Drinking For Good: North American Beer Awards Raises Thousands for Charity

Anheuser-Busch walked away with 15 medals at this year's North American Beer Awards, more than any of the other approximately 100 breweries to enter into the competition. Wins included gold for Landshark (Latin American- or Tropical Style Lager category), Busch Signature (American-Style Amber Lager), and Michelob Ultra (American-Style Light Lager).

Hosted in Idaho Falls, ID on June 6^th, 2015 on the eve of the 21^st Annual Mountain Brewers Beer Fest, the awards were sponsored by the North American Brewers Association (NABA), an organization founded for the advancement of brewing quality and consumer education. Amongst brewers, the similarly formatted event has begun to rival the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in terms of prestige. “We model ourselves after that event in a lot of ways," explains NABA Vice President Lisa Smith, a home brewer and established beer judge. "Our style guidelines are almost identical." In fact, many breweries – such as A-B – will submit to the North American Beer Awards before submitting to the GABF to gauge initial responses. Both ceremonies even share quite a few of the same judges, and often bear similar results.

A-B's George Reisch beams when he talks of his brewery's many triumphs at this year's NABA Awards. But he seems especially moved by the festival's sense of community and dedication to charity. "Communities are best served through sharing," he says. "The North American Beer Awards is a non-profit organization comprised of beer lovers using beer to reach out and help others. They've raised over one million dollars since their organization was born. Our company is so proud to call them a friend!"

And Reisch isn't exaggerating about NABA's goals. As Smith reveals, "We are, in fact, all volunteers. We don't even have offices. We cover our bills and every [remaining] penny goes to our charity partners." Yet, unlike other charity events that distribute income afterwards, the charities are active affiliates with the NABA, receiving a percentage of the net revenue raised. Each charity partner is guaranteed a certain base amount of money, and receives a bonus for the number of volunteers it provides on the day of the festival.

NABA's main charity partner this year was Breaking Boundaries, an organization that celebrates diversity and supports the underserved in eastern Idaho. The North American Brewers Association has also set up three scholarships, each allocating $1000 annually to the Master Brewer's Association of The Americas, the American Society of Brewing Chemists, and Idaho State University.

Reisch isn't alone in recognizing the good that this event does: "We begin the awards by letting the brewers know how much money has been raised to date," says Smith. "Without them it wouldn't be possible: no beer, no awards or beer fest." Like other participating breweries, A-B must spend thousands of dollars in beer, transportation, food, and other goods to participate in both the awards and the event itself – which speaks volumes for the cause.

"Anheuser-Busch has always been there to support us," Smith says. The brewery has participated in the competition from its first year at the Mountain Brewers Beer Fest. Throughout two decades, it has contributed installments such as a Bud Light beer garden or a Bud Light lounge, and has showcased its famous Budweiser Clydesdales. A-B has even used NABA medals in advertising.

"We feel a sense of pride when we see our medals on the side of a six-pack," says Smith. "We kind of shake our heads and go, 'can you believe it?' -- that it's grown like it has."