NEW GLARUS — Their goal in 1993 was to brew world class beer while bringing people together. 

In 2018, Dan and Deb Carey celebrated 25 years of brewing and marketing craft beer. While New Glarus Brewing Company has made the list of world-renowned beer hosted by RateBeer.com multiple times before, the company was recently ranked eighth in the world as part of the RateBeer Best competition. 

Active since May 2000, the online forum is “dedicated to serving the entire craft beer community through beer education, promotion and outreach,” according to the site.

Despite past rankings, Deb Carey was not expecting the honor.

“We were absolutely shocked and somewhat overwhelmed,” she said. “We have a great team of people who pay attention to details and make great beer. The New Glarus Brewing Company team has pulled it off and it’s a great recognition for all of us.”

The top 13 breweries were in the United States. New Glarus Brewing Company was the only Wisconsin brewery among the top performing brewers of more than 36,000 listed in the contest.

“Every day we get up, and just like farmers, we check to make sure that everything is working properly,” Deb Carey said. “It doesn’t come easy and it’s that attention to detail, the consistency and the fact that we use 100 percent natural ingredients to produce world class, handcrafted beers for our friends in Wisconsin — only in this footprint.”

In addition to naming New Glarus Brewing Company one of the top 10 best brewers, a number of its beers also received top 10 and top 100 honors. In Best Beer by Style was Mistral at no. 12. In the Specialty category: Raspberry Tart (no. 3; Gold), Belgian Red (no. 4, Gold) and Serendipity (no. 6, Silver). In low/moderate alcohol — under 4.6 percent ABV — Raspberry Tart was no. 1, Gold, and Wisconsin Belgian Red at no. 2, Gold. 

Last year alone, New Glarus Brewing Company produced more than 235,000 barrels, making it the 16th largest craft brewery in the U.S.; 26th when large brewers like MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch are included. 

Joe Tucker, executive director and co-founder of RateBeer.com, said criteria reviewed by the contest each year is revised depending on the beer that’s in the market.

“When we review, we want an even playing field,” Tucker said. “For example, long-standing versus new breweries, small versus large breweries. New Glarus Brewing Company is certainly long-standing with a variety of beers and they do it very well.” 

He added that “New Glarus Brewing Company displays a lot of subtlety in their lagers.”

The partial list was announced in Portland, Oregon, at the end of January. The complete list was released the following week.

The RateBeer award ceremony’s 17 year history is based on global participation of millions of independent consumer and industry reviewers. The result is a comprehensive assessment with commercial relevance and input from hundreds of regional expert administrators who uniquely qualify RateBeer Best as the world’s most inclusive commercial beer awards program. 

“RateBeer is home to the most experienced beer critics in the world, with more than 400 master beer tasters sharing more than 4,000 full reviews,” Tucker said. “To complete the list, more than 10 million reviews were considered, encompassing beers from more than 30,800 brewers from six continents.” 

The top 10 U.S. breweries include Hill Farmstead Brewery, Greensboro, Vermont; Russian River Brewing, Santa Rosa, California; Trillium Brewing Company, Boston Massachusetts; Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, Florida; Tree House Brewing Company, Charlton, Massachusetts; AleSmith Brewing Company, San Diego, California; Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, Indiana; New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, Wisconsin; Side Project Brewing, Maplewood Missouri; and Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, Capitola, California. 

The business of beer has an approximately $8 billion impact on Wisconsin’s economy. 

“It’s all natural, uses agricultural products and it’s a $9 million investment in Wisconsin for our brewery,” Deb Carey said. “This includes bottles, labels, grains and hops, and other raw materials. Beer sustains the Wisconsin economy.” 

In 1993, Deb Carey became the first female founder of a brewery in the U.S. when she launched New Glarus Brewing Company. She recognized Dan’s beer making talents soon after she met him when they were both working at a brewery in Montana.

Dan Carey is a diploma master brewer, the highest credential in the industry. He estimates that he has crafted more than 200 types of beer. 

A few years ago, the Careys worked with the original 27 investors and a lawyer to start an Employee Stock Ownership Program. Deb Carey said the program “offered the best record for continued longevity” and that the brewery is a permanent part of the local economy. Employees own 10 percent now, and she said it will be a completely employee-owned company in years to come.

“I want this brewery to be around for 300 years or more,” Deb Carey said. “We share our success with our community, including the unique businesses in the area, the cheesemakers, the chocolatiers, the restaurants, the farmers. It really does take community support to have the success that we have. That’s why it is so important for us to give back to the community.”