You have no doubt seen many links to the map of the 2015 Top 50 breweries from the Brewers Association based on beer sales volume and you may also have seen the number of asterisks involved.
Brewing Company City State
1. D. G. Yuengling and 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 Kalamazoo MI
8. Deschutes Brewery Bend OR
9. Minhas Craft Brewery Monroe WI
10. Stone Brewing Co Escondido CA
11. Ballast Point Brewing* San Diego CA
12. Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
13. Firestone Walker Brewing Co Paso Robles CA
14. Oskar Blues Brewing Holding Co Longmont CO
15. Duvel Moortgat USA KC & Cooperstown MO/NY
16. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
17. Matt Brewing Co Utica NY
18. SweetWater Brewing Co Atlanta GA
19. Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
20. New Glarus Brewing Co New Glarus WI
21. Great Lakes Brewing Co Cleveland OH
22. Alaskan Brewing Co. Juneau AK
23. Abita Brewing Co Abita Springs LA
24. Anchor Brewing Co San Francisco CA
25. Stevens Point Brewery Co Stevens Point WI
26. Victory Brewing Co Downingtown PA
27. August Schell Brewing Co New Ulm MN
28. Long Trail Brewing Co Bridgewater VT
29. Summit Brewing Co Saint Paul MN
30. Shipyard Brewing Co Portland ME
31. Full Sail Brewing Co Hood River OR
32. Odell Brewing Co Fort Collins CO
33. Southern Tier Brewing Co Lakewood NY
34. Rogue Ales Brewery Newport OR
35. 21st Amendment Brewery Bay Area CA
36. Ninkasi Brewing Co Eugene OR
37. Flying Dog Brewery Frederick MD
38. Narragansett Brewing Co Providence RI
39. Left Hand Brewing Company Longmont CO
40. Uinta Brewing Co Salt Lake City UT
41. Green Flash Brewing Co San Diego CA
42. Allagash Brewing Co Portland ME
43. Lost Coast Brewery Eureka CA
44. Bear Republic Brewing Co Cloverdale CA
45. Troegs Brewing Co Hershey PA
46. Karl Strauss Brewing Co San Diego CA
47. Breckenridge Brewery* Littleton CO
48. North Coast Brewing Co Inc. Fort Bragg CA
49. Four Peaks Brewing Co* Tempe AZ
50. Revolution Brewing Co Chicago IL
*Craft volume pro-rated in 2015 or will be pro-rated/exiting craft brewer data set in 2016
Four breweries will be exiting the craft beer category come 2016. Which four will take their place? The state of California will lose half of their Top 10 entrants as Lagunitas and Ballast Point will be gone leaving only Sierra Nevada and Stone unless Firestone Walker can jump a few notches their current 13 spot.
The overall California dominance will also take a hit unless there are two breweries lurking in the 50-55 range. Right now they hold a commanding 7 brewery lead over the next state with Colorado at silver with 5 and Oregon at the bronze level with 4.
There are only 22 states represented in the top 50 (with 13 having a sole representative) which to my mind points to growth possibilities. I’m thinking of Illinois and Michigan as well as the Southeast that could move more breweries into the Top 50.