1. Guild Activities

Is Arkansas the Craft Beer Frontier?

Link to article ABG
Link to author biography

Acacia serves as Brewers Guilds Manager on the Brewers Association Government Affairs team. Acacia's focus is on supporting organizational development of small non-profit U.S. state and regional brewers trade associations (also known as brewers guilds). Currently based out of Missoula, Montana, Acacia’s roles include crisscrossing the country participating in guild member and board meetings, climbing Capitol Hill, contributing to various national and international beer conferences, attending association management and regulatory conferences, and of course, reveling at beer festivals nation-wide.

See Acacia Coast's Articles
Share Post

Founded in 2003, the Arkansas Brewers Guild (ABG) now has 22 members (out of about 28 total breweries in the state). Every Arkansas state representative has a brewery in their district, which certainly helped the guild have a successful legislative year! The alcohol laws are some of the most progressive in the south, and clearly the state representatives support small brewery businesses.

I had opportunity to visit with the ABG for their board and member meeting held at New Province Brewing Co. in Rogers. Guild President Jonathan Martin of Bubba’s Brew works alongside a group of eight other volunteer board members—all selfless entrepreneurs shepherding the state’s brewing industry landscape.

Despite not having any paid staff, the ABG manages to participate in four festivals and four tap takeovers each year. In order to hire staff and continue the guild’s momentum, ABG is moving to take advantage of the Brewers Association’s cooperative Director Grant Program.

During the ABG member meeting, Martin provided an update federal initiatives, as he and Fossil Cove Brewing Co.’s Andrew Blann (ABG Treasurer) participated in the BA’s Hill climb in April. Well informed and encouraging, Martin urged brewery owners to get involved and stay united.

The state legislative session closed in April. The guild employs a part time lobbyist, who serves as the eyes and ears of the guild at the state capital. Multiple beer-related bills, including an omnibus bill, flowed through the session, and everything that passed was positive for the state’s brewers–not always customary in this current landscape. With multiple representatives that are truly small brewery champions, the Arkansas brewers are well regarded in Little Rock.

Guild Board Member Evan McDonald, co-founder of Apple Blossom Brewing, says all progress has been made with pro-small business representatives by demonstrating the local beer industry’s economic impact, provided by the Brewers Association. Arkansas brewers produced over 35,000 barrels, ranking 44th in production and 39th for economic impact in the country.

(MORE: Find your state’s stats on BrewersAssociation.org Statistics page.)

With the session closed, and the next session not until 2019, the ABG celebrates 15 years with a renewed focus on membership engagement, event organizing, and organizational development. Keep your eye on this thirsty beer-friendly “Bear State,” as the frontier of craft beer may be here.