KALAMAZOO -- Bell's Brewery Inc. moved up on a pair of lists ranking the nation's top 50 breweries based on 2008 sales volume.
Bell's ranked 13th in sales by a craft brewery and 21st in sales for brewing companies, according to the Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association.
In 2007, Bell's ranked 14th among craft breweries and 24th overall. Bell's is the only brewery from the state of Michigan on either list.
The Brewers Association, which represents the majority of brewing companies in the United States, defines a small craft brewery as one with an annual production of fewer than 2 million barrels a year.
Bell's sold more than 110,000 barrels in 2008, according to president Larry Bell. Bell's sold more than 90,000 barrels in 2007. The Boston Beer Co. topped the craft brewing companies list and Anheuser-Busch InBev of St. Louis topped the overall brewing companies list.
Look for a more extensive analysis of beer stats on the craft beer segment in 2008 from BA later this month.