The Brewers Association, the trade association representing America’s craft brewers, has released its annual beer production report for 2022. Each year, this data is the best available when assessing the real “state of beer and craft beer” in America.

Definition of “craft.”

The Brewers Association’s definition of a “craft brewery” has changed slightly over the years. The biggest change to the definition was in 2011 when the production cap was changed from 2,000 to 6,000. Then in 2018, the BA stated the majority of a craft brewer’s production doesn’t have to come from beer. The latest definition includes an ownership statement – less than 25% of a great brewery is owned or controlled by an economic interest that is not itself a craft brewer. (For example, Monster Energy. More on that later.)

For years, you would see movement in and out of the Top 50 Craft, based on production volume shift, or a craft brewer departing the list after being purchased by an entity like Anheuser Busch. Lately, the list is seeing the rise of brewing “collectives” like CANarchy and Artisanal Brewing Ventures.

Rise of the “Collectives”

The craft brewing collectives are becoming pretty common as craft brewing is changing. A few years ago Victory Brewing and Southern Tier dropped from the top 50 to be found under the Artisanal Brewing Ventures header, along with Sixpoint. CANarchy was formed in 2015, and purchased by Monster Energy in 2022, which includes Cigar City, Deep Ellum, Oskar Blues, Perrin, and Utah Brewers Cooperative.

The newer collectives and new to the BA Top 50 include Tilray Beer Brands, which is a pharmaceutical/cannabis company that owns SweetWater Brewing, Montauk, Green Flash, and Alpine Beer. In July 2022, Maui Brewing purchased Modern Times and formed Craft Ohana.

No Top Surprises

Yuengling still holds the number one spot in craft brewing and has since at least 2014, followed by Boston Beer Co., whose volume includes Alchemy & Science, Angel City, Dogfish Head, Concrete Beach, and Coney Island brands. Sierra Nevada speaks for itself at 3, followed by Duvel Moortgat (Firestone Walk, Boulevard, Ommegang) and Gambrinus (Shiner & Trumer brands).

Most in the United States

When considering the total U.S. beer volume with craft included, Anheuser Busch will most likely always have the top spot, unless they find another business-damaging PR move. Number one in craft volume Yuengling ranks 7th in overall U.S. volume, with Boston Beer at 9th and Sierra Nevada at 10th.

Top 50 Craft Breweries by Volume – 2022

Top 50 Breweries by Volume Overall – 2022

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