A COVID-19 American Craft Beer Week

American Craft Beer Week (May 11-17) is the annual nationwide celebration of small and independent U.S. craft breweries. Join the celebration and support independent brewery businesses by giving the gift of craft beer through delivery of beer, beer-to-go, gift cards or merchandise, CraftBeer.com


In more joyous times, American Craft Beer Week would entail various celebrations at beer bars, restaurants, and breweries with consumers able to sample a wide array of craft-brewed beer. That was before COVID-19 and the nationwide shutdown that has disabled, not only craft breweries, but also the restaurants and retail outlets which were once strong outlets of the craft beer supply chain.

The Brewers Association (BA) is the membership organization dedicated to promoting and protecting small and independent craft brewers in the United States. The BA defines a craft brewer as small, traditional, and independent -- features which make these establishments particularly vulnerable during this pandemic. Many of these small brewers rely completely on tasting room sales and do not have the distribution arrangements for a wider audience. They are also independent and not partly or wholly owned by large conglomerates that have the cash reserve or financial ties to weather the crisis.

In normal economic times, there is creative destruction within the industry where a certain number of breweries will open and a smaller number closing their doors. However, with challenging profit margins, even in the best of times, many of our favorite breweries may not survive without our focused assistance. CraftBeer.com has published a Nationwide List of To-Go Beer Options by Breweries and for this week (and beyond) are asking consumers for their support. If you are ill or an at-risk individual, you should avoid going out, but consider purchasing a gift card or searching for local breweries providing delivery services. If you are healthy, take advantage of curbside beer service.  With our help craft breweries will ride this, and any future, COVID-19 storms.

Follow: #GiveCraftBeer and #SeekTheSeal



Update:

American Craft Beer Week® 2013: Toasts the Red, White and Brew

Now that Savor has moved to NYC, American Craft Beer Week® is my favorite time to celebrate craft beer.And now that I'm a member of the Brewer's Association I need to spread the gospel. So make plans for May 13-19, I may be heading to Frederick, Maryland for the Brewers Association of MD "Maryland Craft Beer Festival".

Celebrations Expected in All 50 States from May 13-19

Boulder, CO • April 25, 2013—From May 13-19, craft beer connoisseurs and beginners alike will come together for the eighth annual celebration of American Craft Beer Week (ACBW). With the tagline “Big Week, Small Breweries,” ACBW is an opportunity to toast the more than 2,400 small and independent American craft brewers who continue to make the U.S. the world’s most diverse brewing destination. Once again, ACBW celebrations are expected to be held across all 50 states.

“The popularity of American Craft Beer Week is indicative of the craft beer renaissance that continues to captivate the U.S.,” said Julia Herz, publisher of CraftBeer.com and craft beer program director at the Brewers Association. “This week is about uniting for a common cause: support and celebration of our nation’s small and independent brewers and the millions of beer lovers who have helped evolve an industry and put the U.S. on the brewing map.”

New for 2013 is the American Craft Beer Week Coast to Coast Toast. For the first time ever, ACBW will be commemorated by a simultaneous toast. At 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, May 16, small brewers and craft beer lovers nationwide will raise a glass of their favorite craft brewed beer to toast ACBW and the delicious beer that it celebrates. To find a toast location near you, visit the official American Craft Beer Week events page, hosted by CraftBeer.com.

Untappd, the mobile-based social network that connects breweries with craft beer lovers, is also offering an American Craft Beer Week Badge for users who check-in during ACBW events.

Additionally, craft beer fans from across the country can sign the American Craft Beer Week Manifesto, pledging their support to craft beer and their love for “the artisans who approach their craft with originality, dedication and passion.” From tap takeovers and tasting tours to food pairings and festivals, ACBW will be celebrated in many ways across the U.S. To find a local celebration, event or promotion, visit the above-mentioned ACBW events page.  A selection of scheduled 2013 celebrations includes:

American Craft Beer Week National Toast

Coast to Coast Toast to Craft Beer w/Stone Brewing Co.; Westerly, RI

ACBW Coast to Coast Toast at Iron Horse Taproom; Washington, D.C.

American Craft Beer Week Toast at Howells & Hood; Chicago, IL
Coast to Coast Toast to Boulder’s Craft Beer Phenomenon; Boulder, CO

Craft Breweries

Gritty McDuff’s Brewpub 25^th Anniversary Celebration; Portland, ME

Mayflower Brewing Company 4^th Annual Open House; Plymouth, MA

Anaheim Brewery Founder’s Day; Anaheim, CA

5^th Annual Short’s to Short’s Paddle; Bellaire, MI

Meet the Brewers of the San Francisco Brewers Guild; San Francisco, CA

Rahr & Sons Summertime Wheat Glass Night; Dallas, TX
Right Brain Brewery - ACBW Firkin’ Friday; Traverse City, MI

Craft Beer Festivals
3rd Annual Ameri-CAN Canned Craft Beer Festival; Scottsdale, AZ

HopFest Kansas City 2013; Kansas City, MO

Brewers Association of MD "Maryland Craft Beer Festival"; Frederick, MD

2013 Wort Transformation Awards Ceremony; Papillion, NE

Third Annual Brews with Attitude Craft Beer Festival; Tampa, FL
Third EVER Mother’s Day Festival; Springfield, MO
Wheatstock; Lincoln Park, MI

