American Craft Beer Week Begins May 14th

BOULDER, CO – With craft beer delighting the palates of Americans nationwide, beer enthusiasts and beginners alike will come together to toast the seventh annual American Craft Beer Week (ACBW). From May 14-20, celebrations are expected to be held across all 50 states as communities come together to show appreciation on a local level for the more than 1,900 small and independent craft brewers responsible for the steadily advancing American craft beer culture.

“As the craft beer community continues to experience exponential growth, American Craft Beer Week has quickly become an iconic event that underscores the ever-increasing appreciation for small producers in this country,” said Julia Herz, publisher of CraftBeer.com and craft beer program director at the Brewers Association. “This year’s celebrations will once again provide an opportunity for small brewers, enthusiasts and the community of better beer retailers to celebrate this growth and the progressively popular craft beer culture in the U.S. The thousands of scheduled events nationwide underscore the grassroots nature of the craft beer movement.”

Going Social

This year, Untappd, the mobile-based social network that connects breweries with craft beer lovers, will allow 2012 ACBW participants to earn a special badge for enjoying craft beer during the week. Craft brewers are encouraged to leverage the sharing app by listing their brands on the social media site.

Local Celebrations

This year’s events include exclusive brewery tours, special beer releases, multi-course food and beer pairing dinners, collaboration beers and retail promotions throughout the U.S. To find a local celebration, visit the official American Craft Beer Week events calendar hosted by CraftBeer.com.

Sample scheduled 2012 celebrations include:

Craft Breweries

Community Craft Beer Festivals

Brewer Tastings

Collaboration Beers

  • Wyoming: Fourteen Wyoming brewers gathered at Wind River Brewing Company in Pinedale to brew their ACBW collaboration—with each providing a different ingredient to add to the kettle. All 14 breweries will simultaneously tap their kegs at the beginning of ACBW.
  • Fort Collins, CO: Nine breweries reunite to brew beer for American Craft Beer Week.
  • Idaho: With a little inspiration from the Idaho landscape, they will be brewing a Sage Pale Ale.?]
  • Nelson County, VA: Members of the Brew Ridge Trail in Nelson County, VA collaborate on a Honey-Pear Wit beer.
  • Minnesota/ Wisconsin: Twin Port’s Brewpubs come together around American Craft Beer Week.

Retailers

State and Regional Beer Weeks Also Happening During ACBW

  • Albuquerque Beer Week
  • Chicago Craft Beer Week
  • Colorado Beer Week
  • Frederick Beer Week (MD)
  • Long Island Craft Beer Week
  • South Shore Cape Islands Beer Week (NY)
  • Santa Ynez Valley Beer Week (CA)
  • San Antonio Beer Week

Find an expanded list of U.S. beer weeks.

About the Brewers Association:

The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup┬«, Great American Beer Festival┬«, Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America┬«, SAVOR?: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.

Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association. Follow us on Twitter.