New Data Reveals America’s Largest Craft Beer Brands

New Belgium Brewing company’s Voodoo Ranger IPA beer can be seen at a store in Mountain View, California, United States on Nov. 21, 2019. (Photo by Yichuan Cao/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

New industry data is reshaping the hierarchy of America’s largest craft beer brands, with Kirin-owned New Belgium Brewing moving into the top spot among craft breweries that fall outside the Brewers Association’s independent craft brewer definition.

According to new data sourced from the Brewers Association’s May/June issue of The New Brewer magazine, shared by Brewbound, New Belgium and Bell’s Brewery combined to produce 1.805 million barrels in 2025, edging past the craft beer portfolio owned by Molson Coors Beverage Company.

The shift marks another major shakeup in the corporate craft beer landscape, which has been defined in recent years by declining volumes, brewery selloffs and shrinking flagship brands.

New Belgium’s rise comes despite a reported 3% decline for the brewery itself, which Brewbound said produced 1.378 million barrels in 2025. Bell’s — a Michigan brewery that sold to Kirin in 2021 — reportedly declined 6% to 427,000 barrels, though a New Belgium spokesperson told Brewbound that Bell’s shipment declines were 3%.

The company’s continued scale has been fueled largely by the growth of the Voodoo Ranger franchise, helping New Belgium leapfrog Molson Coors after previously surpassing Anheuser-Busch for the No. 2 position a year earlier.

Molson Coors’ craft portfolio, now primarily made up of Blue Moon and Leinenkugel’s after several divestitures to Tilray Brands, fell to 1.725 million barrels in 2025.

Blue Moon accounted for the bulk of that decline. Brewbound reported the brand fell 11% year over year to 1.344 million barrels. The figure continues a long-term slide for the once-dominant craft-style wheat beer brand, which peaked at 2.225 million barrels roughly a decade ago. That means Blue Moon has lost approximately 881,000 barrels over the last 10 years.

Leinenkugel’s also continued its downward trajectory, declining 12% and remaining below the 500,000-barrel threshold for a third straight year.

Meanwhile, Anheuser-Busch’s remaining craft portfolio narrowly overtook Molson Coors overall, totaling 1.731 million barrels. Most brands in the portfolio declined, though Elysian Brewing grew 2% and Wicked Weed Brewing posted a 10% increase.

Other major craft beer brands facing continued declines included Lagunitas Brewing Company, which fell 8% to 653,000 barrels, and Founders Brewing Co., which remained flat at 400,000 barrels after years of decline from its 2020 peak.

The data also reflects the continuing contraction of corporate-owned craft beer overall. According to Brewbound, craft brands outside the Brewers Association’s independent definition collectively declined 4% in 2025 on a comparable basis, losing nearly 394,000 barrels.

Since 2021, large brewers’ craft portfolios have collectively shed more than 2.15 million barrels through a mix of falling sales and brand divestitures.

The rankings highlight how dramatically the U.S. craft beer landscape has changed over the past decade, as once-fast-growing national craft brands increasingly face pressure from shifting consumer tastes, rising competition from spirits and ready-to-drink beverages, and slowing demand across the broader beer category.