The news for the past week or so, on either side of the pond, has been pretty sucky. But here’s some good news: According to the Brewers Association, beer sales, in dollars, have increased 15% over the same time last year. Volume was up 14%.
I know for sure that I’m not entirely responsible for this uptick. Oh, and by the way, volume increased by 9% in the first half of 2010.
Even cooler is that there are over seven hundred craft breweries in the pipeline.
Brewers Association Press Release
The Brewers Association just released their list of the top Brewers and Craft Brewers.
Below is the list of Top 50 Brewing Companies (based on volume):
*Top 50 Brewing Companies notes: NAB includes IBU August-December; CBA includes Kona October-December; Spoetzl is part of Gambrinus Company; and IBU is January-August only (sale to NAB); Kona is January-September only (sale to CBA); BridgePort is part of Gambrinus Company. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for the Top 50 rankings.
Ummm…what?!
So, after one too many get-togethers where the four of us sit around and talk about beer and everything else, have a great time, and somebody says “we should be recording this”…well, this time we did it.
It’s rough. Very rough. Very, very rough. But that’s mostly by design. It is really us just talking, although we did pick a few recent beer news items to kick around just so it wasn’t a total ramble.
We had a lot of fun. So much so, we’re going to do it again. (There. You’ve been warned.)
I hope you enjoy it. If you do, or even if you didn’t, drop us a line.
Download it here: Hop Talk Podcast ep. 1 (fixed link to file)
Anheuser-Busch InBev acquires Chicago-based Goose Island.
Anthony Bourdain alleges that the “Brew Masters” series on the Discovery channel was cancelled due to pressure from big brewers. Discovery’s position is that the show didn’t find an audience, so was cancelled.
Brewers Association: Craft Beer sales were up by 11% in 2010 (by volume). Up by 12% by dollars.
Cathy from Scotland wants to know where to find Old Speckled Hen on draught in Edinburgh. Do you know? Drop us a line: http://hop-talk.com/contact/
What we drank:
(The Unofficial Hop Talk Beer Rating System)
Boulder, CO • March 21, 2011—The Brewers Association, the trade association representing the majority of U.S. brewing companies, today released 2010 data on the U.S. craft brewing industry. Small and independent craft brewers1 saw volume2 increase 11 percent and retail sales dollars increase 12 percent over 2009, representing a growth of over 1 million barrels (31 gallons per U.S. barrel), equal to more than 14 million new craft cases.
“Beer lovers increased their appreciation for American craft brewers and their beers in 2010,” said Paul Gatza, director, Brewers Association. “Craft brewers’ stories resonate with Americans who are choosing small, independent companies making delicious beers in more than 100 different styles.”
The Association also reported a growth in the number of U.S. breweries, with eight percent more breweries than the previous year. In 2010, there were 1,759 operating breweries. Craft brewers produced 9,951,956 barrels, up from an adjusted3 8,934,446 barrels in 2009.
“Prohibition caused a dramatic decline in the number of breweries in the United States, but the number of breweries is now at an all-time high,” added Gatza. “With well over 100 new brewery openings in 2010, plus 618 breweries in planning stages, all signs point to continued growth for the industry.”
Download High Resolution Graphic Here
In 2010, craft brewers represented 4.9 percent of volume and 7.6 percent of retail dollars of the total U.S. beer category. The Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales figure from craft brewers in 2010 was $7.6 billion, up from $7 billion in 2009.
Overall, the U.S. beer industry represented an estimated retail dollar value of $101 billion. U.S. beer sales were down approximately one percent, or 2 million barrels, in 2010 compared to being down 2.2 percent in 2009. Total beer industry barrels dropped to 203.6 million, down from 205.7 million barrels in 2009. Imports were up five percent in 2010, compared to being down 9.8 percent in 2009. (Note: the Brewers Association does not count flavored malt beverages as beer.)
Gatza added, “We also found that three percent of craft brewer barrels, by volume, are distributed in cans, confirming a growing trend.”
A more extensive analysis will be released on March 24 during the Craft Brewers Conference in San Francisco. The Association’s full 2010 industry analysis, which shows regional trends and sales by individual brewery, will be published in the May/June 2011 issue of The New Brewer.
1 The definition of a craft brewer as stated by the Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional. Small: Annual production of beer less than 6 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition. Independent: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer. Traditional: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers brands) or has at least 50 percent of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.
2 Volume by craft brewers represent total taxable production.
3 Previous year’s total adjusted due to increased 2009 data points received.
Contact
Julia Herz, Craft Beer Program Director, julia@brewersassociation.org,303.447.0816 x 113
Barbara Fusco, Sales & Marketing Director, barbara@brewersassociation.org,303.447.0816 x 152
# # #
Based in Boulder, Colorado, USA, the Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade and education association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. Visit BrewersAssociation.org to learn more.
