Beer group expands definition of small

BOULDER – The definition of small brewers just got a lot less small, according to a decision announced Monday by the Brewers Association.

The Boulder-based nonprofit, which is an industry association representing independent brewers and the organizer of the Great American Beer Festival, tripled the amount of beer a brewer can produce and still be considered a craft brewer.

Craft brewers can now produce up to 6 million barrels a year, up from 2 million barrels, according to a revision of the association’s bylaws.

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The change reflects growth in the industry, said Nick Matt, chairman of the organization’s board of directors. The industry’s largest craft brewer, The Boston Beer Company, makers of Samuel Adams Boston Lager, is about to cross the 2 million barrel threshold. Other breweries also are on pace to surpass the mark in coming years, a statement from the association said.

“Rather than removing members due to their success, the craft brewing industry should be celebrating our growth,” Matt said.

“Thirty-four years have passed since the original small brewers tax differential defined small brewers as producing less than 2 million barrels,” Matt said. “A lot has changed since 1976. The largest brewer in the U.S. has grown from 45 million barrels to 300 million barrels of global beer production.”

Changing the definition will keep market share statistics more accurate, Matt said. Craft brewed beer market share is now approximately 5 percent of the U.S. beer industry, the announcement said.