CHICAGO -- Information Resources Inc. (IRI) set out to reveal which brews consumers are raising their glasses to in its new rankings of the Top 30 Beer Brand Performers and Top 10 New Brands of 2005.

"Innovative strategies in pricing, merchandising and supply chain continue to be the key elements driving success of today's leading beer brands," notes IRI in a press release about its look at the beer industry's top beer brands and emerging new brews.

Holding the number-one spot on IRI's list of Top 30 Beer Brand Performers is Grupo Modelo's Corona Extra, while Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser Select takes the top spot among the Top 10 New Brands in 2005.

"This outstanding group of beer brands in this year's top 30 ranking is a great representation of the big trends in 2005," said Dan Wandel, vice president of the IRI Beer, Wine and Spirits practice.

"Consumers are definitely willing to pay for their favorite brands, with 18 of the top 30 performers being high-end brands that include 13 imports and five micro/craft brands," added Wandel. "Manufacturers are also meeting the ever-changing tastes of consumer demands with their new product innovations."

The IRI Top 30 Beer Brand Performers in 2005 are:

1. Corona Extra
2. Modelo Especial
3. Newcastle Brown Ale
4. Corona Light
5. New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale
6. Busch Light
7. Steel Reserve High Gravity Lager
8. Blue Moon Belgium White Ale
9. Negra Modelo
10. Coors Light
11. Natural Ice 
12. Pacifico
13. Miller Lite
14. Widmer Hefeweizen
15. Yuengling Traditional Lager
16. Miller High Life Light
17. Heineken
18. Milwaukee's Best Ice
19. Samuel Adams Seasonal
20. Natural Light
21. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
22. Guinness Draught
23. Red Stripe
24. Labatt Blue Light
25. Pabst Blue Ribbon
26. Saint Pauli Girl
27. Keystone Light
28. Grolsch Lager
29. Shiner Bock
30. Tecate
(* Minimum of 500,000 cases sold in total U.S. supermarkets for 52 weeks ending January 1, 2006.)

As for which brands to keep an eye on in the year ahead, the IRI Top 10 New Beer Brands in 2005 are:

1. Budweiser Select
2. Smirnoff Twisted V Watermelon
3. Smirnoff Twisted V Black Cherry
4. Mike's Hard Berry
5. Becks Premier Light
6. Bacardi Silver Watermelon
7. Bacardi Silver Low Carb Green Apple
8. B E
9. Smirnoff Twisted V Wild Grape
10. Heineken Premium Light Lager
(* Total U.S. supermarkets for 52 weeks ending January 1, 2006.)