Ohio Craft Brewers Association Fights for Advocacy in Franchise-Law State

Photography courtesy of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association

Ohio Craft Brewers Association Deputy Director Justin Hemminger probably sums it up the best, “Our state mission is to promote, preserve, diversify, and unify Ohio’s craft brewing industry.”

Hemminger says that the guild focuses on four pillars—political and regulatory advocacy, educational resources for members, networking opportunities between breweries and members of the industry such as suppliers, and events.

It’s a mission that has resonated with the 321 out of 421 breweries in the state that are currently members.

No matter the size.

Craft beer in Ohio encompasses everyone from Sam Adams to a guy brewing on a 1-bbl system in his garage,

Mary MacDonald - Executive Director - Ohio Craft Brewers Association

Together the OCBA has been like a rising tide lifting all boats for craft beer in Ohio.

“We punch above our weight limit,” says MacDonald. “We have a consistent record of winning medals from our largest breweries to our smallest breweries.”

According to MacDonald, Ohio breweries picked up fifteen medals at the World Beer Cup and eight at the Great American Beer Festival last year.

But beyond racking up medals, breweries in the OCBA have access to a ton of immeasurable benefits.

Photography courtesy of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association

According to the OCBA’s website, the benefits of being a brewery member include everything “from marketing and promoting Ohio Craft Beer and breweries to creating exceptional events starring our members, to lobbying on behalf of the craft brewing industry to protect your investment to fostering the camaraderie for which the craft beer community is renowned.”

Overall, the OCBA is working for its Ohio state breweries 24/7, 365 days out of the year.

First-year dues are $200 and increase to $500 annually after the first year for breweries producing 2,500 bbls or fewer per year. If you’re a brewery-in-planning, dues are $200/year.

With such a lofty overall mission, the OCBA has set its sights high in the new year.

Photography courtesy of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association

Specifically in 2023, the OCBA will be concentrating on two different areas.

First and foremost, “we have some steep advocacy goals because Ohio is still a franchise law state,” says MacDonald. “We don’t want that to be true anymore for our small breweries.”

This is one of the biggest benefits of joining a guild—having an organization that consistently fights for legislation that supports craft breweries.

“Events are one thing we do, but it’s almost the smallest thing we do,” says MacDonald. “At the heart we’re a membership organization, so we really focus on helping breweries.”

That was perhaps most evident during the thick of the global pandemic.

In 2020, MacDonald says her and Hemminger watched the Ohio governor every day for three months in a row, absorbing the latest information pertinent to breweries and delivering it to their members in a coherent way so instead of worrying about answering all these questions they could keep “making beer and driving beer to their customers,” she says.

And it’s through that traumatic time that the OCBA went into overdrive, generating creative ideas to help breweries keep the lights on.

“Everyone panics,” says MacDonald. “We couldn’t hold public events; we couldn’t hold tastings… What could we do?

The OCBA stepped in, establishing Ohio Pint Day and a collaboration beer called From the Heart.

Both of these successful events will be on deck for 2023 along with a couple returning festivals and an entirely new week called Ohio On Tap, the second biggest focus for the guild this year.

Photography courtesy of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association

The OCBA has a whole slate of amazing events planned for 2023.

Winter Warmer Fest

First up on March 4, 2023, will be the Winter Warmer Fest.

One of the biggest events in Cleveland, Winter Warmer Fest is also the OCBA’s longest-running festival, entering its sixteenth year.

“The people of Cleveland love it, the breweries love it, everyone gets excited about it,” says MacDonald.

Typically featuring fifty-five to sixty breweries, Winter Warmer Fest always sells out at just under 2,000 tickets.

“Breweries do a great job of bringing stellar beers,” shares MacDonald. “They have a little competition to one up each other; no one wants to bring garbage to Winter Warmer because you will be shamed by your peers.”

This year, for the first time the OCBA will be hosting Warmer’s Eve on Friday, March 3, 2023. An elevated experience, this special night will feature only eighteen breweries each bringing two of their most exclusive beers.

Six One Pour

Named after the Columbus area code (614), Six One Pour is another big Ohio festival usually taking place in a local museum or other venue showcasing fifty-plus of the state’s best breweries.

Photography courtesy of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association

From the Heart Collaboration Beer

A collaboration beer inspired by a similar idea from the Maine Brewers’ Guild, From the Heart is a recipe shared across all OCBA brewery members.

The OCBA reached out to Country Malt and Origin Malt, who donate all the ingredients so any participating brewery can buy the ingredient at cost. Similarly, Blue Label Packaging takes care of and prints all the labels for participating breweries.

Then, all the breweries simultaneously release their version of the beer at the same time. Usually in May, according to MacDonald.

“This is our most successful non-public event for the organization,” she says.

Ohio On Tap Week

A completely new event this year, Ohio On Tap Week will be a statewide craft beer week that ties into the state’s brewery passport app. Consumers can download the free Ohio On Tapp app here and get rewards for visiting Ohio breweries.

Basically, folks just need to visit a brewery, drink a beer, stamp their virtual passport, and get cool prizes.

“A major goal [this year] is to figure out Ohio On Tap Week, fully flesh that out, and have it be successful for our brewers and our app,” says MacDonald, noting that the app is a major method of communication for OCBA to the public.

Ohio Pint Day

An event born out of the pandemic, Ohio Pint Day is a coordinated night that lets people take home a local artist-designed, collectible glass at breweries across the state.

Last year, Hemminger says Ohio breweries sold around 13,000 glasses with a portion of each sale donated back to the OCBA.

“It’s a really great way to drive traffic to taprooms,” says Hemminger, noting they host Ohio Pint Day on a potentially slow day like Tuesday. “A lot of breweries told us this is the best Tuesday we’ve ever had… It’s a really great way to get people excited about going to visit their local brewery.”

If you’re a brewery or brewery-in-planning in Ohio interested in joining the OCBA, it’s pretty easy.

Just visit here to learn more and fill out the sign-up form.

JOIN THE OCBA HERE