The Brewers Associationjust came out with its list of the Top 50 U.S. Craft Brewing Companies. This isn’t my list but it’s worth sharing.
1 Boston Beer Co. Boston MA
2 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico CA
3 New Belgium Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
4 Gambrinus San Antonio TX
5 Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
6 Deschutes Brewery Bend OR
7 Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Galesburg MI
8 Duvel Moortgat USA Kansas City MO &
Cooperstown NY
9 Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
10 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
11 Matt Brewing Co. Utica NY
12 Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
13 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
14 Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland ME
15 Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs LA
16 Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
17 Alaskan Brewing Co. Juneau AK
18 New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus WI
19 SweetWater Brewing Co. Atlanta GA
20 Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland OH
21 Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA
22 Long Trail Brewing Co. Bridgewater Corners VT
23 Summit Brewing Co. St. Paul MN
24 Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont CO
25 Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR
26 Founders Brewing Co. Grand Rapids MI
27 Rogue Ales Newport OR
28 Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA
29 Ballast Point Brewing Co. San Diego CA
30 Ninkasi Brewing Co. Eugene OR
31 Southern Tier Brewing Co. Lakewood NY
32 Cold Spring Brewing Co./Third Street Brewhouse Cold Spring MN
33 Flying Dog Brewery Frederick MD
34 Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
35 Stevens Point Brewery Co. Stevens Point WI
36 Bear Republic Brewing Co. Cloverdale CA
37 Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe Eureka CA
38 Left Hand Brewing Co. Longmont CO
39 CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc. Chattanooga & Louisville TN/CO
40 Breckenridge Brewery Denver CO
41 Karl Strauss Brewing Co. San Diego CA
42 Blue Point Brewing Co. Patchogue NY
43 Sixpoint Brewery Brooklyn NY
44 BJ’s Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Inc. Huntington Beach CA
45 North Coast Brewing Co. Inc. Fort Bragg CA
46 Uinta Brewing Co. Salt Lake City UT
47 Allagash Brewing Co. Portland ME
48 Saint Arnold Brewing Co. Houston TX
49 Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. San Jose CA
50 21st Amendment Brewery San Francisco CA
I’ve tried beers from twenty-two of these breweries, and that’s not bad. It’s not impressive, but it’s definitely not bad. I’m pretty happy that a few of my favorite breweries made the list. I’ve been going to 21st Amendment for years, and I’m pleased that they were able to crack the list and gain a little more exposure. I’m a big fan of Bear Republic, Stone Brewing, Ninkasi, Anchor Brewing, and Lagunitas, so seeing these breweries make the cut just reaffirms my taste in craft brews. I like Sierra Nevada, but I’m really surprised to see them so high on the list. Stone and Lagunitas make much better beers with a lot more variety. There are a few breweries that are decidedly overrated and undeserving of a place so high up on this list (Rogue Ales and New Belgium, I’m looking at you). There are a lot of breweries that I can’t wait to experience and Critically Rate. This isn’t just a list of top U.S. craft breweries, this is a bucket list. And really, no Russian River brews? No Pliny the Elder? No Pliny the Younger? Seems like a pretty incomplete list to me.
Critically Rated at 12/17
Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young
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