PRESS RELEASE – Top 50 U.S. Craft Breweries
Boulder, CO • March 14, 2018—The Brewers Association (BA) today released its annual lists 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.
“In an increasingly competitive and mature marketplace, these brewing companies continue to lead and pave the path for small and independent craft brewers,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association.
The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 4,000-plus U.S. breweries.
The top 50 figure is based on companies that met the BA craft brewer definition for all or part of 2017. An American craft brewer is small, independent and traditional.
- Small – Annual production of 6 million barrels or less.
- Independent – Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.
- Traditional – A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative ingredients and their fermentation. (Flavored malt beverages are not considered beers.)
In June 2017, the BA released the independent craft brewer seal to help beer lovers recognize which brewers fit the craft definition. More than 3,000 breweries have adopted the logo in eight months. Look for the seal — an upside-down beer bottle — on packaging, labels, tap handles at more in breweries and at the grocery store.
Here’s a full look at the Top 50 U.S. craft brewing companies based on beer sales volume.
A comprehensive State of the Industry report will be delivered during the 2018 Craft Brewers Conference, held from April 30 – May 3, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee.
And in case you were wondering, here’s the top 50 overall based on beer sales volume.
Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies
| Rank | Brewery Name | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bold = small and independent craft brewery | |||
| 1 | Anheuser-Busch, Inc (a) | Saint Louis | MO |
| 2 | MillerCoors (b) | Chicago | IL |
| 3 | Constellation (c) | Chicago | IL |
| 4 | Heineken (d) | White Plains | NY |
| 5 | Pabst Brewing Co (e) | Los Angeles | CA |
| 6 | D. G. Yuengling & Son, Inc | Pottsville | PA |
| 7 | North American Breweries (f) | Rochester | NY |
| 8 | Diageo (g) | Norwalk | CT |
| 9 | Boston Beer Co (h) | Boston | MA |
| 10 | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co | Chico | CA |
| 11 | New Belgium Brewing Co (i) | Fort Collins | CO |
| 12 | Craft Brew Alliance (j) | Portland | OR |
| 13 | Duvel Moortgat (k) | Paso Robles/Kansas City/Cooperstown | CA/MO/NY |
| 14 | Gambrinus (l) | San Antonio/Berkeley/Portland | TX/CA/OR |
| 15 | Founders Brewing Co (m) | Grand Rapids | MI |
| 16 | Bell’s Brewery, Inc (n) | Comstock | MI |
| 17 | Sapporo USA (o) | La Crosse | WI |
| 18 | Stone Brewing Co | Escondido | CA |
| 19 | CANarchy (p) | Longmont/Tampa/Salt Lake City/Comstock Park | CO/FL/UT/MI |
| 20 | Deschutes Brewery | Bend | OR |
| 21 | Brooklyn Brewery | Brooklyn | NY |
| 22 | Dogfish Head Craft Brewery | Milton | DE |
| 23 | Minhas Craft Brewery (q) | Monroe | WI |
| 24 | Artisanal Brewing Ventures (r) | Downingtown/Lakewood | PA/NY |
| 25 | SweetWater Brewing Co | Atlanta | GA |
| 26 | New Glarus Brewing Co | New Glarus | WI |
| 27 | Matt Brewing Co (s) | Utica | NY |
| 28 | Harpoon Brewery | Boston | MA |
| 29 | Alaskan Brewing | Juneau | AK |
| 30 | Great Lakes Brewing Co | Cleveland | OH |
| 31 | Abita Brewing Co | Abita Springs | LA |
| 32 | Odell Brewing Co | Fort Collins | CO |
| 33 | Stevens Point Brewery (t) | Stevens Point | WI |
| 34 | August Schell Brewing Co (u) | New Ulm | MN |
| 35 | Summit Brewing Co | Saint Paul | MN |
| 36 | 21st Amendment Brewery | Bay Area | CA |
| 37 | Shipyard Brewing Co (v) | Portland | ME |
| 38 | Flying Dog Brewery | Frederick | MD |
| 39 | Full Sail Brewing Co | Hood River | OR |
| 40 | Troëgs Brewing Co | Hershey | PA |
| 41 | Long Trail Brewing Co (w) | Bridgewater Corners | VT |
| 42 | Rogue Ales | Newport | OR |
| 43 | Rhinegeist Brewery | Cincinnati | OH |
| 44 | Narragansett Brewing Co | Providence | RI |
| 45 | Gordon Biersch Brewing Co | San Jose | CA |
| 46 | Allagash Brewing Co | Portland | ME |
| 47 | Uinta Brewing Co | Salt Lake City | UT |
| 48 | Ninkasi Brewing Co | Eugene | OR |
| 49 | Surly Brewing Company | Minneapolis | MN |
| 50 | Revolution Brewing | Chicago | |