Contributed by Info Guru Jennifer Andrews
Beer is one of the most enjoyed beverages worldwide and comes in a variety of different brands, flavors and depths.
Beer breweries are in direct competition with each other as they all offer a similar product in the end – delicious beer. Independent breweries have increased over the last few years as companies aims to garner new customers and increase marketability of their products. Beers such as craft lagers have become more popular recently, such as in cities such as London, as they provide an alternative to typical mass-produced beers. Beer drinkers are also enjoying pale ales, stouts and porters more as they ooze a charm only a homebrew can possess. No matter your preference, beer drinkers are sure to find a drink they like among the many formulated by independent breweries.
Check out the following top ten independent beer brewers and see if your favorite makes the list.
10. Boulevard Brewing Co.
Kansas City Missouri boasts one of the top independent beer breweries with its Boulevard Brewing Co. This brewery has become the largest American independent brewery in Missouri and is available across the Great Plains and Midwest. Boulevard has the capacity to produce expansive amounts of barrels per year, up to 700,000 and will be broadening marketing shares in the years to come.
9. Rogue Ales
Rogue Ales brewery, hailing from Newport, Oregon, is a small business that has set the standard high for crafting microbrews. Microbrews include lagers, ales, stouts and porters and all are crafted with unique tastes.
8. Silver Moon Brewing
Straight from Bend, Oregon, Silver Moon Brewing have been creating some of the state’s best craft beers since 2000. The independent beer brewer produces and sells beers such as Hop Knob IPA, Snake Bite Porter and Badlands Bitter ESB.
7. Bridgeport Brewing
Bridgeport brewing produces and sells a smooth, fully-flavored beer that is naturally carbonated. This natural state is a result of beers not being force carbonated, rather naturally conditioned in the bottle. Residing in Portland, Oregon, Bridgeport Brewing is well respected and recognized among its peers and has garnered a slew of awards from international judges.
6. Three Creeks Brewing
Located in Sisters, Oregon, Three Creeks Brewing produces and sells a variety of porters, ales and ambers with catchy names such as Stonefly Rye and Five Pine Chocolate Porter.
5. Harpoon Brewery
Best known for its Indian Pale Ale, or IPA, Harpoon Brewery is among the top 10 U.S Craft Breweries according to CNBC. The brewery located in Boston, Massachusetts, reaches annual sales of over 130,000 barrels. In addition to its famous IPA, Harpoon also produces a variety of beers.
4. Magic Hat
Magic Hat Brewing Company is located in South Burlington, Vermont and produces four seasonal beers per year in addition to four year-round beers.
3. Matt Brewing Co.
The family-owned Matt Brewing Co. is the third largest craft brewing company in the U.S. You can find this brewery in Utica, New York and may be surprised to learn that it also produces soft drinks available to east coasters.
2. Pyramid Breweries, Inc.
Pyramid Breweries has its main headquarter offices in Seattle, Washington and also has numerous ale houses in California and Oregon. The brewery is well known as a top leader in fruit beers, with the introduction of its Apricot Ale seller in 1994.
1. New Belgium Brewing Co.
New Belgium Brewing Co. hails from Fort Collins, Colorado and is among the largest craft breweries in the U.S. Founder Jeff Lebesch started the company in 1991, and its beers can now be found in 19 different states. One of its leading beers, Fat Tire, was inspired by a bike trip Lebesch took between breweries throughout Belgium.