A press release came out from the Brewers Association today. They’ve changed the definition of what is a “small” brewer.
Here’s a blurb:
In the BA’s craft brewer definition, the term “small” now refers to any independent brewery that produces up to 6 million barrels of traditional beer. The previous definition capped production at 2 million barrels. The changed definition is currently in effect and can be reviewed on the BA website, BrewersAssociation.org. The change to the bylaws went into effect December 20, 2010.
I get what they’re doing. But doesn’t it seem like they’re working really hard to keep Anheuser-Busch InBev, MillerCoors, and their ilk out of “the club”? I mean, there’s a big difference between 2 million barrels and 300 million barrels, but still. What happens when the big little guys get bigger?
Of course, to me, the big difference between the members of the Craft Brewer Club and the…other guys, is marketing. Millions upon millions of dollars to convince us that industrial-brewed light lager is what beer really is and it’s what we want to drink.
Maybe that’s what the Brewers Association should use as their definition: Marketing dollars.
Update:
Well, there’s another reason: a new dues-paying member.
Yuengling Joins the Brewers Association
The Brewers Association has released their Top 50 Craft and Overall Brewers for 2009 based on sales volume. No surprises in the top ten of either list, really.
Here’s the Top 20 overall brewers:
(You can see an annotated version of the full list, showing who moved where, at Brookston Beer Bulletin.)
It’s American Craft Beer Week this week.
Drink a craft beer. Or three.
Tell them I said it’s okay.
(Ain’t it cool that it culminates on my birthday? I’ll be celebrating.)
The Brewers Association recently released the Top 50 Craft Brewing companies and Top 50 Overall Brewing companies by Sales Volume for 2008.
Here’s the Top 20 Overall Brewing companies for 2008. (2007 ranking in parentheses)
Except for mergers, there was virtually no movement in the Top 10, and very little in numbers 11 through 20.
Interestingly, because of slots opened up by mergers, no breweries dropped off of the list.
(See Brookston Beer Bulletin for annotations on all 50)
The Brewers Association recently released another teaser around 2008 Craft Brewer production. Vermont holds the distinction of having more breweries per person than any other state.
Brewers Association: Breweries per Capita 2008 (PDF)
Here’s a glimpse of the top ten:
Neither my native state of New Jersey nor my adopted state of Maryland made it into the top 30, but at least I don’t live in Mississippi, which has one brewery and just a hair under 3 million people.
Boulder, CO – Monday, February 23, 2009 – The Brewers Association, which tabulates industry growth data for U.S. breweries, announced that today’s small independent craft brewers are gaining alcohol market share due to a shift toward full flavor beer and increased support for local breweries. From 2007 to 2008, estimated sales by craft brewers were up 5.8 percent by volume and 10.5 percent in dollars¹. Overall share of the beer category from craft brewers was 4.0 percent of production and 6.3 percent of retail sales. More than 1 million new barrels of beer were sold in 2008, and close to half of those barrels were beer from craft brewers.
“2008 was a historic year for beer with the large brewers consolidating and imports losing share, while the top ten selling beer brands dropped in sales. At the same time, small independent craft brewers continued to gain share and attention,” said Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association.
Download a high resolution version of this image.
With total U.S. beer being more than a $100 billion industry, the Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales from craft brewers in 2008 were $6.34 billion, up from $5.74 billion in 2007. Taxable barrels of the total beer category was 1,210,018 more in 2008 with craft brewers producing 473,364 of those barrels. Total craft brewer barrels for 2008 was 8,596,971, up from 8,123,607 barrels in 2007.
Beer’s popularity as America’s favorite fermented beverage continued in 2008 with Gallup stating “beer is back to a double-digit lead over wine.” Taking into account the challenges in today’s economy, BevincoNielsen released a survey showing beer was faring better than spirits, with wine lagging. The Brewers Association emphasized trading across from wine and spirits to beer continues, with some of today’s wine drinkers discovering the affordable enjoyment and rewards of craft beer.
These increases in share and barrels for craft brewers come at a time when, according to the Brewers Association, the cost of operating a small brewery increased over 39 percent in the period of November 2007 to November 2008. The Brewers Association states that today’s craft brewers face many challenges including:
For more statistics visit 2008 Craft Beer Industry Statistics. A more extensive analysis will be released April 22 during the Craft Brewers Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. The Association’s full 2008 industry analysis, which shows regional trends and sales by individual brewery, will be published in the May/June issue of The New Brewer.
¹Sales by craft brewers represent total taxable production. Dollars reported by Information Resources Inc. for total U.S. supermarkets.
The definition of a craft brewer as stated by the Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional. Small: Annual production of beer less than 2 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition. Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer. Traditional: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers brands) or has at least 50% of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.
