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Friday, March 19, 2010

Brewers Association Board Members for 2010

The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America's small and independent brewers, is pleased to announce its 2010 board of directors. Following member elections last fall, the Brewers Association seated the following new officers: Nick Matt of Matt Brewing Company as Chair; Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery as Vice Chair; and Mark Edelson of Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant as Secretary/Treasurer. Richard Doyle of Harpoon Brewery is Past Board Chair.

Hmmmm... All East Coast brewers. Are they the only ones who want to do the work? Are they the only ones with the time? Or were they just not at the nominating meeting?

Congratulations the the new Board! 

4 comments:

Bart said...

Another jab against the beer mecca known as the west coast. Lew, exactly what does the brewers association do ? The website looks neat, but it seems like a lobbying outfit( I'm probably wrong on this point). I think California brewers are too busy expanding their businesses and running breweries that produce stuff people and beer judges can't get enough of. We really don't have to fight for the right to sell beer in grocery stores. I think we'll keep drinking our award winning beers and surfin' Cheers !

Lew Bryson said...

Bart, I was being facetious. I realize it doesn't always come across in a character-based medium. No hassle, fella, I'm happy drinking beer on either coast, and the places in-between.

The BA runs the machine that puts out the medals that you guys wave around like surrogate wieners, so I wouldn't diss them too much. They're an industry group, and they do a lot of lobbying...is lobbying for craft brewers such a bad thing? Most brewers are pretty happy with the job the BA's doing. The board has been East Coast heavy for as long as I can remember; might be for as simple a reason as them being closer to DC.

Anonymous said...

MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch are members of the BA. How does that work "to promote and protect small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts"? I guess they're much nicer than most craft drinkers give them credit for?

Lew Bryson said...

Actually, they probably are. Contributions from the big brewers help fund a lot of the Great American Beer Festival (which unarguably helps craft brewers a lot more than the big brewers), and the small brewer carve-out included in the 1991 federal beer tax increase was because of big brewer lobbying (that was in their interests -- its complicated -- but the benefit to small brewers was clear). No question they compete, and try to beat the crafts when they can, but...that's business, just like it is when some craft brewers beat up and denigrate the big brewers' beers at every chance. It is the "Brewers" Association, after all.