America’s 3,300 licensed beer distributors will celebrate the excitement that craft beer brings to the beer industry during American Craft Beer Week, May 13-19, 2013, a national celebration highlighting the culture and contributions of craft beer and the 2,400 craft breweries across the United States.
“It’s hard to believe that there were only 40 some breweries in the U.S. in the 1980s, and yet today there are 2,400! America’s beer distributors are proud to partner with America’s craft brewers and serve as the vehicle to market for their brands,” said Craig Purser, president & CEO of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA). “Because of today’s effective system of alcohol distribution, American consumers have the greatest choice and variety of beer available in the world.”
“American Craft Beer Week is a great opportunity to recognize the unparalleled number of styles, varieties and flavors of beer –13,000 different labels – available in the marketplace today. This diversity is due in large part to the effectiveness of the American system of state-based alcohol regulation which provides a level playing field for brewers working to grow and get established,” continued Purser. “American Craft Beer Week is also a great time to nominate a beer distributor for the Seventh Annual Craft Beer Distributor of the Year Award, which honors the beer distributor that does the most to market, promote and sell craft beer.”
NBWA and the Brewers Association will jointly present the Craft Beer Distributor of the Year Award on October 12, 2013, at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. In addition to the Craft Beer Distributor of the Year Award, a Craft Beer Distributor Achievement Award (first runner-up) and a Craft Beer Distributor Recognition Award (second runner-up) will be presented. Nominations must be submitted by August 23, 2013.
