Companies and Brands

This Is the Largest Craft Brewer in America

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: March 31, 2021 9:57 am

Craft brewed beer has gained tremendously in popularity in America, which once heavily favored a few brands lead by Budweiser, Miller, Pabst and Schlitz. First, imports like Heineken increased their American market share. Craft-brewed beers followed, first taking their footholds regionally. Some of these regional brands had been around for decades but found customers as people turned away from the beer behemoths.

The nonprofit Brewers Association recently issued its list of the top 50 craft brewers. The Brewers Association represents small and independent brewers. The list was based on sales by brewer.

One of the oldest brewers in America, D.G. Yuengling and Son, topped the list. It was founded by German brewer David Gottlieb Jüngling in 1829 under the name Eagle Brewery. He anglicized his surname to Yuengling, and his grandson gave the company its current name. The eagle stayed on the bottle. The company claims to be the oldest brewery in America. It is still owned by the Yuengling family.

Headquartered in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Yuengling also claims to be the sixth-largest brewer in the United States overall, based on barrel sales, and the only large brewer that is still American owned. The largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch, was purchased by Belgian company InBev in 2008 for $52 billion.

Yuengling can make its claim as a craft brewer since its sales were concentrated in Pennsylvania and nearby states until about 20 years ago.

A look at the locations of the 50 largest craft brewers shows that they are spread across the country, from Modern Times Beer in San Diego to Boston Beer in Boston.

1. D.G. Yuengling and Son (Pottsville, Pennsylvania)
2. Boston Beer (Boston, Massachusetts)
3. Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico, California)
4. Duvel Moortgat (Paso Robles, California)
5. Gambrinus (Berkeley, California)
6. CANarchy (Longmont, Colorado)
7. Bell’s Brewery (Comstock, Michigan)
8. Artisanal Brewing Ventures (Downingtown, Pennsylvania)
9. Stone Brewing (Escondido, California)
10. Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon)
11. SweetWater Brewing (Atlanta, Georgia)
12. New Glarus Brewing (New Glarus, Wisconsin)
13. Matt Brewing (Utica, New York)
14. Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, New York)
15. Harpoon Brewery (Boston, Massachusetts)
16. Stevens Point Brewery (Stevens Point, Wisconsin)
17. Odell Brewing (Fort Collins, Colorado)
18. Minhas Craft Brewery (Monroe, Wisconsin)
19. Abita Brewing (Covington, Louisiana)
20. Troegs Brewing (Hershey, Pennsylvania)
21. Summit Brewing (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
22. Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland, Ohio)
23. August Schell Brewing (New Ulm, Minnesota)
24. Three Floyds Brewing (Munster, Indiana)
25. Rhinegeist Brewery (Cincinnati, Ohio)
26. Alaskan Brewing (Juneau, Alaska)
27. Gordon Biersch Brewing (San Jose, California)
28. Georgetown Brewing (Seattle, Washington)
29. Allagash Brewing (Portland, Maine)
30. Kings & Convicts Brewing/Ballast Point (Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin)
31. Long Trail Brewing (Bridgewater Corners, Vermont)
32. Narragansett Brewing (Pawtucket, Rhode Island)
33. Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene, Oregon)
34. 21st Amendment Brewery (Bay Area, California)
35. Flying Dog Brewery, (Frederick, Maryland)
36. Surly Brewing (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
37. Rogue Ales Brewery (Newport, Oregon)
38. Lost Coast Brewery (Eureka, California)
39. Revolution Brewing (Chicago, Illinois)
40. Modern Times Beer (San Diego, California)
41. BrewDog Brewing (Canal Winchester, Ohio)
42. Saint Arnold Brewing (Houston, Texas)
43. Toppling Goliath Brewing (Decorah, Iowa)
44. Two Roads Brewing (Stratford, Connecticut)
45. Fremont Brewing (Seattle, Washington)
46. Shipyard Brewing (Portland, Maine)
47. Left Hand Brewing Company (Longmont, Colorado)
48. Creature Comforts Brewing (Athens, Georgia)
49. Montauk Brewing (Montauk, New York)
50. New Holland Brewing (Holland, Michigan)

Click here to read about the drunkest states in America.