2010 Imports and Large Breweries
Big brewers have had a tough two years. In 2010, domestic beer shipments were down 3 million barrels, or -1.6 percent, according to estimates by the Beer Institute. That's on top of a 2.2-million barrel loss in 2009. Meanwhile, imported beer shipments were up nearly 5 percent.
Contract Craft Brewing Companies 
Statistic
U.S. beer industry leader Anheuser-Busch had shipments of more than 101 million barrels in 2010, compared to 104 million in 2009.
Definition
Contract Brewing Company: A business that hires another brewery to produce its beer. It can also be a brewery that hires another brewery to produce additional beer. The contract brewing company handles marketing, sales, and distribution of its beer, while generally leaving the brewing and packaging to its producer-brewery (which, confusingly, is also sometimes referred to as a contract brewery).
