Brewers Association

The Michigan Brewers’ Association ran ads in newspapers throughout Michigan during the 1950’s. The example to the right is one such advertisement that happens to feature Sebewaing’s own Wildfowl Bay. These ads appeared in the Sebewaing Blade. This particular ad was found in the Saline Observer October 8, 1953. I am sure it appeared in the Sebewaing Blade around the same time.

Listed in these ads throughout the 1950’s were these six Michigan breweries:

Altes Brewing Company
Frankenmuth Brewing Company
Goebel Brewing Company
Pfeiffer Brewing Company
Sebewaing Brewing Company
Strohs Brewing Company

The Brewers Association today is very active and is a heavy supporter of the microbrewery industry. The orgnaization’s history timeline is below.

1942 – The Small Brewers Committee, a precursor to the Brewers Association of America first meets at Palmer House in Chicago to discuss raw materials supply and other common issues of small brewers. One early issue the committee fought for was supplies of tin for crowns to seal beer bottles.

1976 – The Brewers Association of America secures a small brewers tax differential on the first 60,000 barrels for brewers under 2 million barrels per year.

1978 – Charlie Papazian and Charlie Matzen form the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) in Boulder, Colo., with the publication of the first issue of Zymurgy magazine, announcing the new organization, publicizing the federal legalization of homebrewing and calling for entries in the first AHA National Homebrew Competition.

1982 – The Great American Beer Festival® debuts at the Harvest House in Boulder, Colo.

1983 – The Association of Brewers is organized to include the American Homebrewers Association and the Institute for Brewing and Fermentation Studies to assist the emerging microbrewery movement in US.

2005 – The Association of Brewers and the Brewers’ Association of America merge to form the Brewers Association.

2009 – 1,595 American craft brewers produce just under 9.1 million barrels of beer, as craft brewers continue steady growth and beer drinkers turn toward more flavorful craft brewed beers from small and independent breweries.

2011 – Excise tax recalibration companion bills S. 534 and H.R. 1236 are introduced to Congress. The number of operating U.S. brewery climbs to 1,989 for the calender year.

2012 – Brewers Association history is summarized by BA Board of Directors and BA Staff (listen to audio here)

2013 – Craft breweries continue to open at a rate of more that one per day.