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Beer guild promotes Arizona’s independent craft brewers

FROM FESTIVALS FILLED with Arizona beers, local drafts at most restaurants and bars, and brewery-run taprooms around the state, it’s easy to take Arizona’s reputation as a craft beer state for granted. But behind the scenes, a nonprofit organization has been helping our craft beer trade succeed for nearly 25 years.

Established in 1998 when there were only 18 breweries in the state, the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild took on the mission to “work in partnership with independent breweries to promote the virtues and raise the profile of Arizona’s locally crafted beers.”

Today, Arizona’s breweries top more than 100 and the once volunteer-run Guild now has a small staff that does everything from event planning to legislative advocacy and industry outreach.

Andrew Bauman, deputy director of the Guild, explains that while the scope of Arizona’s craft beer trade has grown, the Guild’s mission remains the same.

“It was the same as it is now—to make sure that the legislative needs are being paid attention to and that we are promoting craft beer in Arizona,” he says.

As a 501(c)(6) organization, the Guild represents its members on legislative issues that include updating laws for modern consumer demands—like expanding packaging definitions that used to limit take-away growlers to glass containers—and advocating for new products and business models that can help brewers diversify.

But to the general public, the Guild is probably best known for the festivals it runs, like the Strong Beer Fest in Phoenix; the Baja Beer Festival in Tucson; and Arizona Beer Week with 10 days of beer-focused events throughout Arizona. Bauman says these events showcase what Arizona brewers are creating.

“With so many of [our breweries] being a taproom model and not into distribution so much, it’s hard to get a complete view of what they are doing,” he explains. “When you go to festivals, you learn a lot more. Breweries will bring their favorite beers and share that with people. So that’s where you can get the best idea of what’s going on.”

And there’s a lot going on.

Arizona brewers recently brought home three medals from the pinnacle of craft brewing awards, the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Gold medals went to Wren House Brewing for its Oktoberfest and Oro Brewing Company for its coffee beer. Saddle Mountain Brewing took home a Bronze for its Scottish ale that Bauman says wins nearly every time it’s entered.

“It’s incredible consistency to be able to beat the entire country—or in World Beer Cup, the entire world—in the category of Scottish ale,” he says. “…it’s pretty cool!”

Closer to home, a bevy of brewers took top honors at the inaugural Arizona Craft Beer Awards & Festival, held in September. More than 40 Arizona breweries submitted entries in 14 categories ranging from best IPA to best specialty to best packaging. Taking home top honors in Best in Show was PHX Beer Co. for their Monsoon IPA, which also took Gold in the American IPA category.

The festival continues to create a bridge between training, education and good fun. As part of the award process, the Guild trained judges to GABF standards and gave them an opportunity to judge at a professional level. It also created an opportunity for the public to try many of the award-winners brews for themselves.

Where festivals educate the public about craft beer and build pride in Arizona’s breweries, the annual Arizona Brewers Conference organized by the Guild offers educational and technical tracks designed to help members improve the overall quality and business of beer making.

“There’s a lot that goes into any business, and breweries are exactly like it,” Bauman explains. “You have to sell, you have to manage your taxes, you have HR, you have liability issues. So, in addition to the technical skills required for brewing, we have educational tracks on all those things, as well.”

Bauman says Arizona’s craft beer community isn’t slowing down. According to the national Brewers Association, the state ranks 40th in the number of breweries per capita. This room for growth in the state continues to attract new breweries that are adding diversity to the industry.

“It went from being a little niche thing to, ‘Yeah, we can do this.’ And once that happens, you naturally see a wider range of people choosing to get into the business,” he says. “We can add that, yes, there is great opportunity in Arizona. So, choosing to do that here makes a lot of sense.” Angela

N THE MIDDLE OF the Tohono O’odham Nation Indian community, approximately nine miles south of downtown Tucson, stands a centuriesold Catholic mission that continues to be a sanctuary of faith and service to the local community: San Xavier del Bac.

The mission is also a pilgrimage site for more than 200,000 visitors each year who are drawn to San Xavier del Bac’s historical religious roots as well as its notable 18th-century architecture, traveling from around the world to observe its legacy.

San Xavier del Bac was established in 1692 by Jesuit priest Eusebio Francisco Kino on land that, at the time, belonged to New Spain. It was named for Francis Xavier, a Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit order) in Europe. In addition to being a missionary, Father Kino also was a geographer, cartographer and astronomer, and closed due to a decrease in enrollment and staffing.

Despite its popularity as a tourist destination, the mission remains dedicated to its original purpose of serving the religious needs of local residents, operating as a parish for community members to attend mass, weddings, baptisms and other special occasions.

“The benevolent Father Francisco Eusebio Kino founded San Xavier del Bac Mission to serve the Tohono O’odham community, Tucson’s original inhabitants. Visitors can step through its doors to explore the mission’s campus and get a firsthand glimpse into the architectural, historical and religious significance of this place, situated in the Tohono O’odham village of Wa:k,” says Aguilar.