Beer Media Kit

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Oregon Brewers Guild

History

In the early 1990s several local brewers met informally to discuss common issues, problems and opportunities. This group evolved into the Oregon Brewers Guild. Established in 1992, the Oregon Brewers Guild is a dynamic trade organization that represents the state's craft breweries. Its mission is to support the marketing and promotional efforts of Oregon's breweries by educating beer enthusiasts about Oregon's indigenous craft beers. The guild is also very involved with lobbying and legislative work.

The guild publishes the Oregon Brewpub Guide, a resource for beer enthusiasts. In addition, the Oregon Brewers Guild maintains a website that offers brewery and brewpub descriptions, information on the styles of beer produced, and maps and directions to the many establishments. Visit the website at www.oregonbeer.org.

Oregon Brewers Guild
503.288.BREW (2739)
info@oregonbeer.org
www.oregonbeer.org

Members

The Oregon Brewers Guild represents 41 of the state's 69 craft breweries. The guild's brewery members are a diverse collection of breweries, from small brewers whose beer is only distributed in bottles to regional craft brewers whose beer is kegged and available in 26 states, Mexico, Canada, Great Britain and Japan.

To become a brewery member of the Oregon Brewers Guild, a brewer must own an actual brewing facility in Oregon. Currently, the guild's largest member is Widmer Brothers Brewing Company, which produces nearly 200,000 barrels of beer each year.

The Oregon Brewers Guild also offers associate memberships for professional service organizations affiliated with Oregon brewers, including distributors, exporters, and suppliers of equipment, malts and hops; retail memberships for pubs, restaurants and stores that sell Oregon craft beer; and "enthusiastic" memberships to lovers of Oregon beer.

Focal Points

• Non-Oregon brewers are increasingly labeling their products "Oregon-style" or using Oregon in the names of their brews, causing confusion among consumers as to which beers are true Oregon craft brews. For clarification, the Oregon Brewers Guild has created the "Quality & Integrity Mark." Guild members now use this logo on six-pack packaging to assure consumers that their products are authentic, high-quality Oregon craft brews. (See also "Story Ideas" section.)
• Teaming up with Oregon's tourism industry, the Oregon Brewers Guild has drawn national and international attention to the state, which has become known as "Beervana." The popularity of the area's craft beer scene can be traced to the accessibility of its brewpubs (in the Portland area, you're never more than 10-15 minutes from a brewpub), as well as the variety of beer styles produced from local top-of-the-line ingredients.
• Legislation is a primary concern of the Oregon Brewers Guild. In 1997, the guild helped defeat legislation that would have resulted in a 600 percent increase in excise taxes on the industry. The guild also helped amend Oregon laws that require small brewpubs (formerly, those whose production capacity was less than 500 barrels) to join a distribution network in order to sell their beers outside their establishments. The self-distribution legislation was passed in 1999 and took effect in 2001. In 2003, with the guild's help, the production limit for self-distribution was doubled to 1,000 barrels.