Vermont craft brewers are one signature away from expanded self-distribution privileges. The state Senate approved a bill on May 21 that would allow malt beverage manufacturers to self-distribute up to 3,000 barrels of beer under their existing manufacturer licenses.
After a week of good (dare we say sunny?) vibes in Philadelphia, the Brewbound team regrouped to put a bow on the 2026 Craft Brewers Conference. Plus, a trio of Pennsylvania-centric interviews with Carbon Copy’s Brendon Boudwin, Brewers of PA’s Hannah Ison and Love City’s Kevin Walter.
To entice Canadian beer fans to cross the border for the 32nd annual Vermont Brewers Festival, the Vermont Brewers Association (VBA) has created at-par ticket pricing, which offers northern neighbors a discount on the exchange rate.
Three state guilds are kicking off 2025 with new leaders: the Brewers Guild of New Jersey, the Wisconsin Brewers Guild and the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild.
The California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) has appointed Kelsey McQuaid-Craig as the state trade group’s new executive director. McQuaid-Craig succeeds Lori Ajax, who announced plans to exit the role at the end of the year.
California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) executive director Lori Ajax will vacate the position at the end of 2024, the trade association representing California’s craft brewing industry shared Wednesday.
A pair of alcohol-adjacent bills have been introduced in the Colorado Legislature. One (SB24-181) seeks to create a tax on beverage-alcohol products distributed in the state to fund “alcohol and related substance use disorder prevention, early intervention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery services” across Colorado.
California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) board member Alicia Barr (5050 Brewing Co.) and former director Peter Hoey (Urban Roots Brewery) join the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the state of craft beer in California, the country’s largest craft market, in advance of the CCBA’s annual California Craft Beer Summit next week in Sacramento.
A new year brings the return of legislative sessions across the country and a new agenda for leaders of state brewers guilds. Texas Craft Brewers Guild executive director Caroline Wallace and Iowa Brewers Guild executive director Noreen Otto share their priorities in 2023, including advocating for direct-to-consumer sales, protecting existing privileges, working with wholesalers and much more.
Long-time Anheuser-Busch InBev marketing executive Andy Goeler will retire at the end of the year after a 43-year career with the world’s largest beer maker. Plus, leadership changes at Pabst, FIFCO USA, Orpheus and the Texas Craft Brewers Guild.
Mass. Bay Brewing Company and the Massachusetts Brewers Guild (MBG) have launched Hop Forward Equality, a website with resources and a job board with the goal of creating a more diverse and equitable industry and consumer base for Bay State breweries. “We have to ask ourselves why, and we have to do a better job truly encompassing and embracing our communities,” MBG executive director Katie Stinchon said in a press release.
Newly named Massachusetts Brewers Guild’s president Sam Hendler wants to finally resolve the contentious franchise reform debate with the state’s wholesalers. Hendler, a co-founder and co-owner of Framingham, Massachusetts-based craft breweries Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers and the Springdale Beer Company, acknowledged that the franchise law reform effort has been dragging on long before he was of legal drinking age. “I was a high school senior when it started,” he told Brewbound.
The New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) issued a revised special ruling earlier this week aimed at limiting the number of annual events breweries can host in their taprooms. Under the ruling issued Tuesday, the ABC said the state’s craft breweries can hold up to 25 “special events,” 25 “social affairs,” and 52 “private parties” annually inside their taprooms. Additionally, breweries are now allowed to sell their beer at 12 events a year outside of their taprooms.
Ride-sharing service Lyft announced today a partnership with the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild. It’s just the latest in an ongoing effort by the San Francisco-headquartered, on-demand transportation company to focus on getting patrons to and from brewery taprooms by forming partnerships with state guilds across the country.
