The Brew Deck Earns National Recognition
Plus, three award-winning newsletters — and a whole lot more beer writing — worth adding to your reading list.
The Brew Deck has been recognized by the North American Guild of Beer Writers (NAGBW) with an Emerging Voice award in the Best Blog/Newsletter category at the 2026 NAGBW Awards.
The NAGBW is a professional organization for writers and other communicators covering beer, brewing, and beverage culture. Its annual awards celebrate excellence across 18 categories, spanning journalism, criticism, history, personal essays, books, podcasts, and newsletters. This year's competition drew 250 entries from 78 writers and other creators, with judging by 43 industry and media professionals. The Emerging Voice distinction recognizes work by writers who have covered the beer industry for five years or less.
We're especially proud of this recognition because of the company we're keeping. The Brew Deck was recognized alongside three of the most established names in beer-focused newsletters, which took the top three places in the category:
- Beervana by Jeff Alworth — Now in its 20th year, Beervana is a leading voice on craft beer culture, industry trends, and brewing history.
- Fingers by Dave Infante — An independent newsletter blending award-winning journalism and cultural criticism to examine drinking in America, including the money, power, and politics shaping the industry. Infante is a two-time James Beard Award winner.
- Beer Crunchers by Doug Veliky — A data-driven publication that brings financial and industry analysis to the beer business. Veliky's background includes eight years at Reyes Holdings, the country's largest beer distributor network, followed by nearly a decade at Chicago's Revolution Brewing.
These are writers and publications that help shape how people understand and talk about beer. The Brew Deck is a much younger project, built around a different but complementary mission: connecting people to the extraordinary breweries, beers, and beer culture right here in the Bay Area.
We're honored to be in such company. But this isn't just a story about our own recognition. It's an opportunity to point you toward some of the writers who discuss the beer we believe it should be discussed.
Your next reading list
If you read The Brew Deck because you believe local breweries deserve more attention, enjoy learning about the people and places behind the beer, or think beer coverage should be more interesting, we encourage you to explore this year's NAGBW award winners.
You'll find writers approaching beer from all sorts of angles: reporting on the industry, exploring its history and culture, challenging conventional wisdom, and telling stories that explain why beer matters to the people who make and drink it.
Many have been doing this work for years. Others are emerging voices worth discovering now. Whether you're interested in the business of beer, the people behind some of the country's most talked-about beers, the history of brewing, or the role beer plays in cultures and communities across the globe, the NAGBW's list of winners has plenty for you.
At The Brew Deck, we believe the Bay Area's beer scene deserves the kind of sustained, thoughtful coverage that restaurants and the arts receive. Our breweries aren't simply manufacturers producing a commodity. They're gathering places, creative enterprises, neighborhood institutions, and expressions of the people who build them.
That conviction is part of why we publish this newsletter. It's also why we think the NAGBW awards are worth your time.
But better beer coverage depends on readers as much as writers. The stories we choose to read, and share help determine which stories get publish, and where publishers feel safe allocating resources. If we want more thoughtful coverage of breweries and beer culture, we need to seek it out, share it, and celebrate the outlets publishing it.
That is why we are so glad that the NAGBW exists, and so supportive of its mission to foster more engaging and rewarding beer writing. Congratulations to all of this year's winners. We're honored to be among them, and we're excited to introduce our readers to more of their work.
See the full list of 2026 NAGBW award winners here
And thank you for reading The Brew Deck. We're thrilled with how our first year has is wrapping up, and we're excited to see what year two brings!
🍻 Upcoming Events Featuring Our Member Breweries
Wednesday-Friday, 10/28 - 10/30 —Halloween Candy Fright Flight at three different Fieldwork locations!
Berkeley, Santa Rosa, San Ramon, CA | 6-7:30 PM
Trick-or-treating for Beer-loving adults! The Fieldwork team will guide you through four outstanding beers paired with unexpected Halloween candies, uncovering some seriously surprising flavor combinations along the way.
Reserve & More Info –> Halloween Candy Flights at Fieldwork
Friday - 10/30 —Halloween Rock 'n Roll Disco: A Costume Party at Fruition Brewing
(Watsonville, CA | 6:30-9:30 PM)
The Intoxicans will spin records; the disco ball will be spinning all night. Happy hour pricing all night for folks in costume. Dance till you're dead tired. No cover.
More Info –> Costume Dance Party in Watsonville!
Friday - 10/30 —Boos, Beats, and Brews at Original Pattern
(Oakland, CA | 7-10 PM)
Original Pattern Brewing hosts a Halloween party full of spooktacular brews, good company, and beats from DJ Afsoos will be on the decks. Costumes are encouraged! Free to attend! Bring your crew, wear your best costume, and come get your boos on at OP. 👻🍻
More Info –> Costume Dance Party in Oakland!
Saturday - 10/31 —SPOOKY PUPPY 2026 at Temescal Brewing
(Oakland, CA | 6:30-9:30 PM)
Your dog’s favorite halloween event is back! It's SPOOKY PUPPY, Temescal's annual puptacular event filled with delicious beer and adorable pups in elaborate costumes. FOUR WINNERS will be featured on next year's 10th anniversary cans of SPOOKY PUPPY IPA.
More Info –> SPOOKY PUPPY 2026 - Dog Costume Contest in Oakland!
Saturday - 10/31 —The Halloween Dark Market at Fruition Brewing
(Watsonville, CA | 6:30-9:30 PM)
A stacked lineup of spooky vendors, killer donuts, bloody beers. Even a ghoulish caricature artist & aura readings.
More Info –> Dark Market in Watsonville!
📅 Save the Dates
Saturday - 11/7 —Dark Times Dark Lager Festival at Pond Farm Brewing
(San Rafael, CA | Noon-10 PM)
20 extraordinary dark lagers, ranging from local, up and down CA, out of state, and international, on tap. Plus Tarot card reading and DJs! Pay-as-you-go, or buy a wristband for unlimited tastes!
DISCOUNT FOR BREW DECK SUBSCRIBERS COMING THIS WEEK!
More Info –> Dark Lager Celebrationin San Rafael!
Saturday, 12/12—3rd Annual Holiday Market at CUVER Brewing!
(Windsor, CA | 3 - 7 PM)
Free, family-friendly, and outdoor, explore this showcase of local craftsmen, artists, makers, and non-profits from across Sonoma County! Featuring a live brewing demo, fresh flowers, hot & cold foods, activities for all ages, local gift shopping, CUVER beers for Adults 21+, and more.
BEER WEEK 2027 - February 19th - February 28th, 2027