"BrewersAssociation" news and stories

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.

I'd like to think that in some small way beer geeks like my friends and I are to blame for this year's uptick in craft beer sales.

But I know that's a lie, since we usually stick to a few brands, Dogfish Head, Stone Brewing Co., Rogue, Harpoon, Heavyweight, etc. Aw heck, basically we drink any U.S. craft beer that's good, and available, on the East Coast. Of course, we've also been known to sample some fine non-U.S. brews, including Belgian Trappist ales.

Regardless of my crew's drinking habits the numbers speak for themselves. U.S. sales of craft beer grew 11 percent in the first half of this year compared with 2005, according to the Brewers Association.

Paul Gatza, a director of the group's professional division, says consumption "appears to be accelerating." Rest assured my friends and I will continue to do our parts to help aid this noble cause.

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Prohibition - what was all that about then?

Although fully repealled on the 5th December 1933 an amendment to the Prohibition laws legalised beer starting on April the 7th of the same year. It only applied to beer with 3.2% alcohol by weight (4% by volume). So from that April America's brewers were legal for a full eight months before wine and spirits were legitimatly sold. The first public delivery actually went to Roosevelt in the White House who had won the presidency in part due to his support of Prohibition repeal.

To celebrate repeal brewers across the country will be host Brew Years Eve parties on April 7 all detailed on the Brewers Association Beertown website.

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