USA: D. G. Yuengling & Son, Inc still first on top 10 US biggest craft brewers list
Every year the US-based Brewers Association (BA) releases its list of the 50 biggest US craft brewers, detailing the largest breweries in the US still deemed to be ‘craft’ by the trade body.
The association describes an American craft brewer as “small, independent and traditional”.
Small means that the brewer has an annual production of six million barrels of beer or less, “flavoured malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition”.
Independent means that “less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer”.
Traditional relates to “a brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers 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 flavour.”
While big beer has been edging on in the craft beer market for some time, 2016 saw acquisitions of small brewers by big beer companies reach fever pitch.
To name a few examples, AB InBev bought Houston-based Karbach Brewing Company and Virginia-based Devils Backbone, following earlier purchases of Goose Island, Blue Point, Elysian and Golden Road, while MillerCoors bought a majority stake in Georgia’s Terrapin Beer Co. in July.
It meant that while the US craft beer industry added 1.4 million barrels to its production volume in 2016, growing the segment by 6%, it lost 1.2 million barrels of ‘craft’ beer to big brewers.
By value, the US craft beer sector achieved a 10% rise in value to $23.5 billion, which represents 21.9% of the US beer market by value.
As of 2016, there were 5,301 operating breweries in the US – a 17% increase on 2015 – of which 5,234 were deemed to be ‘craft’, according to the Brewer’s Association.
However despite continued growth in brewery operations, production volume of craft beer appear to be slowing.
In the first half of 2017 the US craft beer sector experienced continued but much steadier growth year-on-year, with mid-year figures from the BA showing that production volumes increased by 5%.
That’s slightly less than 2016’s mid-year increase of 8% and notably lower than the 16% mid-year production increase of 2015.
“The growth pace for small and independent brewers has stabilized at a rate that still reflects progress but in a more mature market,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “Although more difficult to realize, growth still exists.”
The United States top 10 craft breweries are the following ones:
1. D. G. Yuengling & Son, Inc
Location: Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Flagship brew: Yuengling Lager
Founded: 1829
NB: Yuengling became eligible for “craft brewer” status in 2014 after the Brewers Association changed its definition of “adjunct grains”, such as corn, in early 2014 to be “traditional”, and therefore craft.
Volume: 2,747,836 barrels
2. Boston Beer Co
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Flagship brand: Samuel Adams
Founded: 1984
Volume: 2,315,000 barrels
3. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
Location: Chico, California
Flagship brew: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Founded: 1979
Volume: 1,136,969 barrels
4. New Belgium Brewing Co
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
Flagship brew: Fat Tire Amber Ale
Founded: 1991
Volume: 957,969 barrels
5. Gambrinus
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Flagship brews: Shiner Bock – a Bavarian-style beer
Founded: 1986
Volume: 604,200 barrels
6. Duvel Moortgat
Location: Paso Robles, CA / Kansas City, MO / Cooperstown, NY
Flagship brew: Duvel pale ale
Founded: 1871
Volume: 595,929 barrels
NB: Duvel is a Belgian brewer that owns several US craft breweries. In 2003, it acquired Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York. In, 2013, it bought Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri. Its latest acquisition was the Firestone Walker Brewing Co. in Paso Robles, California.
7. Bell’s Brewery, Inc
Location: Comstock, Michigan
Flagship brew: Bell’s Amber Ale
Founded: 1983
Volume: 421,529 barrels
8. Deschutes Brewery
Location: Bend, Oregon
Flagship brews: Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Chainbreaker White IPA, Deschutes River Ale.
Founded: 1998
Volume: 374,313 barrels
9. Stone Brewing Co
Location: Escondido, California
Flagship brew: Stone Pale Ale
Founded: 1996
Volume: 346,000 barrels
10. Oskar Blues Brewing Holding Co.
Location: Longmont, Colorado
Flagship brand: Dale’s Pale Ale
Founded: 2002
Volume: 343,000 barrels
24 August, 2017
