Yuengling named No. 1 craft brewing company in the country, beating Samuel Adams

From a press release:

To locals, it’s simply ordered as “lager.” But, across the country, Yuengling is much more.

The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group representing small and independent craft brewers, released its annual lists of the Top 50 craft and overall brewing companies in the United States, based on beer sales volume, last week. Of the Top 50 overall brewing companies, 43 were craft brewing companies, and D.G. Yuengling & Son from Pottsville was named No. 1, even beating out Boston Beer Company, the producer of Samuel Adams.

Established in 1829, Yuengling is also the oldest operating brewing company in the country and is still family-owned. It has now reached No. 4 in the list of top-selling brewing companies overall, just behind Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, and Pabst Brewing Company.

“The top U.S. brewers continue to drive demand, growth, innovation, and exponential interest in beers from small and independent brewers,” said Bart Watson, chief economist of the Brewers Association. “With a historic record number of breweries in the U.S., the top brewers continue to open new markets and expose beer drinkers to a variety of fuller-flavored styles and offerings.”

The total number of U.S. breweries reached a record level in 2015, according to a year-end review from the Brewers Association. As of the end of November, there are now 4,144 breweries in the country, topping the historic high of 4,131 breweries in 1873.

With 136 craft breweries across the state, Pennsylvania is seventh overall in the number of craft breweries nationwide and produces the most barrels of any state – 4.1 million in 2015 alone. The next closest is California with 3.4 million.

Two other Keystone State breweries made the Top 50 – Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown came in at 26, and Troegs Brewing Company in Hershey was 45.

Top 10 U.S. craft brewing companies:

(based on 2015 beer sales volume) (based on 2015 beer sales volume) 1. D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. – Pottsville, PA

2. Boston Beer Co. – Boston, MA

3. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Chico, CA

4. New Belgium Brewing Co. – Fort Collins, CO

5. Gambrinus – San Antonio, TX

6. Lagunitas Brewing Co. – Petaluma, CA

7. Bell’s Brewery, Inc. – Comstock, MI

8. Deschutes Brewery – Bend, OR

9. Minhas Craft Brewery – Monroe, WI

10. Stone Brewing Co. – Escondido, CA

Top 10 U.S. overall brewing companies:

(based on 2015 beer sales volume) (based on 2015 beer sales volume) 1. Anheuser-Busch, Inc. – Saint Louis, MO

2. MillerCoors – Chicago, IL

3. Pabst Brewing Co. – Los Angeles, CA

4. D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. – Pottsville, PA

5. Boston Beer Co. – Boston, MA

6. North American Breweries – Rochester, NY

7. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Chico, CA

8. New Belgium Brewing Co. – Fort Collins, CO

9. Craft Brew Alliance – Portland, OR

10. Lagunitas Brewing Co. – Petaluma, CA