EP-304 Mary MacDonald and Rob Fullmer, Association of Brewers Guild Professionals

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been countless stories of how individual people and businesses have adjusted, learned new things, and survived. At Good Beer Hunting we've had a collection of audio and written stories specifically asking what these transitions meant for state brewers guilds, the organizations that act as advocates and lobbyists for craft breweries across the country. In May 2020, we had a podcast that looked at survival for these groups in the moment, and in this episode, we get something of an update by way of a new organization to … help these organizations. We're chatting with Mary MacDonald and Rob Fullmer about the Association of Brewers Guild Professionals, a new group with the goal of providing networking, educational, and professional development opportunities to advance state brewers guild executive directors and their teams. Mary leads the state guild in Ohio and Rob in Arizona, and in this conversation you'll learn about why this new super team-up was necessary, what issues are most pressing to advance legislation that can benefit craft breweries, and the forces making advocacy difficult in a legal and political landscape that has shifted dramatically during the pandemic. What goes on in state capitals and behind closed doors doesn't always sound as exciting as the latest Hazy IPA or other new release, but the anecdotes and insight you'll hear from Mary and Rob showcase what's happening right now that can support or even save your local breweries.