The Brewers Association’s second-annual list of the fastest-growing craft brewers puts Fins Big Oyster Brewery in Lewes, Delaware, at No. 2 on the list.
Big Oyster Brewery graduated from its original location as part of the popular Fins Ale House in Rehoboth two years ago to its Kings Highway location in Lewes.
The list is based on barrel volume sales growth, and while the Brewers Association won’t release actual numbers on individual brewers production until May, it says the median growth for the 50 craft brewers on its Fastest Growing list is 163 percent in 2018.
Two other regional brewers make the Top 50 list for growth: 1781 Brewing Co. in Spotsylvania, Virginia, ranks No. 13 and Steinhardt Brewing Co. in Frederick, Maryland, is No. 23.
Brewers on the list range from as small as 50 barrels a year to more than 40,000 and grew from less than 70,000 barrels combined in 2017 to more than 170,000 barrels last year.
The 50 Fastest Growing Craft Breweries represent 10 percent of total craft growth.
“Even as market competition continues to increase, these small and independent brewers and brewpubs demonstrate there are still growth opportunities across a diverse set of regions and business models,” said Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association.
The rest of the top five on the list are Lake Time Brewery in Clear Lake, Iowa, Oak Road Brewery in Summerville, South Carolina, The Dreamchaser’s Brewery in Waxhaw, North Carolina, and Lone Pine Brewing Co. in Oregon City, Oregon.
Here’s a list of all 50 Fastest Growing Craft Brewers in 2018.
