Arizona Brewers Guild with Andrew Bauman
Episode Overview
Host Chris is joined by Andrew Bauman, Executive Director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild, to explore the state's vibrant beer scene, legislative wins, and partnerships that strengthens members long-term success.
Want to learn more about the thriving Arizona craft beer scene, inquire about a retail license allied member category, visit their official website chooseazbrews.com
-Music Credit-
Neon Drive by Punch Deck | www.soundcloud.com/punch-deck
Music promoted by | www.free-stock-music.com
Unlocking the Grand Canyon State's Craft Beer Boom:
An Interview with Andrew Bauman, tHE eXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT acbg
Welcome to a virtual road trip on the Get Hoptimized podcast, where host Chris chats with Andrew Bauman, Executive Director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild (ACBG), to explore the state's vibrant beer scene, legislative wins, and a business model that's driving growth despite national closures.
Andrew Bauman joins us today, but he isn't calling in from a sterile corporate office. He's speaking from the clubhouse of the Arizona Society of Homebrewers (ASH). As Andrew shares, ASH was recently named the AHA Club of the Year for 2025, and they have been incredibly generous, providing the Arizona Brewers Guild with storage space and an office for Andrew. This partnership is a perfect symbol of the tight-knit craft beer community Andrew works to support.
Andrew, who holds a degree in restaurant hotel management, started his journey in the industry by homebrewing 180 batches in two and a half years and was an "early adopter" using QR codes on his bottle caps back in 2010 to gather feedback. His career path moved from being the head brewer at The Perch and working at Uncle Bears before he took over the Executive Director role at the ACBG about a year and a half ago.
The Unique Landscape of Arizona Beer
Arizona is a geographically diverse state, featuring all of America’s environmental regions from sub-desert up to alpine, making Flagstaff one of the snowiest cities in the country. While the majority of breweries and population are centered in Phoenix, the scene is state-wide and dynamic:
Tucson has 24 breweries, three of which rank in the top five for production in the state.
Flagstaff currently has eight brewery locations and actively partners with the city and Chamber of Commerce to promote Beer Week.
The Guild tackles the geographical spread and the huge diversity of business models (from husband-and-wife taprooms like 8-bit Brewing to large facilities like Saddle Mountain Brewing) by rotating quarterly meetings across the state and conducting regional "micro meetings" in remote areas like Bisby and Havsu.
Why Arizona is Avoiding the Closure Trend
Arizona’s breweries benefit from a uniquely favorable legislative and policy atmosphere, allowing them to navigate challenging times by focusing on a taproom-first model.
The current regulations are key:
Multiple Licenses: Microbrewery license holders can hold up to seven licenses, allowing them to concentrate on local operations and taproom sales over massive distribution.
Diversity of Offerings: Licenses can be stacked. For instance, a microbrewery license can be combined with a restaurant license (requiring 40% food sales) to serve wine and spirits.
Collaboration Support: Licensees can bring in up to 20% of other microbrew beer, which is critical for serving collaboration brews made at different facilities.
This "close to home type of brewery" approach is viewed as a blessing for the industry, and the proof is in the growth. Andrew noted a significant amount of expansion and new openings, including:
New Breweries: Hopsology (Phoenix), Heavy Metal Brewing (Bullhead City), Retrograde Brewing (Safford), and Beeline Brewing (Tempe).
Growth in Multi-Location Footprints: The Shop, Greenwood Brewing (opening in Chandler and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport), Phantom Fox, and Oso Brewing Company are all adding new locations.
Legislative Efforts: From Local to Federal
The ACBG was instrumental in a comprehensive legislative reform about 10 years ago that secured many rights for microbreweries, including the ability to sell growlers and kegs directly to the public. Even with a distribution agreement, breweries can still retain self-distribution capabilities up to 1,500 barrels (3,000 if not signed).
The Guild is currently working on new goals:
State Level:
Equalizing the state’s maximum ABV for cider from 7% to 8.5% to match federal requirements.
Future efforts to allow microbrewery licenses to serve Arizona wine and spirits.
Federal Level (Hill Climb):
Beer of Barnes: A federal excise tax credit for donating spent grain to farmers for feed.
USPS Shipping Equality Act: Seeking to allow the USPS to ship beer to consumers, which would pressure FedEx and UPS to enter the market.
Credit Card Competition Act: A bill to break the "monopoly of two" in credit card processing, which could save brewers significant money (one member organization paid over $975,000 in fees last year).
Upcoming Events and Community Focus
Andrew notes that the ACBG focuses on fostering community, seeing the biggest mistake in the THC beverage market as a failure to create guardrails that allow for social consumption, leading to isolation. Beer, in contrast, brings people together.
To experience the community, look for these upcoming ACBG events:
Baja Beerfest (Likely May): A Tucson event being reimagined to tie into the local food scene, highlighting Tucson as a United Nations City of Gastronomy.
Real Wild and Woody Beerfest (June): Held in Flagstaff, this specialized event focuses on cask ales and barrel-aged beers and is a favorite for beer enthusiasts looking to escape the Phoenix heat.
Arizona Craft Beer Awards competition and festival (September/October).
Arizona Barrels, Bottles, and Brews (November).
Connect with the Arizona Craft Beer Scene
Want to learn more about the thriving Arizona craft beer scene, inquire about a retail license allied member category, or see how Andrew and the Guild are fighting for brewers across the state? Visit the official website chooseazbrews.com
