The Brewers Association has released the top 50 craft brewers for 2020 (link in the Beer News forum). I've put together a picture to compare the movement of the MN brewers (and a few others of interest - to me, at least ) on the list, and placed their position on the 2019 list next to their position on the 2020 list. This list is just a ranking, without actual volume shipment data, so it doesn't tell the whole picture. Also, 2020 was a different year for small brewers, so, again, I'm not sure how much can be made from the list. But, I thought it was interesting. I wonder how much all the turmoil at Surly in the final quarter hurt them. With their dependence on distribution, Summit held their spot even while introducing essentially no new beers (there may have been 1 or 2... I don't remember). However, notice the move up by both Schell and 3 Floyds and the appearance of Toppling Goliath on the list (for the first time, I think).
I had no idea Stevens Point Brewery is so large. As in, Stevens Point, the town I see on the map when I'm considering a trip to Amherst to visit Central Waters? I assume they're another brewery that, like New Glarus, doesn't distribute outside the state? It's cool to see Schell's move up. I only recently started to appreciate how great they are.
They distribute to several states, and they have two 'craft' line-ups. One labeled as Point, and another called 'Whole Hog.' Their website has a handy distributor map, showing their distributors in the US: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1jeSeFuI3hnRH58i9Reudqv6Z_Ix7QOYu&ouid=0&ll=41.21204336628486,-89.02918586681373&z=5
Toppling Goliath makes since. I see them everywhere in Missouri now. Surly's dip surprises me because they have entered Missouri (although only in STL). Conversely Summit has left Missouri. I guess what I noticed is that so many MN breweries are on the list but I don't see them as having a huge distribution reach.
The list is based on barrels produced, correct? If that, the case, Summit's contract production would explain their same place. Probably Point's moving up in the rankings. I guess Wisconsin's appetite for Spotted Cow is never-ending and expanding.
Schell's is easily one of my favorite breweries. I probably buy more Schell's than any other brewery due to their seasonals - Bock, Hefe, and Oktoberfest. The Cave-aged Barrel Series is good too.
I think shutting down their taproom/restaurant/destination due to Walz's rules, and the complete shutdown in November during the union dispute hurt. The destination is certainly a much larger share of Surly's overall business than Summit's taproom is a share of theirs, for example. I also think that both IA and WI were more "open" in 2020 than MN was. IDK for sure, but that is the impression I got from news reports. Given the business dynamics in 2020 (closed / severely restricted taprooms, buying habits disrupted, people buying beer more in distribution and reportedly more in 12-30 packs) may have helped, relatively speaking, Schell's that has brands like Deer Brand and Grain Belt regularly available in 12-24 packs competitively priced.
I'm not sure how much of their lineup makes it to Minnesota. Point Special does for sure. They brew a unique pistachio brown ale called "Snow Pilot" that I've had to have someone bring back to Minnesota from Wisconsin before as it is not available here.
Compared to the pre-IPA days, Point’s distribution is very, very spotty. It’s too bad, because they brew several very reliable go-to brands and some great seasonal, too.
The lack of beer at our Beer Hall definitely hurt. That said, the general loss in draft sales hurt worse. A lot of the movement we saw on the top 50 list this year says a lot about the business models of the breweries. For example, about 40% of Surly's total business is draft beer. In 2020 we had a tremendous year for packaged (canned) beers, up 30-ish percent. That growth still doesn't compensate for the loss of draft. We finished the year down about 15%. It's incredible: A) how much beer Surly sells solely in Minnesota, and B) specifically how much draft Furious is in the world. With the shutdowns in the trade, Furious draft alone accounted for 89% of the -15% total loss in volume. For reference, the Beer Hall accounts for about 5% of the total volume, and we did about one quarter of the sales we might do in a typical year.
Well, for the brewers on your list which have moved up, you have to account for the disappearance of #4 New Belgium (no longer craft) and #13 Dogfish Head (subsidiary of BBC) from the 2019 list. Contract-brewed beer is supposed to be credited to the contractee (marketing brewer) not the contractor. As noted by the B.A.: If it was any other way Pabst would not have any barrelage to speak of (other than the tiny output of their now-closed Milwaukee brewpub) and City would be among the largest brewers on the "Overall" list.
