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Brewers Association Names Top 50 Breweries

by Pervaiz Shallwani, Posted Apr 13th 2009 @ 5:00PM

The list of America's top 50 craft brewers is out and while big boys Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada and New Belgium (Fat Tire) are again on top, there is a newcomer to list.

After 20 years of brewing, the Saint Louis Brewery - makers of Schlafly - has joined the ranks of top craft brewers. (If you can find it, try their creamy Oatmeal Stout.)

Released by the Brewers Association, the industry arm of the craft-brew industry, the annual list of craft and overall brewers looked at sales for the year 2008. Compared to 35 last year, 37 of the top brewers are on this year's overall list were small independent companies producing less than 2 millions barrels a year.

Big Sky Brewing Co. from Missoula, Mont., and Mac & Jack's Brewery of Redmond, Wash., joined the overall list where the real Big Boys, including Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors Brewing Co., hold court.

A little consolidation, of course, helped. The merger of Miller and Coors - Nos. 2 and 3 last year - opened up a slot as did the union of Widmer Brothers and Redhook Craft Brewers into what is now Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc.

As it's one of the few industries growing in this economy - 5.8 percent in 2008 - as we head into happy hour, time to cozy up to the bar and skip the Bud for a local draft.

Filed Under: Food News, Drink Recipes
Tags: beer, breakingnews, brewers, brewersassociation, microbrew, microbreweries

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

4-13-2009 @5:38PM B said... Sigh.
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4-13-2009 @5:53PM Bernie B said... The list of brewing by volume is pretty interesting. Nice to see Midwest breweries getting good representation in that top 50 list. Bells and Great Lakes Brew company are really good.
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4-13-2009 @6:16PM Indiefab said... I'm very lucky to be within 100 miles of St Louis which means year-round access to yummy Schlafly. Their APA is the aromatic, hoppy pale ale you've been looking for. It has a permanent spot in my fridge.
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4-13-2009 @6:46PM Jarod said... Happy to see Rouge on the list - I'd say that's what I have in my fridge more than the others (but the Bells Oberon is "chillin' as I type!).
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