Brewers Association Lists Top 50 US Breweries of 2012

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by Todd, Apr 10, 2013.

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  1. Wisconsinality

    Wisconsinality Initiate (0) Aug 15, 2009 Wisconsin

    That's the beauty of New Glarus. They offer a large variety and you can find their beer on tap everywhere in the state and I mean everywhere. You can find it in a bar up north in the middle of nowhere that has three taps,two bmc and New Glarus. I have heard but can't confirm they have more tap handles in the state than Miller or Budweiser. They are Wisconsin's brewing company. Also, it is very easy to trade for. People love getting the word out.
     
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  2. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    Some # guesses:

    Founders in 2011 was 40.9k bbls.

    For 2012 they are between Flying Dog and Ninkasi who were 71.7k and 56.8k in 2011 respectively. Flying Dog has been growing slowly recently, so Im guessing is in the mid to high 70s now, so that puts Founders about 75k.

    80-90% growth for Founders. Impressive.
     
  3. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    Lagunitas jumped 3 spots, past Harpoon, Bells and Matt.

    Bells also passed Matt.
     
  4. RichardMNixon

    RichardMNixon Initiate (0) Jun 24, 2012 Pennsylvania

    I think distribution is a big part of it too. Founders has both lots of hype and a very large footprint (which of course might be synergistic) while New Glarus, despite its size, doesn't escape WI. Anchor, Rogue, Oskar Blues, Bear Republic and others are on the other side of the country, yet I can find them with no difficulty, so it's weird that they're considerably smaller than New Glarus.
     
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  5. sherm1016

    sherm1016 Pundit (843) Aug 10, 2009 Wisconsin

    This. I'm a NG homer and love almost all of their beers, but I would love to know what percentage of their 125K or so barrels are Spotted Cow. Love Spotted Cow too, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was 50% or more of their production.
     
  6. sherm1016

    sherm1016 Pundit (843) Aug 10, 2009 Wisconsin

    New Glarus is the anomaly here, not Anchor, Rogue, Oskar Blues, Bear Republic, and others.
     
  7. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    Im not a fan of Spotted Cow but Ive loved almost everything else of theirs Ive tried. I generally only get to WI for one weekend in August every year, so I dont have much chance to try them. But I always do that weekend.
     
  8. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Yes, but in some of the early announcements* when Yuengling joined the B.A. (only in 2011) they specifically stated that they would not apply to get the "special dispensation" (accomplished with a wave of Uncle Charlie's magic wand!) from the group that would declare the corn grits used for their flagship Yuengling Traditional Lager as an adjunct used "... to enhance rather than lighten flavor." That's how Gambrinus with Spoetzl's flagship Shiner Bock gets away with it, after all, apparently.

    * (Last time I searched, however, I could not find any PR or article that confirmed that...:slight_frown: )

    Well, non-craft ownership at over 25% is a bit more cut and dry than that "Traditional" definition.

    Yeah, apparently, Wiedemann is also owned by a new company now, as well. Can't recall all the ex-Heileman, ex-Evansville brands Pittsburgh picked up when the latter folded. I guess Sterling was another- but is it still around?
     
  9. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    Yep. I was going to call them unique, but Surly is kind of a similar situation. Although they arent big enough to make the list yet, and I dont think they will with just Minnesota.

    BTW, Surly in 2011 was approximately the same size as Founders in 2009.
     
  10. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    I saw a Sterling tap within the last week. Which stunned me, but that answers that.
     
  11. kdb150

    kdb150 Initiate (0) Mar 8, 2012 Pennsylvania

    The only thing I'm surprised about is Anchor being so low. Seems that Anchor Steam has been a fixture at bars in Philly for years. It's all over the ballpark here, even, although my perspective is likely skewed by the fact that my period of heavy Anchor Steam consumption coincided with living near several bars that always had it on tap.

    These numbers will be far more interesting once the current round of expansion being undergone by many of the breweries on this list is finished. Many of the breweries on that list are undergoing massive expansion as we speak. Will they fight each other for prominence or squeeze out the littler guy? Only time will tell.
     
  12. sandiego67

    sandiego67 Initiate (0) Feb 25, 2008 California

    How many barrels did Troegs brew/sell in 2012? What was the minimum barrelage to break the top 50?
     
  13. Coletrain

    Coletrain Initiate (0) May 1, 2012 Wisconsin

    As of a couple years ago, it was 90%+ of their sales.
     
  14. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    50th was 36000 in 2011, so probably about 40k.
     
  15. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Don't have Troeg's figures, but Allegash (#48 on the Craft list) was quoted in an article as being in the 48k bbl. range in 2012.
     
  16. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Looks like Upland Brewing Co. (which is best known as the latest company to attempt to revive Champagne Velvet) brews a "Sterling Premium Pils Lager" for a "Sterling Beer Co." of ... Louisville. KY. You can take it from there :wink: .

    [​IMG]
     
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  17. RichardMNixon

    RichardMNixon Initiate (0) Jun 24, 2012 Pennsylvania

    I agree, I was explaining this thought process, sorry if I wrote unclearly.

     
  18. sherm1016

    sherm1016 Pundit (843) Aug 10, 2009 Wisconsin

    Any chance you have a source for that figure?
     
  19. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    That explains me seeing that tap then.

    Sterling was originally from Evansville. However, there was a bizarre time in which Sterling was the best selling beer in Louisville and Falls City was the best selling beer in Evansville.

    So not a surprise that the new Sterling is based in Louisville.
     
  20. clarkm04

    clarkm04 Initiate (0) Jul 20, 2009 Nebraska

    Two summers ago I went on their Hard Hat Tour and asked the brewer leading the tour how much of their production was Spotted Cow. He said around 70-80%. That number seems reasonable.
     
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