The Brewers Association, the organization behind national beer events like SAVOR and the Great American Beer Festival, has just released this year’s ranking of the top breweries in the U.S. The top 50 lists were compiled based on 2012 sales by volume. Of the top 50 overall, 39 are craft breweries. (See the BA definition of “craft brewery” here; it uses three standards: small, independent and traditional.)

Craft beer sales continue to rise, even though they are still only 6% by volume of the total beer market in the U.S. (the share is nearly twice that by sales). It's worth noticng that a big growth area for American craft brewers in 2012 was overseas — volume increased 72% year over year, with a value estimated at $49.1 million in total exports. The largest export markets are Canada, Sweden and the U.K., and increases were largest in the Asia-Pacific region (up 162%).

So, who’s making all this beer enjoyed at home and around the world? Sam Adams maker Boston Beer retains its No. 1 spot on the craft beer list. (It comes in at No. 5 on the overall list, behind Yuengling, Pabst and the two top macros, MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch, which is debatably included — it’s a subsidiary of foreign-owned A-B InBev.)

Sierra Nevada is No. 2, and after that we get New Belgium, The Gambrinus and Deschutes to round out the top five. Check out the full list here, and drink more (craft) beer!