What the Heck Is ‘SYLB’ Anyway?

Guild member at SYLB

If you’re attending GABF this year, be sure to visit the SYLB Pavilion to collect your FREE ‘Protect Craft’ beer koozie! Scroll down for details!

Maybe you’ve spied the Support Your Local Brewery (SYLB) Pavilion at a past GABF and wondered, “What’s that all about?” Well, SYLB is a national, grassroots partnership of beer enthusiasts, brewers and professional trade associations dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of America’s small and independent craft brewers.

Why do craft breweries need my support?

Craft brewers, which include brewpubs, microbreweries and regional craft breweries, face many challenges in their efforts to sate our thirst for delicious beers:

  • Access to market
  • Cost of raw materials and ingredients
  • Operation in a highly regulated and highly taxed industry

And those are just a few of the hurdles brewers face. When you Support Your Local Brewery, you are supporting the community and culture of craft brewing in the U.S., which helps craft brewers provide jobs and support their local communities—not to mention to continue doing what they do best, filling our glasses with their tasty beers!

The SYLB Pavilion at GABF

At the SYLB Pavilion, attendees have the opportunity to meet state guild representatives, learn about different states’ beer cultures and their statewide initiatives, and enjoy interactive displays featuring the brewing process, beer ingredients, glassware and beer styles.

Another reason to visit the SYLB Pavilion? State guilds will feature beers from breweries in their states that are not available anywhere else in the festival hall!

Wait, what’s a guild?

Organized, active state brewers guilds are one of the most important means of protecting and promoting a state’s or region’s breweries. Whether promoting local beer or fighting for favorable laws and lower excise tax rates, the collective voice of a guild can speak louder than that of individual brewers alone.

State guilds at GABF 2014

  1. California
  2. Colorado
  3. Connecticut
  4. Florida
  5. Georgia
  6. Hawaii
  7. Idaho
  8. Indiana
  9. Minnesota
  10. Nevada
  11. New Mexico
  12. New York
  13. North Carolina
  14. Ohio
  15. Oregon
  16. Texas
  17. Washington
  18. Wyoming

What can I do to offer my support?

Become a SYLB Beer Activist. As a SYLB Beer Activist, you will receive an Action Alert when a national or state issue threatens the breweries in your community. This alert mobilizes craft beer advocates and channels their energy in an effective way. If you’re attending GABF this year, be sure to visit the SYLB Pavilion and collect a FREE ‘Protect Craft’ beer koozie!

Here’s how to claim your ‘Protect Craft’ koozie at GABF

  1. Sign up to become a SYLB Beer Activist at the SYLB Booth
  2. Have 5 state guilds stamp your Protect Craft Passport
  3. Get a cool ‘Protect Craft’ koozie