The AHA’s 2024 Member Gathering

The following is American Homebrewer Association (AHA) Executive Director Julia Herz’s “Director’s Cut” column from the May/June 2024 Zymurgy magazine.

It’s Not Homebrew Con but…

The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) has existed since 1978 and continues to evolve today. For 2024, we are pleased to celebrate AHA members in October by surrounding them with layers of beer appreciation, education, and off-the-charts networking at the who’s who of U.S. beer gatherings. The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) was first hosted by the AHA in 1982 and has more beer lovers, brewers, judges, and beverage media in attendance than any other event worldwide.

Dubbed AHA at GABF, our 2024 gathering represents a shift from the traditionally hosted annual June Home Brewer’s Conference (HBC), also known as Homebrew Con. We know some AHA members will miss HBC this year. I see you and hear you, but it is not judicious to host multiple annual events in which revenues do not meet expenses. In 2022 and again in 2023, HBC registration numbers were encouraging (1,300 yearly), but still lower than projected pre-COVID totals once venue contracts and plans were made. With today’s event landscape a very different proposition for any national gathering, we need to reassess the HBC model. Additionally, how we as homebrewers interact, and what we want from the events we attend have both changed. Smart stewardship demands we prevent a third consecutive year of HBC losses as we consider the event goals for both attendees and the AHA and options to host and attend a less expensive gathering.

We’re planning a new and exciting GABF for 2024, and AHA members attending AHA at GABF have the added benefit of getting to choose which GABF sessions to attend. This will keep member costs lower than attending HBC in 2022 and 2023, plus hotel room rates will be competitive. Pro-tip: #BookHotelRoomsEarly.

Keeping with Homebrew Con Tradition

• Denver, CO—Pittsburgh hosted HBC in 2022, and San Diego hosted in 2023. This year, the central location of Denver aligns with our desire to maximize accessibility by continuing to move to different U.S. beer regions. Did you know Denver is known as the Munich of the West?
• Club Night—We are so excited to offer Club Night again this year thanks to our host venue, Denver Beer Company. This gem of party is where homebrew clubs from across the U.S. showcase their best offerings, personally serving AHA members in attendance. Costumes are expected.
• AHA Member Gathering—Join your fellow AHA Members and AHA Committee Members for a kickoff toast and a chance to review the wild and wonderful weekend ahead, along with AHA 2025 plans in the making.
• Beer Judge Certification Program exams—The BJCP will again host beer, mead, and cider exams, helping advance today’s judges and shine a spotlight on competitions.
• Bootcamp for Club Officers—This second annual bootcamp is where homebrew club leaders share resources and best practices to help each other thrive.
• 2024 National Homebrew Competition Awards—Announced in the festival hall, these are THE awards that designate the best homemade beer, mead, and cider in the world. 2024’s competition had close to 4,000 entries, nine first-round location judging sites (Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Indianapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., San Diego, and Tampa), and one final round judging (San Diego).
• AHA at GABF Headline Session: The Future of Homebrewing—Join us and a panel of today’s top players in homebrewing as we take on this top-of-mind topic.
• Satellite Events—Some will pop up around Denver. Keep an eye on the GABF week events calendar and have your AHA membership card ready for Member Deals and discounts around town too.

New This Year

• Homebrew Headquarters—This AHA-only 3,000 square foot area inside the GABF hall will include live demonstration brewing, GABF Pro-Am beer tasting, a You Be The Judge judging area to learn how to be a beer judge, Homebrew Marketplace, Homebrew Rockstars serving and sharing the story behind their beers, and more.

Access is exclusive to AHA members. Check out the full schedule of events and where to register in advance.

Strategic Planning

If you caught the AHA June 2024 Midyear Update, you read about the AHA’s strategic planning for 2025. Strategic work for innovation is a necessary pursuit, especially for an individual membership group of nearly 30,000 members, each with a wide spectrum of needs. As your newer Executive Director (since 12/21), I see a changing marketplace, evolving and passionate members, and an AHA structure worthy of updating. With that, here are some questions on my mind for planning.

• What investments serve the most members?
• What resources and member benefits fit for tomorrow’s members?
• What solutions should the AHA provide, and what programs or services will see the most engagement?
• What business model sets up the AHA for future success?
• What type of national and annual gathering will resonate and attract the most members, where should it be hosted, and what is a reasonable cost of attendance?
• How can the AHA continue providing community when fewer members attend events?
• What role should the AHA play in supporting homebrew clubs and retail supply shops?
• What technologies and media platforms best serve how you, as members, want to receive information?
• How can we get more beginners to homebrew, and how best can we help intermediate brewers to advance?
• What evolutions in homebrewing should we anticipate, and what other fermentation and beverage interests will AHA members have?

Tied to planning, the AHA fielded a June survey sent to all members who opt-in to receive AHA emails. Respondents were sent a summary and analysis of learnings. We also look forward to sharing updates at the AHA Member Gathering on October 10 during AHA at GABF and in future issues of Zymurgy.

Cheers and good beers to you, thank you for your ongoing membership, and here’s to providing reasons, recipes, rewards, and resources to brew and ferment.

*Much of the above is an adaptation of our June 2024 AHA Midyear Update published on HomebrewersAssociation.org. For AHA’s latest, sign up for the What’s Brewing Newsletter.

Julia Herz is executive director of the American Homebrewers Association. You can follow Julia’s homebrew talks and travels on Instagram @ImmaculateFermentation or contact her at ahaed@brewersassociation.org.