Yuengling ousts Boston Beer as top U.S. craft brewery

Mike Snider | USA TODAY

Samuel Adams has lost its spot atop the list of the top U.S. craft breweries. In its place: Yuengling.

Boston Beer Co., which makes Samuel Adams beers, actually shipped 20% more barrels than in 2013. What made it slip a notch on the Brewers Association's list of top brewers was a change in the trade group's definition of what can be considered a craft brewery.

Last year, the Boulder, Colo.-based association announced plans to tweak its criteria. A "traditional" brewer can now use adjuncts such as corn, rice and syrups to enhance flavor. Previously, traditional brewers had to use traditional or innovative brewing techniques with the majority of beers produced with all malt.

D.G. Yuengling & Son of Pottsville, Pa., the nation's oldest brewery, uses corn, so previously, it wasn't considered in the annual list. Now, it's on top, based on sales volume, surpassing Boston Beer, which sold 4.1 million of liquid in 2014. (Some of that is Twisted Tea and other malt beverages that the association doesn't count.) The association didn't release actual production volumes, but both breweries fit under the criteria of "small" brewery as one that produces up to 6 million barrels a year.

Among overall U.S. brewers, Anheuser-Busch, Miller-Coors and Pabst held the top three spots followed by Yuengling and Boston Beer.

Craft beer sales have been on an upward trend, counter to overall beer sales being flat, up about 0.5% in 2014. The definition change further enlarged craft beer's market share.

In 2014, craft brewers sold an estimated $19.6 billion in beer, the association says, representing 19% of the U.S. beer market — up from 14% in 2013. Craft brewers produced 22.2 million barrels, an 18% increase in volume, equal to about 11% of total beer volume produced in the U.S.

Other movement in the top 10: Bell's Brewery of Galesburg, Mich., moved up a spot to No. 7, pushing Deshutes Brewery of Bend, Ore., down to No. 8. And making a debut at No. 10 is Minhas Craft Brewery of Monroe, Wis., the second oldest brewery in the U.S.

Making major moves: Founders Brewing Co. made its way to No. 17, up from No. 26 in 2014, while 21st Amendment Brewery elevated itself to No. 41 from No. 50 last year.

Several breweries, including Gordon Biersch Brewing Co., dropped off the list. "Most of the breweries that dropped off didn't have poor years as much as they didn't have quite as great a year as everyone else in the Top 50," said Bart Watson, chief economist at the Brewers Association. "Given the rate at which many of these breweries are expanding, flat or even slightly increased sales mean you drop down the list."

The top 20 U.S. craft breweries:

1) D. G. Yuengling and Son, Inc. (Pottsville, Pa.)

2) Boston Beer Co. (Boston)

3) Sierra Nevada Brewing Co (Chico, Calif.)

4) New Belgium Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, Colo.)

5) Gambrinus (Shiner, Texas)

6) Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma, Calif.)

7) Bell's Brewery, Inc. (Galesburg, Mich.)

8) Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Ore.)

9) Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, Calif.)

10) Minhas Craft Brewery (Monroe, Wis.)

11) Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

12) Duvel Moortgat USA (Kansas City, Mo. & Cooperstown, N.Y.)

13) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, Del.)

14) Matt Brewing Co. (Utica, N.Y.)

15) Harpoon Brewery (Boston)

16) Firestone Walker Brewing Co. (Paso Robles, Calif.)

17) Founders Brewing Co. (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

18) SweetWater Brewing Co (Atlanta)

19) New Glarus Brewing Co. (New Glarus, Wis.)

20) Alaskan Brewing Co. (Juneau, Alaska)

For the complete list, go to the Brewers Association website.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider