Top 50 Craft Brewers US List Shrinks

Craft beer mergers and acquisitions has dominated the Brewers Association list

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Read the full article: Fortune.com's website 

Read about the Canadian Craft Beer Awards in May

"...Because sales growth for theU.S craft beer industry has outpaced the overall $106 billion category, Big Beer companies have responded by inking deals to buy upstart brands with the hope that better distribution and some marketing hefty can make those upstarts more nationally successful. Big Beer is buying into the craft beer trend at a time when volume has ebbed for mainstream peers, in particular for American lagers like Bud Light and Miller Lite..."

"Craft brewers have responded by making deals of their own. Dogfish Head Brewing (#14 in 2016) sold a minority stake to private-equity firm LNK Partners, while Brooklyn Brewery (#11) scored an investment from Japan conglomerate Kirin Holdings.

But perhaps even more interesting is the recent trend of mergers enacted among craft beer peers, a way to compete better on distribution at a time when competition is particularly intense for bar taps and retail shelf space. Those craft beer deals are also remaking the Top 50 rankings. For example, Pennsylvania's Victory Brewing and New York's Southern Tier Brewing formed an alliance last year to create a new company Artisanal Brewing Ventures. Artisanal ranked 13 last year—separately Victory was #26 and Southern Tier was #33 on the 2015 list.
They aren't alone in bulking up and in the process, becoming more competitive in the craft world. Duvel Moortgat bought Firestone Walker in 2015 after also purchasing Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing Co. and Cooperstown, NY-based Brewery Ommegang. Oskar Blues Brewing, meanwhile, acquired Tampa, Fla-based Cigar City Brewing last year. Duvel Moortgat's ranking jumped from #15 in 2015 to #6, while Oskar Blues climbed to #10 from #14...."

Read the full article: Fortune.com's website