America’s top 50 craft breweries

The top 50 craft brewing companies in the US have been identified in a year that has seen a beer production wane, but value still rise by 3%. The annual rankings, collated by the Brewers Association which represents small and independent American craft brewers, showed that DG Yuengling and Son which is based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Boston Beer Co from Boston, Massachusetts and Sierra Nevada located in Chico, California are the top three craft breweries in the US. The list, which was collated alongside a report by the Brewers Association, showcases the talent of independent beer companies across America and also reflects how far the sector has come despite its myriad challenges over the past year. The full report goes some way towards highlighting the new realities of the evolution of the independent sector in the US and has shown how resilient craft beer has become. For instance, US craft brewers produced 23.1 million barrels of beer in 2024, a 4% decrease from 2023. However, craft’s market share by volume remained essentially flat at 13.3%, the same share as in 2023, as the overall US beer market* declined by 1.2% in volume. Employment in the craft brewing sector also grew to 197,112 in 2024, a 3% increase over the previous year with the report highlighting that the rise was driven by the shift toward hospitality-focused models such as taprooms and brewpubs, which create more jobs in local communities.

Value still on the rise

Amid the challenges, craft beer’s retail dollar value still rose to an estimated US$28.9 billion, a 3% increase over the previous year. This growth reflects pricing adjustments and steady performance in onsite sales, which outpaced distributed sales in many markets. Craft beer accounted for 24.7% of the total beer market in retail dollar sales. In 2024, the number of operating US craft breweries was 9,612, including 1,934 microbreweries, 3,389 brewpubs, 3,695 taproom breweries, and 266 regional craft breweries. Looking further into this, it must be noted that 2024 was also the first year since 2005 that the overall number of operating craft breweries declined nationwide. The total number of breweries in America dropped to 9,680, down from 9,747 in 2023. Over the year, 434 new breweries opened while 501 closed. And, although openings declined for the fourth consecutive year—reflecting a maturing and highly competitive industry—the closure rate has still remained relatively low at approximately 5%.

Demonstrating resilience

Speaking on the topic, the Brewers Association staff economist Matt Gacioch pointed out that “in a mature market, not every year is going to be defined by substantial growth. While progress may not come in additional production volume, it can still come in honing operations, business practices, and world-class beer. Even in this challenging environment, small brewers have demonstrated that they have the skills and resilience to fight through this period to be better positioned for the months and years ahead.” Added to this, the association noted how small brewers are already grappling with rising ingredient costs, shifting consumer preferences, and increased competition in a saturated market. Plus, tariffs on imported brewing equipment, steel kegs, aluminium cans, and key ingredients such as hops and malt have only exacerbated financial pressures. It was flagged that, naturally, these added costs can be particularly challenging for small and independent breweries because they often operate on tight profit margins and, as a result, many have been forced to delay expansion plans, raise prices, or absorb losses—further compounding the headwinds already challenging the craft beer industry.

Craft brewers connect with their customer base

Gacioch insisted however that the independent beer sector was incredibly astute at reading the room and understanding its audience and getting to the crux of what matters to them. He explained: “There is still plenty of room for optimism in our industry. Brewers’ proven ability to connect with their customers’ evolving preferences will lead to more opportunities for craft beer success stories into the future.” Gacioch added: “While distribution is only becoming more competitive, the top 50 list reflects some of the strongest, most emblematic companies in craft beer. Enduring brands continue to resonate with drinkers…in 2024, eight new breweries moved into the top 50 craft list since the year prior—evidence that brewers are still finding ways to lean into what’s working.” Trends also being noted for the future have shown increased demand for premium and innovative flavoured beer which analysts have suggested will help drive sales for the US brewing sector.

The full list of the top 50 craft breweries in the US are ranked below:

1 D.G. Yuengling and Son 2 Boston Beer Co 3 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co 4 Tilray Beer Brands 5 Duvel Moortgat USA 6 Gambrinus 7 Matt Brewing Co 8 Athletic Brewing Company 9 Brooklyn Brewery 10 Monster Brewing 11 Deschutes Brewery 12 New Glarus Brewing Co 13 Barrel One Collective 14 Georgetown Brewing Co 15 Gordon Biersch Brewing Co 16 Rhinegeist Brewery 17 Craft ‘Ohana (Maui/Modern Times) 18 Great Lakes Brewing Company 19 Narragansett Brewing Co 20 Tröegs Brewing Co 21 Allagash Brewing Company 22 August Schell Brewing Company 23 Fiddlehead Brewing 24 Stevens Point Brewery 25 Pittsburgh Brewing Co 26 Three Floyds Brewing 27 Odell Brewing Co 28 Great Frontier Holdings 29 Abita Brewing Co 30 BrewDog Brewing Co 31 Creature Comforts Brewing Co 32 Hendler Family Brewing Company 33 Alaskan Brewing Co. 34 Summit Brewing Co 35 Saint Arnold Brewing Co 36 Revolution Brewing 37 Kona Brewing 38 Pizza Port 39 Surly Brewing Company 40 pFriem Family Brewers 41 Fremont Brewing 42 The Florida Brewery 43 BJ's Restaurants, Inc. 44 Russian River Brewing Co 45 Shipyard Brewing Co 46 New Trail Brewing Company 47 Zero Gravity Craft Brewery 48 Fat Head's Brewery 49 Drake's Brewing Co/Bear Republic 50 Rogue Ales Brewery The full report and its findings along with brewery rankings can be found via the Brewers Association.