Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, craft brewer Boston Beer (NYSE: SAM) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Boston Beer's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Boston Beer facts

Headquarters (founded) Boston (1984)
Market Cap $1.3 billion
Industry Brewers
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $513.0 million
Management Founder/Chairman James Koch
President/CEO Martin Roper
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) 29.1%
Cash/Debt $49.5 million / $0
Competitors Anheuser-Busch InBev
Heineken
MillerCoors LLC

Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 96% of the 1,503 members who have rated Boston Beer believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.  

A few months ago, one of those Fools, jasond08, touched on the tailwinds working in Boston Beer's favor:

1) Industry trends: We continue to see the effects of the trade up effect as customers are electing to purchase the pricier more flavorful brands of beer rather than go out to the bar. This is driving growth in the craft beer segment despite negative growth in the beer industry as a whole.

2) Fundamental business: One of the most important things in craft beer sales is the establishment and maintenance of a strong brand name, which Boston Beer has. Their strong free cash flows are more than enough to continue to finance and aggressive marketing strategy. Also, their larger size relative to their craft beer competitors give them a scale advantage that allows for pricing power now, and will allow Boston Beer to beat out their competitors as a pricing war starts in the near future.

If you want to retire rich, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future. Of course, despite a strong five-star rating, Boston Beer may not be your top choice.

If that's the case, we've compiled a special free report for investors called "Discover the Next Rule-Breaking Multibagger," which uncovers another small-cap growth play with big potential. The report is 100% free, but it won't be around forever, so click here to access it now.

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