CEO DATELINE - Maryland breweries sell beer to raise money for state association
CEO DATELINE - Maryland breweries sell beer to raise money for state association
- July 6, 2020 |
-
Walt Williams
At least eight Maryland breweries are releasing limited edition beers to raise money for the state brewers association, which took a financial hit after canceling its annual beer festival.
Consider joining CEO Update. Membership gives full access to the latest intelligence on association management, career advancement, compensation trends and networking events, as well as hundreds of listings for senior-level association jobs.
The Brewers Association of Maryland (BAM) was forced to cancel its annual fundraiser—the Maryland Craft Beer Festival—and other events because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year's festival showcased more than 50 state breweries and nearly 200 beers.
To help make up for lost revenue, Mike Clements, owner of Idiom Brewing Company in Frederick, Md., proposed an industry-wide effort to raise money for the association. So far eight breweries have agreed to release special "Brew for BAM" beers, with a portion of the proceeds going to the group.
"Following COVID-19, we saw that BAM was going lose a substantial amount of annual revenue from canceled consumer events," Clements said in a statement. "We thought we'd help to soften the blow by brewing a wonderful beer and contributing a portion of the proceeds to the work being done by the Brewers Association of Maryland. A lot of people know about BAM's events but we'd like beer drinkers to know how much the association does behind the scenes."
Breweries currently participating in the Brew for BAM fundraiser include 1812 Brewery (Cumberland), Full Tilt Brewing (Baltimore), Hysteria Brewing Company (Columbia), Idiom Brewing Company (Frederick), Mully's Brewery (Prince Frederick), Olde Mother Brewing Co. (Frederick), True Respite Brewing Company (Derwood), and Waredaca Brewing Company (Gaithersburg). Clements expects other breweries to sign on.
"On behalf of BAM and our board, we are humbled that our members continue to find ways to contribute to their association, even in the most trying times," said Sarah Healey, board president of the Brewers Association of Maryland and general manager at Milkhouse Brewery in Mt. Airy, Md.
MORE CEO DATELINE