Last week in the craft brewniverse: Coors is going to focus more on it’s craft brands, Copper Kettle is releasing Le Chapeau for the second year in a row, and the Brewers Association put out a list with the Top 50 breweries in the country. Crack open a cold one while you get yourself up to date with this edition of the Weekly Growler Fill.

New Molson Coors CEO has his eye on craft-beer boom

Recently appointed CEO of Molson Coors, Mark Hunter, has big plans for the craft beer sector of the company. Not only will the company work on building up the craft breweries in their portfolio, there is also talks of craft acquisitions. As of right now, there are no details about a deal with any brewery in particular. The current craft brewers under the Coors umbrella include – so we can most likely expect to see more from them in the days ahead.

The Final Four: Craft Beer Edition

Although we’ve moved onto the NCAA Finals, we can still write about the final four when it has to do with craft beer. For those of you enjoying the playoffs from the couch, there is a kickass craft beer from every state. Fortune compiled a list of ‘must drink’ beers that represented each team in the Final Four. Who knows…maybe if you’re drinking the right brew, it’ll bring good luck to your team. Apparently our founder, Tristan, didn’t get that memo (sorry Wildcats!)

Wisconsin Badgers: New Glarus’ Wisconsin Belgian Red & Central Waters’ Mudpuppy Porter

Kentucky Wildcats: Against the Grain’s Rico Sauvin & Alltech’s Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

Michigan State Spartans: Founder’s All Day IPA & Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza

Duke Blue Devils: NoDa Hop Drop ‘N Roll & Natty Greene’s Southern Pale Ale

Brewers Association Lists Top Breweries 

Last week the Brewers Association announced their list of the Top 50 U.S. Craft Brewing Companies. This list was not arbitrary but rather was based off of 2014 beer sales by volume. In the end, D. G. Yuengling and Son beat out Boston Beer Company for the top spot. The BA also released a Top 50 Breweries list that was not limited to craft brewers. The Association’s full 2014 industry analysis, which shows regional trends and sales by individual breweries, will be published in the May/June issue of The New Brewer, available in May 2015.

Rank	Brewing Company	City	State
1	D. G. Yuengling and Son, Inc	Pottsville	PA
2	Boston Beer Co	Boston	MA
3	Sierra Nevada Brewing Co	Chico	CA
4	New Belgium Brewing Co	Fort Collins	CO
5	Gambrinus	Shiner	TX
6	Lagunitas Brewing Co	Petaluma	CA
7	Bell’s Brewery, Inc	Galesburg	MI
8	Deschutes Brewery	Bend	OR
9	Stone Brewing Co	Escondido	CA
10	Minhas Craft Brewery	Monroe	WI
11	Brooklyn Brewery	Brooklyn	NY
12	Duvel Moortgat USA	Kansas City & Cooperstown	MO/NY
13	Dogfish Head Craft Brewery	Milton	DE
14	Matt Brewing Co	Utica	NY
15	Harpoon Brewery	Boston	MA
16	Firestone Walker Brewing Co	Paso Robles	CA
17	Founders Brewing Co	Grand Rapids	MI
18	SweetWater Brewing Co	Atlanta	GA
19	New Glarus Brewing Co	New Glarus	WI
20	Alaskan Brewing Co	Juneau	AK
21	Abita Brewing Co	Abita Springs	LA
22	Anchor Brewing Co	San Francisco	CA
23	Great Lakes Brewing Co	Cleveland	OH
24	Oskar Blues Brewery	Longmont	CO
25	Shipyard Brewing Co	Portland	ME
26	Stevens Point Brewery Co	Stevens Point	WI
27	August Schell Brewing Co	New Ulm	MN
28	Summit Brewing Co	Saint Paul	MN
29	Victory Brewing Co	Downingtown	PA
30	Long Trail Brewing Co	Bridgewater Corners	VT
31	Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits	San Diego	CA
32	Rogue Ales Brewery & Headquarters	Newport	OR
33	Full Sail Brewing Co	Hood River	OR
34	Odell Brewing Co	Fort Collins	CO
35	Southern Tier Brewing Co	Lakewood	NY
36	Ninkasi Brewing Co	Eugene	OR
37	Flying Dog Brewery	Frederick	MD
38	Uinta Brewing Co	Salt Lake City	UT
39	Bear Republic Brewing Co	Cloverdale	CA
40	Left Hand Brewing Company	Longmont	CO
41	21st Amendment Brewery Cafe	San Francisco	CA
42	Allagash Brewing Co	Portland	ME
43	Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe	Eureka	CA
44	Troegs Brewing Co	Hershey	PA
45	Karl Strauss Brewing Co	San Diego	CA
46	Saint Arnold Brewing Co	Houston	TX
47	Narragansett Brewing Co	Providence	RI
48	Green Flash Brewing Co	San Diego	CA
49	Craftworks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc	Chattanooga & Louisville	TN/CO
50	Breckenridge Brewery	Denver	CO

 

Beer Release: Copper Kettle Brewing Company – Le Chapeau

Copper Kettle Brewing Company is pleased to announce the second annual year of the limited release barrel aged bottle, “Le Chapeau” on Friday, April 10^th, 2015. “Le Chapeau”, a French style saison aged in lightly toasted red wine barrels, as part of their barrel aged series. This second release of “Le Chapeau” is higher in ABV at 8.4% and aged in Merlot and Petit Syrah barrels. “Le Chapeau” will be released in 22oz. bombers in the tasting room and also on draught as well.

Barrels and Bottles Makes an Easter Beer with Peeps

Barrels and Bottles, a brewery based in Golden, CO, has made the perfect beer for all of the Peep lovers of the world. Kim Collins, the head brewer, accented an ESB with the sugar coated baby chicks. See the video below, or visit the brewery, for all of the details.