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Illustration: Manuel Aguilar
“Thirty years ago, who would believe that we’d all be here together, doing
what we do … legally,” Charlie Papazian told a group of Utah brewers
and brewery owners at Squatter’s Pub on April 12. Papazian, who is often
considered one of the founders of the current craft beer movement, visited
the brewpub to talk about the benefits (and challenges) of forming a
brewers guild. In addition to founding the Great American Beer Festival, The
Homebrewers Association and The Association of Brewers, Papazian is the
current president of the Brewers Association. He is also the author of The
Complete Joy of Homebrewing and The Homebrewer’s Companion. One
of the functions of the Brewers Association is to provide the information
necessary to start a state guild or association. Brewersassociation.com
currently has 37 state brewer’s associations listed on their website.
“I think we have a great opportunity. It’s time to form a brewers guild. Let’s
organize now,” Uinta’s president, Will Hammil told the excited group of
brewers and brewery owners after Papazian’s speech. “I would second that.
I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time,” said head brewer at Squatters,
Jenny Talley.
Although the reality of a brewers guild forming in Utah is far in the future,
the meeting was meant to get the gears moving in the heads of local beer
makers. As Papazian noted, the biggest challenge of starting a state guild is
the fact that all Utah breweries are in competition with one another. Although
competition within the industry can be a concern, ultimately, brewers guilds
can help breweries work together toward a common goal. Papazian noted
that the ultimate goal of a guild should be to sell Utah beer, a goal that local
beer drinkers will take pride in.
From there, Papazian outlined all of the benefits that forming a guild in
Utah could produce. One of the most obvious was that a guild creates one
strong voice for the state’s entire brewing community—something that is
particularly important when the Utah Legislature attempts to change laws
that could harm local breweries (like the passage of SB 314, which outlaws
the sale of mini kegs like the Little Chubby). “Legislatures want one idea,”
Papazian told the crowd made up of folks from the Utah beer industry. “If
there is a single idea, it is easier to protect what you have.”
Local beer makers and brewery owners seem excited about the possibility
but realize that forming a guild isn’t an overnight process. Talley notes
that they are in such an early stage that it is hard to say if a Utah brewers
guild would even have a political agenda. “If that is something people are
interested in having, then yes, we will have more of a political agenda, but
right now, it’s to early to say if that will even happen,” she says.
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