To end up with such massive long-term winners involves a lot more than luck: You need to not only invest in great and growing companies, but you also have to hang on to their stock through lots of ups and downs because no stock goes up in a straight line. If you're not too familiar with the Boston Beer (NYSE: SAM) company, know that it's a major player in the beer arena, rated as the top beer supplier in 11 out of the past 13 years by the Tamarron Beverage Supplier Performance Survey. Boston Beer will always face meaningful competition, but it has advantages over many rivals in its scale, its savvy acquisitions, and its ability to keep up with trends and changing tastes (like hard seltzers and ciders), among other things.