Food and Beer Events
American Craft Beer Week – Spokane Style!; Spokane, WA

4 Course Dinner and Pairing Featuring Uinta Brewing Co.; Salt Lake City, UT
Elevation Beer Co. - Chef vs. Chef; Louisville, COKnee Deep Beer Dinner at 775 Gastropub; Reno, NV
Beer & Cheese Tasting with Teton Valley Creamery and 460 Bread; Victor, ID

Craft Beer Tastings and Tours
Brewery Rickoli American Craft Beer Week Releases; Wheat Ridge, CO
Crow Peak Night at the Ale House; Rapid City, SD
Old Chicago Tap Takeover featuring Odell Brewing Co.; All Colorado Locations
Roughtail Oaked Imperial Black Rye Ale Release at Tapwerks; Oklahoma City, OK
Shmaltz Brewing Media Ribbon Cutting Ceremony; Clifton Park, NY

Portsmouth Brewery – Brewing with Botanicals; Portsmouth, NH

State and Regional Beer Weeks Also Happening During ACBW
Chicago Craft Beer Week

Frederick Beer Week (MD)
Lexington Craft Beer Week (KY)

Long Island Craft Beer Week

San Antonio Beer Week

Santa Ynez Valley Beer Month (CA)

Seattle Beer Week

Session Beer Month

Find an expanded list of U.S. beer weeks and join the conversation on Twitter with #ACBW.

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About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup^®, Great American Beer Festival^®, Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America^®, SAVOR℠: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week^®. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today's craft brewers and homebrewers.

Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA's American Homebrewers Association. Follow us on Twitter.

The Brewers Association is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/familial status. The BA complies with provisions of Executive Order 11246 and the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor.

MyJoogTV Episode 13 features Starr Hill Brewery's Monticello Reserve Ale

MyJoogTV.com just released a video featuring Starr Hill Brewing's Monticello Reserve Ale. This is the official beer of Monticello and brewed using ingredients Thomas Jefferson likely used two centuries ago. Whereas Jefferson is well known for his attempts to cultivate wine grapes, he was also an avid brewer. However he never used a preset recipe and instead, each year brewed beer based on that year's harvest. He also didn't grow barley, but grew wheat and corn instead. These are the main ingredients to the Monticello Reserve Ale as well as East Kent Goldings hops, which may have been available during Colonial times. We highly recommend this beer - nice citrus flavors with a touch of sweetness balanced with smooth mellow finish. Cheers.

American Craft Beer Week Feature: Port City Brewing

We started a little Wednesday tradition at the day job, sort of a team building exercise, by sharing a growler of craft beer. Our first brew was crafted locally in nearby Alexandria by Port City Brewing Company; the unfiltered Belgian Wit Bier: Optimal Wit. This beer is brewed with raw wheat and oats, and steeped with coriander, orange peel and grains of paradise. This is a classic Wit, refreshing with loads of mouthfeel and a nice balanced finished. Nice to see good beer produced immediately from a start-up.

For Port City is an infant, opening Super Bowl weekend of this year. And yet its presence is felt throughout the year thanks to owner, Bill Butcher's , contacts within the distribution system. Before opening Port City Bill was managing sales and distribution for Robert Mondavi Winery and Folio Fine Wine Partner. He leveraged contacts made from those endehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifavors to have Port City brews available throughout the Washington D.C. Metro area. Now its up to brewer, Johnathan Reeves formerly of Sweetwater Tavern), to keep the distribution in place based on the beers' quality - not from old contacts. Besides the Wit, he crafts an Essential Pale Ale, Monumental IPA, and Porter. The last is actually my favorite from the portfolio, smooth with toffee flavors and a slight bitter finish. Very nice.

Port City is open Friday nights and weekends for tours so plan a visit during American Craft Beer Week. On these occasions, Bill or a staff member guides visitors on a brewery tour and possibly a tasting from one of the fermenting tanks. Be sure to see the proprietary Hop Blaster that sends hops flying into the fermenting tanks whenever dry hopping is required.

American Craft Beer Week: OnTap Kickoff Party

With the start of American Craft Beer Week, On Tap Magazine hosted a kickoff party at the Arlington Rooftop Bar. Since the day job is located right across the street and that several big name craft brewers were in attendance, this was a no brainer. The best part of functions like this was not only drinking great craft beer, but interacting with representatives of each brewery. Before last night I didn't know that Saranac Brewery (Utica NY) is the second oldest family owned brewery in the United States - easy guess which is the oldest. And the brewery offers a concert series with major national acts: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Michael Franti and Spearhead,Umphrey's McGee, & Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Wow, these are big name musicians. And during the summer, Saranac hosts local artists on Thursday nights.

Speaking of music, Highland Brewing Company (Asheville, NC) just opened a music venue where they will be hosting live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Gaelic Ale and live music; that's a nice pairing. Our friends from Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD) were also in the house and we learned of several new seasonals and partnerships as well as their 25th Anniversary parties planned for this summer. That's parties in that they will be traveling though out the DC Metro area hosting events to celebrate the occasion. We hope to have these events posted on Wine-Compass in early summer.

And finally, we spent some time with Alex from Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY). Over an Ommegang BPA - Belgium Pale Ale - we discussed their live music ventures as well as the specialty release: Gnomegang. This is a blonde ale created by a partnership between Brewery Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe. It is made with five malts, two noble hops, and both of the distinctive Chouffe and Ommegang yeasts. I'll be out this weekend looking for this one.