Boulder, Colorado—The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent brewers, announced changes in management responsibilities for its top executives.

Bob Pease has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of the Brewers Association, from Vice President. Pease will have additional responsibilities in the area of personnel administration, and oversight in key operational areas such as finance and IT, with an enhanced role in government affairs.

Pease was hired in 1993 as the Operations Director. He was promoted to Vice President in 1999, and held that position for the last 11 years.

Charlie Papazian remains President and CEO with continued focus on Brewers Association stewardship, government affairs, beer community relations and serving as a beer ambassador. Papazian continues to act as the Association’s key liaison to its board of directors.

Papazian is the founder of the American Homebrewers Association and the Association of Brewers (subsequently merged into the Brewers Association), as well as the Great American Beer festival.

“Since 1978, I have enjoyed championing the best interest of craft brewers and craft beer. I have seen the beer community through many dramatic changes—changes that are ultimately serving the best interests of both beer drinkers and brewers,” Papazian said. “I feel fortunate to continue leading the organization with someone as loyal and dedicated to the beer community as Bob. It’s also a privilege to have the guidance of a group of people as dynamic and passionate as our board of directors. Continuing my involvement is like waking up each morning in a beer garden, knowing there’s always another round being served.”

“The Brewers Association has grown tremendously in the past few years; this restructuring addresses that growth by further empowering staff with the tools and responsibilities that will help us best serve our members,” Pease added. “I think I speak for both Charlie and myself in saying that we look forward to continued development of our ability to serve members and protect the interests of the broader beer and brewing community.”

Association Growth

The Association’s membership includes a variety of constituents. With 31 full-time employees and additional independent contract staff, the Brewers Association serves 1,395 Brewery Members, 170 Wholesalers, 297 Allied Trade Members and more than 20,000 American Homebrewers Association Members.

The craft beer industry itself is growing; in 2009, sales dollars increased 10.3 percent and volume  increased 7.2 percent over 2008.

Posted under beer news, press releases

Boulder, CO—The Brewers Association recently released its 2010 Beer Style Guidelines. Updated annually, the guidelines currently describe 140 styles of beer.

For 2010, American-style Imperial Porter, American-Style India Black Ale, Belgian-Style Quadrupel and Fruit Wheat Ale or Lager categories were added and defined, reflecting the emergence of these styles as popularly available in the U.S. and other beer-drinking countries.

Since 1979 the Brewers Association has provided beer style descriptions as a reference for brewers and beer competition organizers. The beer style guidelines developed by the Brewers Association use sources from the commercial brewing industry, beer analyses, and consultations with beer industry experts and knowledgeable beer enthusiasts as resources for information. Much of the early work was based on the assistance and contributions of beer journalist Michael Jackson.

“These guidelines help to illustrate the growth of craft brewers in the United States and also offer insight and a foundation for helping appreciate the hundreds of beer types brewed for the beer lover,” said Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association.

The style revisions and additional styles will be used as the basis for the 2010 Great American Beer Festival? competition. The 2010 Beer Style Guidelines are available for download in the Publications section of BrewersAssociation.org.

Posted under press releases

If you are a beer geek in the Pacific Northwest, you’d have to be living under a rock to not know the importance of July for craft beer in Oregon. For the fifth consecutive year, the Oregon Brewers Guild headed by Brian Butenschoen has organized a magnificent schedule of events to highlight the significance of craft brew in our great state. Butenschoen notes that the summer is undoubtedly the most successful month for craft brewers in the state. “It’s not surprising considering the weather here” says Butenschoen, who was on hand raffling off t-shirts and prizes at the Horse Brass Pub on the month’s kick off party. “(Craft beer) makes its peak in July and August. Since we started doing this five years ago, we’ve had a proclamation from the governor and mayor.” A parade of brewers kicks off the Oregon Brew Fest during the last weekend of July.  the inspiration was taken from the Brewers Association‘s American Craft Beer Week. For Butenschoen and others dedicated to promoting the craft that is so vital to Oregon’s economy July involves a lot of hard work but is also very much worth it. “It’s Craziness, but a good kind of crazy” he says. “The Brewer’s Dinner that kicks off the OBF is the closest thing to the brewers reception at the Great American Beer Fest. Lots of different specialty beers.” Butenschoen explains that the fest is really about the brewers. The dinner is a great way for industry people to gather in one spot in a great environment, Tom McCall Waterfront Park. “It’s more of a gathering than a sit down dinner” he says. “It’s nice to be on the river drinking good beer with friends.”

Each year, Oregon’s craft brew movement gathers momentum. More and more new breweries keep popping up across the state. Butenschoen says that from 2007 to 2008 Oregon has seen an 18% growth in barrelage during the month of July. That’s a whopping 10,000 barrels! According to Butenschoen, the success of craft beer on tap in the summer is quite significant. “About 85% of beer sold is sold in grocery stores” he says. “In Oregon, close to 40% of what is sold on tap is craft.” From a brewer’s perspective this makes the summer months a quintessential period for their livelihood.

Brian Butenschoen

Several publications around Oregon will feature big spreads on Craft Brewers Month including Portland, Bend, and Eugene. Across the state, several noteworthy event will be held to celebrate the impact of artisan brew for the culture and the economy.  For a comprehensive list of these events, go to the Oregon Brewers Guild website.

At the Horse Brass on July 1st, two hop randalls were installed to pump fresh hop nectar through from special kegs provided by Deschutes and Full Sail. Deschutes Cellar Door India Black Ale was marinated with whole nuggets, while Full Sail’s Grandsun of Spot Imperial IPA was enlivened by a randall full of sarache ace cones. Lots of other noteworthy brews graced the taps, including a delicious Pilsner from the guys at Double Mountain Brewing.

Posted under Oregon beer, beer events