On April 10, 2013 the Brewers Association released it’s annual list of the Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies in the U.S. The list for 2013 is based on sales volume totals from 2012. Six Colorado breweries made the list including; New Belgium Brewing Co., Oskar Blues Brewing Co., Craftworks Restaurants & Breweries Inc., Odell Brewing, Breckenridge Brewery and Left Hand Brewing Co. New Belgium came in on top of the list for Colorado breweries, and came in 3rd overall on the top 50 U.S Craft Breweries list.

Colorado Brewery Rankings in the Top 50 U.S. Craft Breweries:

• New Belgium #3
• Oskar Blues #27
• Craftworks Restaurants & Breweries #32
• Odell Brewing #33
• Breckenridge Brewery #41
• Left Hand #43

While six Colorado Breweries finished in the top 50 U.S Craft Breweries list, four of those breweries also came in the Top 50 Overall U.S. Breweries List. The four Colorado breweries in the top 50 overall include: New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Craftworks Restaurants & Breweries and Odell Brewing.

Colorado Brewery Rankings in the Top 50 U.S. Overall Breweries:

• New Belgium #8
• Oskar Blues #36
• Craftworks Restaurants & Breweries #43
• Odell Brewing #44

Overall, craft beer sales totaled 6% of all beer sales in the U.S. According to Paul Gatza, Director, Brewers Association. “Increasingly, beer lovers are turning to craft brewed beer from small and independent producers to satisfy their thirst for bold, innovative and flavor-forward beers.” With the continued growth and popularity of craft beer, the percentage of craft beer in the overall beer sales should rise each year.

Other interesting facts about the craft beer industry:

• Craft brewers currently provide an estimated 108,440 jobs in the U.S., including serving staff in brewpubs.
• Growth of the craft brewing industry in 2012 was 15% by volume and 17% by dollars compared to growth in 2011 of 13% by volume and 15% by dollars.
• Craft brewers sold an estimated 13,235,917 barrels* of beer in 2012, up from 11,467,337 in 2011.
• The craft brewing sales share in 2012 was 6.5% by volume and 10.2% by dollars.
• As of March 18, 2013, the Brewers Association is aware of 409 brewery openings in 2012 (310 microbreweries and 99 brewpubs) and 43 brewery closings (18 microbreweries and 25 brewpubs).
• 2,347 craft breweries operated for some or all of 2012, comprised of 1,132 brewpubs, 1,118 microbreweries and 97 regional craft breweries.

To view more statistics and information from the Brewers Association follow these links:
1) Top 50 Breweries List
2) Craft Beer Facts