USA: Craft beer segment - fastest growing in the alcohol beverage industry

In 2006, while sales of large domestic brewers still lagged behind their 2004 peak, the craft beer segment continued to explode, according to Brewers Association, April 10. Scan data from Information Resources Inc. shows craft beer with a 17.8% increase in supermarket sales for 2006 – more growth than any other alcohol beverage category in the supermarket sales channel.

The Brewers Association, which tabulates industry growth data, reports that in 2006 77.7% of the craft beer produced was made from the top 50 craft brewing companies. Additionally, 34 out of the top 50 brewing companies in the U.S meet the Brewers Association’s definition of a craft brewer.
“Beer made by small, independent and traditional breweries is definitely an American success story,” states
Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association. “There’s a change in lifestyle going on. People are trading up and that is what is creating such strong demand for craft beer”.

With just under 1400 small breweries the segment eclipsed 6.7 million barrels in 2006. The fastest growing craft beer sector in 2006 was microbreweries (those under 15,000 barrels a year). Sales were up 16%, showing customer support for local breweries. Total craft beer industry sales have grown 31.5% over the last 3 years and early 2007 indicators point toward accelerating sales growth.

“If you Google craft beer you’ll see more press coverage than ever before. This is because beers from craft breweries provide diversity and flavor and that’s what people want,” stated Julia Herz, a spokesperson for the
Brewers Association.

Twenty-two states are represented in the top 50 brewing companies list, according to the Brewers Association.
California hosts (7) top breweries. Colorado has (5) and Oregon and Wisconsin each host (4) top producers.

The remainder of the top 50 operates from New York (3), Pennsylvania (3), Vermont (3), Washington (3), Illinois (2), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (2), Missouri (2), Alaska (1) , Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Michigan (1), Montana (1), Ohio (1) and Texas (1).

Complete listings of the top 50 craft brewing companies by state and top 50 overall brewing companies are included below.

8 Alaskan Brewing Company Juneau AK
2 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico CA
11 Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA
14 Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. San Jose CA
23 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
25 Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
28 The Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
37 Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe Eureka CA
38 BJ's Restaurants, Inc. Huntington Beach CA
42 North Coast Brewing Co. Fort Bragg CA
44 Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Boonville CA
3 New Belgium Brewing Company Inc. Fort Collins CO
24 Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants Inc. Louisville CO
29 Flying Dog Brewery Denver CO
31 Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
36 Breckenridge Brewery Denver CO
41 Boulder Beer Co. Boulder CO
27 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Lewes DE
30 Sweetwater Brewing Company Atlanta GA
12 Kona Brewing Co. Kailua-Kona HI
18 Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs LA
1 Boston Beer Co. Boston MA
9 The Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
50 Wachusett Brewing Co., Inc. Westminster MA
17 Shipyard Brewing Company LLC Portland ME
46 D.L. Geary Brewing Co. Inc. Portland ME
15 Bell's Brewery, Inc Galesburg MI
16 Summit Brewing Company Saint Paul MN
7 Boulevard Brewing Company Kansas City MO
48 Saint Louis Brewing /Schlafly Beers Maplewood MO
33 Big Sky Brewing Company Missoula MT
5 Matt Brewing Co Utica NY
20 The Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
26 The Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland OH
6 Deschutes Brewery, Inc. Bend OR
10 Full Sail Brewing Co Hood River OR
22 Rogue Ales Newport OR
40 McMenamins, Inc. Portland OR
35 Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA
39 Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants Chattanooga TN
47 Utah Brewers Cooperative Park City UT
49 Uinta Brewing Company Salt Lake City UT
43 Old Dominion Brewing Co Ashburn VA
13 Magic Hat Brewing Company & Performing Arts Center South Burlington VT
19 Long Trail Brewing Co Bridgewater Corners VT
34 Otter Creek Brewing Middlebury VT
4 Pyramid Breweries Inc Seattle WA
32 Mac and Jack's Brewery Inc Redmond WA
21 New Glarus Brewing Company New Glarus WI
45 Capital Brewery Co. Inc Middleton WI

Top 50 overall brewing companies listed by rank and state (based on 2006 sales)

1 Anheuser-Busch Inc. St Louis MO
2 Miller Brewing Co Milwaukee WI
3 Coors Brewing Co Golden CO
4 Pabst Brewing Co Woodridge IL
5 Boston Beer Co Boston MA
6 D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc. Pottsville PA
7 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico CA
8 Gambrinus San Antonio TX
9 New Belgium Brewing Company Inc. Fort Collins CO
10 High Falls Brewing Co Rochester NY
11 Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. Portland OR
12 Redhook Ale Brewery Woodinville WA
13 Pittsburgh Brewing Co. Pittsburgh PA
14 Pyramid Breweries Inc Seattle WA
15 Minhas Craft Brewery Monroe WI
16 Matt Brewing Co Utica NY
17 Deschutes Brewery, Inc. Bend OR
18 Boulevard Brewing Company Kansas City MO
19 Alaskan Brewing Company Juneau AK
20 The Harpoon Brewery Boston, Ma MA
21 Full Sail Brewing Co Hood River OR
22 Anchor Brewing Co San Francisco CA
23 Kona Brewing Co Kailua-Kona HI
24 Magic Hat Brewing Company & Performing Arts Center South Burlington VT
25 Gordon Biersch Brewing Co San Jose CA
26 Bell's Brewery, Inc Galesburg MI
27 Summit Brewing Company Saint Paul MN
28 August Schell Brewing Co. New Ulm MN
29 Shipyard Brewing Company LLC Portland ME
30 Mendocino Brewing Co. Ukiah CA
31 Goose Island Beer Co Chicago IL
32 Abita Brewing Co NewOrleans LA
33 Long Trail Brewing Co Bridgewater Corners VT
34 The Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
35 New Glarus Brewing Company New Glarus WI
36 Rogue Ales Newport OR
37 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
38 Stevens Point Brewery Co Stevens Point WI
39 Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants Louisville CO
40 Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
41 The Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland OH
42 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Lewes DE
43 Straub Brewery Saint Mary's PA
44 The Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
45 Flying Dog Brewery Denver CO
46 Sweetwater Brewing Company Atlanta GA
47 Odell Brewing Fort Collins CO
48 Mac and Jack's Brewery Inc Redmond WA
49 Big Sky Brewing Company Missoula MT
50 Otter Creek Brewing Middlebury VT

The definition of craft beer as stated by the Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent and traditional. Craft beer comes only from a craft brewer. 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 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 flavor.

Based in Boulder, Colo., U.S.A., the Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade and education association for American craft brewers and the community of beer enthusiasts.

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