Letter to the Editor

Modern Brewery Age, March 29, 2004 by Charlie Papazian

Dear Editor,

Your editorial, "Voice of the Brewers" in the January 26 edition of Modern Brewery Age magazine was quite thought provoking and I believe contained a frustration with issues that we at the Association of Brewers have been involved with for quite some time.

The Association of Brewers is not your typical industry association and tagging us as an educational association rather than a trade association does not quite present the entire picture of what we do. In 1998 we were chosen by the IRS to be audited. After the audit the IRS ruled that we had evolved into an organization that behaved and offered services to our members that fit the category of a "trade association." Our federal tax exempt status changed from "charitable" to "trade association." This ruling turned out favorable for us and afforded the Association of Brewers several more opportunities to offer services to our members.

As you know the craft brewing industry has dramatically changed since our beginnings in 1978. We realized in the mid 1990s that our services needed to shift from assisting a "start-up" oriented industry to providing relevant services and programs for existing breweries who desired to improve and maintain quality, grow and address market issues.

This month our paid brewery membership has reached a record 662 operating large and small brewery operations. We regularly communicate with nearly 3,000 individuals involved in over 700 breweries and 160 allied trade companies. We also have an 8500 membership base of beer enthusiasts and homebrewers.

The Association of Brewers has a long record of successful legislative, political, technical, business, market development and educational activities throughout its history. Tagging the Association of Brewers simply as a trade and/or educational association is not enough of a descriptor. Successful businesses are an organism of many, essentially connected parts. The need to reach out and network with all of a company's components and sustain a relevant presence is essential. An association for craft brewers cannot afford (for itself nor its members) to focus on singularly related issues and expect to serve its constituency for the long term.

The Association of Brewers recognizes the need for a balanced agenda of issues that not only help protect and secure the craft beer industry, but also nurtures sustainable growth. Make no mistake about it we live in a world and work in a business of beer that must in absolutely every single way, develop the means to communicate a responsible mission to the consumer and be able to develop sustainable approaches to industry growth. We have seen fads come and go in the beverage world. I recognize that the Craft Beer Industry is a group of companies that must not lose sight of the short-term challenges, while committing to the long term of industry development and sustainable consumer choice.

Charlie Papazian

Founding President Association of Brewers

Boulder, Colorado, www.beertown.org.