Three Pa. breweries among the fastest growing craft beer makers in the nation

Pennsylvania is officially home to three of the fastest growing craft breweries in America.

That’s according to the Brewers Association, an industry trade group, which released its list of the top 50 fastest growing craft beer companies in the United States for 2018 on Wednesday. Organized by growth in production, the list includes small, independent craft breweries from 27 states.

Pennsylvania nabbed three spots on the list, thanks to Bonn Place Brewing in Bethlehem (#8), western Pa.’s ShuBrew LLC (#25), and Chatty Monks Brewing Co. out in West Reading (#26). New Jersey had one brewery on the list with Hillsborough’s Flounder Brewing Co., which placed 22nd. Rehoboth Beach’s Fins Big Oyster Brewery was the region’s fastest growing craft brewery at number two on the list, behind only Lake Time Brewery out of Clear Lake, Iowa.

While the BA did not provide data for individual breweries, the organization did note that the median growth for brewers on the list overall was about 163 percent. As a result, the 50 craft companies on the list account for about 10 percent of total craft beer growth by volume for 2018.

Pennsylvania wasn’t the only state with three breweries on the list. Other states also had similar showings, including Oregon, Colorado, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Florida. California, meanwhile, had the most breweries on the list at six overall.

That may be surprising, considering that Pennsylvania is the top producer of craft beer in the nation at 3.7 million barrels per year, according to the Brewers Association. California, meanwhile, produces 3.2 million barrels of craft beer annually.

The state is also home to D.G. Yuengling & Son, which the Brewers Association named the biggest craft beer company in America by sales volume for 2018 earlier this month. The company, which celebrates its 190th year in business this year, has topped the list every year since 2014.