Portland, Oregon – For the very first time in its thirty-two year history, a South Carolinian took home a national award from the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America® (CBC) held April 14-17 in Portland, Oregon. Presented by the Brewers Association, CBC is the leading craft beer industry event, and the only one that serves both brewpubs and packaging breweries.
South Carolina Brewers Guild Executive Director Brook Bristow was awarded the F.X. Matt Defense of the Small Brewing Industry Award. The award is named for the late F.X. Matt, president of the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, N.Y., from 1980-1989, and a tireless and outspoken champion for the small brewing industry. Bristow was nominated by numerous South Carolina brewers as an individual who has given aid and support to the causes of small, independent brewers, and by doing so has supported the Brewers Association’s goal of vigorously defending the craft beer industry. Bristow was then selected by the Board of Directors of the Brewers Association as being deserving of the honor for his pro bono work in his law practice in helping the South Carolina Brewers Guild pass two monumental pieces of legislation that have moved South Carolina into a new era of growth for craft beer – the 2013 Pint Law and the 2014 Stone Law. The Brewers Guild recently announced that the Pint Law has already created a $13.7 million economic boon for South Carolina, and will result in nearly $71 million in additional impact plus hundreds of jobs. Past recipients of the award include Steve Hindy of The Brooklyn Brewery, Tom McCormick of the California Craft Brewers Association, and John Carlson of the Colorado Brewers Guild.
Bristow accepted the award in front of 11,000 industry representatives at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland last week. Bristow commented “To receive this award is truly an honor and goes to show how far South Carolina has come in the craft beer industry. And that’s not just due to my work, but to the work of so many brewers, legislators, and craft beer enthusiasts that just wanted to help their communities grow. This award is for all of us.”