This morning, as part of a press briefing by Brewers Association Chief Economist Bart Watson, the national trade organization released its annual list of the top 50 craft-brewing and overall brewing companies in the country. Rankings for both lists were based on sales-volume figures obtained by the not-for-profit entity for calendar year 2023.
The Brewers Association defines a “craft brewer” as a small and independent brewing company producing less than six million barrels of beer per year that is less than 25 percent owned or controlled by a beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer. Of the top 50 craft breweries, five had ties to San Diego County, and four were included in the list of largest breweries overall.
Tops of the locals was bi-coastal (Miramar and Milford, Connecticut) non-alcoholic beer company, Athletic Brewing, which came in at 10 on the craft brewery list and 20 on the overall list, up three spots on each. Point Loma-based Modern Times Beer’s parent company, Craft ‘Ohana, was up two rungs on the ladder at 26 (craft) and 36 (overall), while Miramar-based Ballast Point Brewing‘s parent company, Kings & Convicts Brewing, stood pat at 30 (craft) and 40 (overall) for the second straight year.
Carlsbad-based Pizza Port Brewing was up two spots to 47 on the craft brewery list, while Bay Park-based Coronado Brewing debuted one spot down on that list at 48.
Tilray Beer Brands, which acquired San Diego legacy brands Green Flash Brewing and Alpine Beer Co. in 2021 but now manufactures their products out of state, came in sixth on the craft list and 15 on the overall list, up three spots from 2022 on both.
Last year, Stone Brewing ranked seventh place on the craft brewery list, but the Escondido-based company was not eligible for the 2023 list after being purchased in 2022 by parent-company Sapporo USA. That interest ranked 19 on the overall brewing list.
The top five spots on the craft-brewery list were occupied by the same interests as the previous year: D.J. Yuengling & Sons, Boston Beer Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing, Duvel Moortgat USA and Gambrinus Company.
Anheuser-Busch, MolsonCoors, Constellation, Heineken and Pabst Brewing were the top five corporations on the overall list for another straight year.