Working Together for Better Beer
From local brewery collaboration to statewide advocacy, your favorite breweries work together behind the scenes to make our local beer culture better than ever.
Last week, the Bay Area Brewers Guild held its annual member meeting at Drake’s Barrel House in San Leandro. While our five regional chapters each hold an annual meeting, this is the one day of the year when the entire Guild comes together. Some years, the meeting includes elections; last year, we used it to introduce our then-incoming Executive Director, Sayre Piotrkowski.
This year’s meeting had two main goals: celebrating our members’ outstanding performance at the Great American Beer Festival, including Fieldwork and Morgan Territory’s Brewery of the Year honors, and sharing practical ideas for improving sustainability and recyclability across our operations.
We heard about innovations in peelable can labels and alternatives to conventional plastic can carriers. We also heard from Kelsey McQuaid-Craig, Executive Director of the California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA), who updated our members on her organization’s efforts to represent California’s small brewers at the state level, particularly around legislation affecting packaging materials and plastics.
Generally, we at The Brew Deck like to keep the conversation around quality, flavor, and culture. When we’re dazzled by the aroma of fresh hops or a perfectly presented Czech lager, it’s easy to overlook that our favorite brewers run small businesses, too. They’re managing rising costs, navigating complex regulations, finding new customers, and figuring out how to keep the lights on while standing out in one of the world's most extraordinary beer scenes.
That’s where organizations like the Bay Area Brewers Guild (BABG) and the California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) come in. We exist to help independent breweries access resources, share knowledge, and tackle challenges that would be much harder—and sometimes impossible—to solve alone.
Making the whole beer scene better
BABG is best known for helping breweries promote their taprooms year-round and bringing the region together for one of the country’s great regional Beer Week celebrations. We also bring brewery owners and operators together throughout the year to share practical solutions to common challenges.
Making cans easier to recycle and reducing the amount of plastic waste our members produce might sound like behind-the-scenes operational work. But it matters to beer drinkers, too.
The same principle applies at the state Capitol. CCBA works year-round to ensure independent brewers have a voice in decisions affecting their businesses. That support helps preserve the diversity and strength of California’s beer scene, enabling neighborhood taprooms, experimental brewers, and independent businesses to flourish.
CCBA’s annual beer festival is coming up
CCBA is throwing a beer festival next month!
Saturday, November 7 | Western Museum of Flight, Torrance
More than 80 independent California breweries are expected to pour at this distinctive festival, set among historic aircraft at the Western Museum of Flight.
Think of it as a statewide tasting tour in one place: a chance to revisit old favorites, discover a brewery you’ve never tried, and appreciate how much variety California offers. Visit the festival website for details.
Good beer is a collective achievement
No single brewery can build a thriving regional beer culture on its own. It takes both competition and collaboration among brewers, hospitality workers, suppliers, local communities, and organizations willing to invest in the industry’s shared future.
So the next time you raise a glass of California craft beer, remember that there’s a whole community working to make that experience possible.
And if you’re looking for a way to support that community, start by visiting a new brewery, bringing a friend along, and making a discovery.
🍻 Upcoming Events Featuring Our Member Breweries
TONIGHT, 10/22 —Trivia with Lindsay Wildlife at Headlands Westbrae Biergarten!
(Berkeley, CA | 4-6 PM)
Free Trivia Night with Headlands' 1% for the Planet partner Lindsay Wildlife. The winning team will receive a free year membership to the Lindsay Wildlife Experience!
More Info –> Wildlife Trivia in Berkeley!
TONIGHT, 10/22 —Vital Signs Film Series Welcomes A.S. Hamrah at Shapeshifters Cinema and Brewery!
(Oakland, CA | 7-9 PM)
A special screening, discussion, book-signing, merciless report on a film industry in self-imposed crisis, and several glimmers of cinephilic hope. Hamrah's most recent book is "Last Week in End Times Cinema."
Tickets & More Info –> Film Screening and Book Signing in Oakland!
Saturday, 10/24 —Shoreline Sipper Release Party at Headlands Westbrae Biergarten!
(Berkeley, CA | Noon)
In Celebration of their new "Shoreline Sipper" Headlands will donate 10% of the day's sales to Save The Bay, a 1% For The Planet partner, in support of protecting and restoring the San Francisco Bay.
More Info –> Save The Bay In Berkeley!
📅 Save the Dates
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 be spinning records; the disco ball will be spinning. Happy hour pricing all night for folks in costume. Dance till you're dead tired. No cover.
More Info –> Costume Dance Party in Watsonville!
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!
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