Saint Arnold Brewing, Houston’s largest craft brewery and the oldest craft brewing operation in Texas, has announced today, January 29, 2012, that it shipped 49,119 barrels of beer for the 2012 calendar year, setting a new record.
Overall growth for the year was 22 percent ahead of the 40,416 barrels shipped in 2011 and nearly 18,000 barrels or 56 percent ahead of the output in 2010. To get a clear picture of the rapid growth at Saint Arnold Brewery, take a look at the production and year over year percentage growth for the past ten years:
Year, Barrels Shipped, % Change from Prior Year
2012 49,119 22%
2011 40,416 29%
2010 31,445 22%
2009 25,710 13%
2008 22,749 28%
2007 17,811 30%
2006 13,636 25%
2005 10,946 20%
2004 9,100 27%
2003 7,000 17%
As the numbers show, Saint Arnold Brewing has enjoyed year over year growth of 20% or more for eight of the past ten years. And over the long term, the growth is especially significant, with shipments in 2012 more than 700 percent greater than 2003. At its present rate of recent growth in the 22% to 29% range, St. Arnold is poised to double in size approximately every three years.
Breaking down shipments by style, Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower remains the brewery’s top seller for the fourth straight year. St. Arnold Amber Ale is second and St. Arnold Santo is third. Saint Arnold Elissa ranks as the fastest growing beer with a 12 percent increase in shipments compared to 2012. However, the seasonal products, as a group, remain at the top of the list with production increasing about 32 percent in 2012.
St. Arnold’s rapid growth can be attributed to several factors. One is, of course, the move to the new brewery at 2000 Lyons Ave. back in 2009. The larger facility offered immediate room for expansion of existing products and some space for new product development and experimentation. Quality products, of course, are also key to the company’s rapid growth. Above all, however, are the loyal St. Arnold fans and the good guys and gals who run the St. Arnold operation each day. Under the leadership of owner/founder Brock Wagner, the Saint Arnold brand continues to win over new adherents and the products continue to receive national attention at prominent beer competitions.
No one can say with certainty what the future will bring, but St. Arnold Brewery appears to be on the fast track toward reaching the magic 100,000 barrel production level in just three or four more years. Great personnel, solid leadership, and innovative products should continue to propel St. Arnold forward toward a very productive and promising future.
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