewing Co. Juneau AK
12 Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
13 Bell's Brewery, Inc. Galesburg MI
14 Kona Brewing Co. Kailua-Kona HI
15 Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA
16 Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland ME
17 Summit Brewing Co. Saint Paul MN
18 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
19 Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs LA
20 The Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
21 New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus WI
22 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
23 Long Trail Brewing Co. Bridgewater Corners VT
24 Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. San Jose CA
25 Rogue Ales/Oregon Brewing Co. Newport OR
26 Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland OH
27 The Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
28 Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
29 SweetWater Brewing Co. Atlanta GA
30 Flying Dog Brewing Co. Frederick MD
31 BJ's Restaurant & Brewery Huntington Beach CA
32 Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants Louisville CO
33 BridgePort Brewing Co. Portland OR
34 Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
35 Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA
36 Mac and Jack's Brewery Redmond WA
37 Big Sky Brewing Co. Missoula MT
38 Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants Chattanooga TN
39 Karl Strauss Brewing Co. San Diego CA
40 Breckenridge Brewery Denver CO
41 Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe Eureka CA
42 Otter Creek Brewing Co. Middlebury VT
43 Utah Brewers Cooperative Salt Lake City UT
44 North Coast Brewing Co. Fort Bragg CA
45 Blue Point Brewing Co. Patchogue NY
46 Boulder Beer Co. Boulder CO
47 Pete's Brewing Co. San Antonio TX
48 McMenamins Breweries Portland OR
49 Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Boonville CA
50 The Saint Louis Brewery, Inc. St Louis MO

Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies by Beer Sales Volume
(Based on 2008 sales)

Rank Brewing Company City State
1 Anheuser-Busch InBev St. Louis MO
2 MillerCoors Brewing Co. Chicago IL
3 Pabst Brewing Co. Woodridge IL
4 Boston Beer Co. Boston MA
5 D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc. Pottsville PA
6 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico CA
7 Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc. Woodinville WA
8 New Belgium Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
9 High Falls Brewing Co. Rochester NY
10 Spoetzl Brewery Shiner TX
11 Pyramid Breweries Inc. Seattle WA
12 Deschutes Brewery Bend OR
13 Iron City Brewing Co. Pittsburgh PA
14 Minhas Craft Brewery Monroe WI
15 Matt Brewing Co. Utica NY
16 Boulevard Brewing Co. Kansas City MO
17 Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR
18 Magic Hat Brewing Co. Burlington VT
19 Alaskan Brewing Co. Juneau AK
20 Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
21 Bell's Brewery, Inc. Galesburg MI
22 Goose Island Beer Co. Chicago IL
23 Kona Brewery LLC Kailua-Kona HI
24 Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA
25 August Schell Brewing Co. New Ulm MN
26 Shipyard Brewing Portland ME
27 Summit Brewing Co. Saint Paul MN
28 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
29 Mendocino Brewing Co. Ukiah CA
30 Abita Brewing Co., L.L.C. Abita Springs LA
31 The Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
32 New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus WI
33 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
34 Long Trail Brewing Co. Bridgewater Corners VT
35 Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. San Jose CA
36 Rogue Ales/Oregon Brewing Co. Newport OR
37 Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland OH
38 The Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
39 Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
40 SweetWater Brewing Co. Atlanta GA
41 Flying Dog Brewing Co. Frederick MD
42 BJ's Restaurant & Brewery Huntington Beach CA
43 Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants Louisville CO
44 BridgePort Brewing Co. Portland OR
45 Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
46 Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA
47 Straub Brewery Saint Marys PA
48 Cold Spring Brewing Co. Cold Spring MN
49 Mac and Jack's Brewery Redmond WA
50 Big Sky Brewing Co. Missoula MT


For additional statistics, see Craft Brewing Statistics.


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 2 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.


###


Based in Boulder, Colorado, USA, the Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade and education association for small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. Visit the Web site, www.beertown.org, to learn more. The association’s activities include events and publishing: World Beer Cup®; Great American Beer Festivalsm; Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America®; National Homebrewers Conference; National Homebrew Competition; SAVOR: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience; American Craft Beer Week; Zymurgy magazine; The New Brewer magazine; and books on beer and brewing. The Brewers Association has an additional membership division of 17,000+ homebrewers: American Homebrewers Association.

New Sam Adams LongShot variety packs hits shelves

New Samuel Adams LongShot Variety Six-Pack Hits Shelves Nationwide Featuring Winning Brews From 2008 American Homebrew Contest

2009 Homebrew Contest Call for Entries Underway


BOSTON, April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- As America's interest in homebrewing and craft beer is at an all time high, Jim Koch and the brewers at Samuel Adams are proud to foster the talents of aspiring homebrewers by offering their unique recipes to craft beer drinkers across the country as winners of the 2008 Samuel Adams(R) American Homebrew Contest(TM). Samuel Adams Founder and Brewer Jim Koch, was joined by a panel of industry experts to select California-resident Alex Drobshoff's Traditional Bock in the final round of judging. Alex's beer bested more than 1,300 consumer entries.



Alex's beer will be joined in the LongShot six-pack by California-resident Mike McDole's Double IPA and Samuel Adams Employee Carissa Sweigart's Cranberry Wit. Mike's Double IPA won acclaim from the judges in 2007, but due to the worldwide hops shortage and a desire to preserve the integrity of the beer's recipe, calling for seven hop varieties, Mike elected to delay the brewing of his beer for the 2009 LongShot package. All three winning homebrewers brewed their winning recipes alongside the Samuel Adams brewers in Boston and their bragging rights also include having their recipes bottled and available nationally in the 2009 Samuel Adams LongShot Variety Package. Available for a limited time starting in April.


