The Brewers Association, the trade association representing America’s small and independent breweries, released its annual review of production figures for the U.S. craft brewing industry. As part of that annual release, the Association also ranks America’s largest craft brewers by production), a list that is watched by the industry to identify beer trends.
In 2023, the number of breweries grew to an all-time high of 9,683, directly employing 191,421 people. Despite the year being challenging for the craft beer industry — overall production declined by 1.0% from 2022 — brewery openings outpaced closures, though the rate of openings has slowed dramatically in recent years. Because craft beer is priced at a premium, sales dollars grew in 2023, despite the small decline in volume.
“I think these numbers show that while craft beer is no longer seeing the incredible growth of five or six years ago, the industry is doing fine,” says Bart Watson, chief economist with the Brewers Association. In looking at changes to the list of the largest craft breweries, Watson notes, “A number of breweries are achieving growth by combining forces. Also, there are some breweries doing something new and different that seems to be an effective strategy to achieve growth.”
The 50 largest craft breweries in America are:
- D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc (Pottsville,PA)
- Boston Beer Co (Boston, MA and Milton, DE)
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co (Chico, CA)
- Duvel Moortgat USA (Paso Robles, CA; Kansas City, MO; and Cooperstown, NY)
- Gambrinus (Shiner, TX and Berkeley, CA)
- Tilray Beer Brands (Atlanta, GA; Montauk, NY; San Diego, CA; Bend, OR; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR;Breckenridge, CO; and Patchogue, NY)
- Artisanal Brewing Ventures (Downingtown, PA; Lakewood, NY; and Brooklyn, NY)
- Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, NY)
- Monster Brewing (Longmont, CO; Tampa, FL; Salt Lake City, UT; Comstock, MI; and Dallas, TX)
- Athletic Brewing Company (Milford, CT)
- New Glarus Brewing Co (New Glarus, WI)
- Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR)
- Matt Brewing Co (Utica, NY)
- Gordon Biersch Brewing Co (San Jose, CA)
- Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, ME)
- Georgetown Brewing Co (Seattle, WA)
- Great Lakes Brewing Company (Cleveland, OH)
- Harpoon Brewery (Boston, MA)
- Stevens Point Brewery (Stevens Point, WI)
- Three Floyds Brewing (Munster, IN)
- Pittsburgh Brewing Co (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Rhinegeist Brewery (Cincinnati, OH)
- Narragansett Brewing Co (Pawtucket, RI)
- August Schell Brewing Company (New Ulm, MN)
- Odell Brewing Co (Fort Collins, CO)
- Craft ‘Ohana (Maui/Modern Times) (Kihei, HI and San Diego, CA)
- Troegs Brewing Co (Hershey, PA)
- Fiddlehead Brewing (Shelburne, VT)
- Minhas Craft Brewery (Monroe, WI)
- Kings & Convicts Brewing (San Diego, CA)
- Alaskan Brewing Co. (Juneau, AK)
- Kona Brewing Hawaii (Kailua-Kona, HI)
- Abita Brewing Co (Covington, LA)
- Creature Comforts Brewing Co. (Athens, GA)
- Great Frontier Holdings (Eugene, OR and Portland, OR)
- BrewDog Brewing Co (Canal Winchester, OH)
- Summit Brewing Co (St. Paul, MN)
- Jack’s Abby Brewing, LLC (Framingham, MA)
- Revolution Brewing (Chicago, IL)
- Montucky Cold Snacks (Bozeman, MT)
- Saint Arnold Brewing Co (Houston, TX)
- Lost Coast Brewery (Eureka, CA)
- Surly Brewing Company (Minneapolis, MN)
- Rogue Ales Brewery (Newport, OR)
- United States Beverage LLC (Salt Lake City, UT and Elmsford, NY)
- Shipyard Brewing Co (Portland, ME)
- Pizza Port (Carlsbad, CA)
- Coronado Brewing Co (Coronado, CA)
- Drake’s Brewing Co (San Leandro, CA)
- IndieBrew (Atlanta, GA and Nashville, TN)