Economy & Economic Development  March 31, 2015

Northern Colorado craft breweries hold steady on top 50 list

The nation’s growing obsession with craft beer meant the region’s largest brewers needed double-digit percentage growth in 2014 just to hold steady on the Brewers Association’s list of the top 50 craft breweries released Tuesday.

Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewing Co. remained in the top five, dropping one spot to No. 4 in the annual list based on beer sales volume. Longmont-based Oskar Blues Brewery stayed put at No. 24. Fort Collins-based Odell Brewing Co. kept its spot at No. 34. And Longmont’s Left Hand Brewing Co. slipped two spots to No. 40.

“We didn’t see many dramatic changes, and it’s definitely harder to move up than it used to be,” Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson said. “Oskar Blues had a great year, and they’re in the same spot they were last year.”

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Another aspect that made the top 50 tougher to crack this year was the Brewers Association’s decision last year to tweak its definition of what qualifies as a craft brewery – small, independent and traditional.

New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins ranked fourth on the Brewers Association's list of the 50 largest craft breweries in the country for 2014. (New Belgium Brewing Co.)
New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins ranked fourth on the Brewers Association’s list of the 50 largest craft breweries in the country for 2014. (New Belgium Brewing Co.)

Brewers still must have annual production of 6 million barrels or less and be independent, meaning that less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer. But the definition of traditional was broadened to allow small, independent breweries that produce a majority of their sales from adjunct beers that use ingredients such as corn or rice to lighten instead of enhance flavor. Previously, the BA had required that breweries derive a majority of their sales from all-malt beers.

The change opened the door for four previously ineligible breweries to make the top 50 this year, including D.G. Yuengling and Son Inc. in Pottsville, Pa., which supplanted Sam Adams maker Boston Beer Co. from the top spot. That also accounted for New Belgium’s slip from No. 3 to 4 as it remained behind No. 2 Boston Beer and No. 3 Sierra Nevada Brewing in California.

New Belgium, which is remodeling its Fort Collins tasting room this spring, grew production by 19 percent in 2014, from 792,000 barrels in 2013 to 945,367 in 2014. And that’s without its new North Carolina brewery, which is expected to be open by the end of this year.

Another newcomer to the list due to the definition change, Minhas in Wisconsin, came in 10th. That contributed to Oskar Blues staying at No. 24 instead of moving up the list despite growing production 25 percent from 119,000 barrels to 149,000. That growth was due in large part to the opening of Oskar Blues’ own new facility in North Carolina.

Cement pads have been poured for four new 480-barrel fermenters at Left Hand Brewing in Longmont to help fuel continued growth this year. (Left Hand Brewing Co.)
Cement pads have been poured for four new 480-barrel fermenters at Left Hand Brewing in Longmont to help fuel continued growth this year. (Left Hand Brewing Co.)

Odell and Left Hand would have also each moved up had it not been for the definition change.

Odell production climbed by roughly a quarter to 99,517 barrels as the brewery added new fermenters. Odell has also recently purchased a canning line that will be operational by the end of the year.

Left Hand grew production 13 percent to more than 74,000 barrels, with a large jump in production capacity expected this year as the brewery expands its headquarters and adds tanks, as well as new quality control equipment.

The other local craft brewer, Craftworks Restaurants and Breweries Inc., which has dual headquarters in Louisville and Chattanooga, Tenn., came in 49th on the list, sliding from No. 39. The only other Colorado brewery to make the list was Breckenridge Brewery in Denver at No. 50.

Among all breweries nationwide, St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Inc., which has a large brewery in Fort Collins, once again took the top spot ahead of MillerCoors and Pabst, with New Belgium coming in eighth on that list.

The nation’s growing obsession with craft beer meant the region’s largest brewers needed double-digit percentage growth in 2014 just to hold steady on the Brewers Association’s list of the top 50 craft breweries released Tuesday.

Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewing Co. remained in the top five, dropping one spot to No. 4 in the annual list based on beer sales volume. Longmont-based Oskar Blues Brewery stayed put at No. 24. Fort Collins-based Odell Brewing Co. kept its spot at No. 34. And Longmont’s Left Hand Brewing Co. slipped two spots to No. 40.

“We didn’t see many dramatic changes, and it’s definitely…

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