Samuel Adams employees compete in an annual homebrew competition. This company tradition, started in 2001, encourages passion and knowledge for craft beer while paying tribute to Jim Koch's "first" batch of Samuel Adams Boston Lager(R), homebrewed in his kitchen in 1984. Jim and the other brewers at Samuel Adams selected three finalists from all of the employee entries. These three employee homebrewers attended the 2008 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and asked festival goers to taste and vote on their favorite. In the end, Carissa Sweigart's Cranberry Wit was the favorite and will be featured in the 2009 LongShot variety pack alongside the Traditional Bock and Double IPA.


"The number and quality of entries submitted to the Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest and our annual employee contest continues to increase year after year," said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams(R). "As a homebrewer for more than 25 years, I'm proud to see that passion for great beer is passed on to our employees. The brewing creativity and innovation in both the employee and consumers homebrews is more impressive every year. Alex's Bock, Mike's IPA, and Carissa Sweigart's Cranberry Wit are all exceptional brews that push the limits and demonstrate the endless boundaries of big flavor and the infinite ingredients available to today's craft brewer."


A panel of industry judges including our dear friend, the late William Brand of The Oakland Tribune, Tony Forder of Ale Street News and Marty Nachel, author of Homebrewing for Dummies, joined Jim Koch in selecting the 2008 consumer winners. Together, they determined the final winning consumer recipe based on the American Homebrewers Association Beer Judge Certificate Program guidelines. Each beer was carefully evaluated by style category and judged on how well the style characteristics and flavors were exhibited.


The 2009 Samuel Adams LongShot variety six-pack will be available nationwide in select retail stores in April 2009 for a suggested retail price of $9.99. The variety pack will include two bottles each of Alex Drobshoff's Traditional Bock, Mike McDole's Double IPA and Carissa Sweigart's Cranberry Wit.


ABOUT THE WINNERS AND 2009 CONTEST


Alex Drobshoff's Traditional Bock is a bright copper German inspired bock with a complex, full bodied mouthfeel. Underlying notes in the brew include hints of rich plum and cherry aromas paired with a toasty, malt flavor. He was inspired to create his Traditional Bock after listening to his friends travel encounters that described German beer as something that only could be experienced in Germany. Alex was up to the challenge and set out to replicate an authentic German bock right at home in California. The two year attempt to create this brew resulted in an award winning German inspired bock with a complex, full bodied mouthfeel. Alex's beer features hints of rich plum and cherry aromas paired with its toasty, malt flavor make this a great beer to linger over on a cool evening.


Mike McDole's Double IPA was inspired by the brewer's own deep appreciation for hops. Known in his West Coast Homebrewing community as having an affinity for hoppy beers, Mike used over six pounds and seven different varieties of American hops per barrel for his Double IPA. An intense beer that explodes the senses, Mike's brew is pale orange in color but makes up for it in a robust and malty taste. A full-bodied pale ale with strong spicy, floral and citrus aromas, this Double IPA is a hop-lovers' dream come true.


Carissa Sweigart, a national sales representative for Samuel Adams currently based in Colorado, chose her own hometown ingredients from Cape Cod as the inspiration for her winning Cranberry Wit. A delicious blend of cinnamon, orange peel, coriander and grains of paradise with hints of cranberry, Carissa's brew is bright, fruity and refreshing. The perfect beer to sip on a chilly day, this crisp brew is flavorful and well rounded.


2009 AMERICAN HOMEBREW CONTEST


Aspiring homebrewers have another shot at fame by entering the 2009 Samuel Adams(R) American Homebrew Contest(R). Interested beer drinkers can check online at www.SamuelAdams.com now for contest rules, regulations and information on purchasing a homebrewing kit. In addition, they can download Jim Koch's video, "The Art of Homebrewing" offering his personal tips on making a successful homebrew. Entries must be received between April 15 and May 1 and the winners will be announced at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival.


The Samuel Adams(R) American Homebrew Contest(R) continues the tradition first established with the 1996 Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest and is a natural link to the company's roots. Jim Koch knows first hand the challenges and the personal rewards of creating a quality homebrew. He brewed the first batch of Samuel Adams Boston Lager in his kitchen in 1984. More than 20 years later, Koch is a recognized pioneer of the U.S. craft-brewing revival, and he continues to push the boundaries of brewing and follow his passion for elevating the craft beer-drinking experience.


THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY BACKGROUND:


The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father's attic. After bringing the recipe to life in his kitchen, Jim brought it to bars in Boston with the belief that drinkers would appreciate a complex, full-flavored beer, brewed fresh in America. That beer was Samuel Adams Boston Lager(R), and it helped catalyze what became known as the American craft beer revolution.


Today, the Company brews more than 21 styles of beer. The Company uses the traditional four vessel brewing process and often takes extra steps like dry-hopping and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. It passionately pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of its classic beers by constantly searching for the world's finest ingredients. While resurrecting traditional brewing methods, the Company has earned a reputation as a pioneer in another revolution, the "extreme beer" movement, where it seeks to challenge drinkers' perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company strives to elevate the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions the world over, and in the past five years it has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. The Company remains independent, and brewing quality beer remains its single focus. While Samuel Adams is the country's largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for just under one percent of the U.S. beer market. For more information, visit www.samueladams.com.


Source: Samuel Adams

Web site: http://www.samueladams.com/