BOULDER — Longmont and Fort Collins breweries were among the largest craft breweries in the U.S., as measured by the Boulder-based Brewers Association trade group.
Monster Brewing Company, the Longmont-based alcoholic beverage portfolio formerly known as Kanakee Craft Brewery Collective, dropped one spot from its 2022 list to nine in 2023. became the number one craft producer. Monster Brewing, which owns Longmont’s Oscar Blues Brewing Company and Tampa Bay’s Cigar City Brewing, among others, owns parent company Monster Beverage, which acquired Kanakee for $330 million in early 2022. Corporation (NASDAQ: MNST) in February. cash.
When Monster acquired Kanakee about two years ago, the Brewers Association said: “According to our information, Kanakee meets the Brewers Association’s definition of craft beer under Monster Energy’s ownership as currently constituted. In this case, Monster is not a member of the beverage alcohol industry; This new ownership structure does not affect Canarchy’s independence with respect to the beverage alcohol industry.”
Sponsored content
Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP), a member of the UnitedHealthcare family, is committed to improving these communities through significant investments in organizations that serve their unique needs.
Fort Collins-based Odell Brewing Company ranks 25th on BA’s list of largest craft breweries, down three spots from 2022.
Tilray Beer Brands, which owns Breckenridge Brewery, was another craft operator with a presence in the Centennial State that made BA’s top 50, coming in at No. 6.
Longmont’s Left Hand Brewery has appeared on BA’s list in recent years, but not since 2021.
Fort Collins’ New Belgium Brewing Company was also a mainstay in the association’s top 50 list, but it was acquired by Australian beer maker Lion Little World Beverage Co., a subsidiary of Japanese beer giant Kirin Holdings. It has since been no longer considered an independent craft brewery. .
In the overall beer ranking, which includes macro beer conglomerates, Kirin Lion ranks ninth on BA’s list, while Spain-based Mahou San Miguel, owner of Boulder’s Avery Brewing Company, ranks 14th. Ranked in.
Bart Watson, vice president of strategy and chief economist at BA, said the craft brewing environment in 2023 was “competitive and challenging” for operators across the country.
Independent breweries produced 23.4 million barrels of beer in 2023, down 1% from the previous year, BA data shows.
“Excluding the year affected by COVID-19 (2020), this is the first time production has fallen since BA started tracking growth data,” Watson said.
“In terms of positive numbers, the number of breweries and employment continues to grow,” he said. Brewers directly employed 191,421 people last year, an increase of 1.1% from the previous year.
Watson said some of the fastest-growing breweries are focusing on their own backyards. They are “geographically focused, and many of them are not very widely distributed, but go deep into specific markets.”
