The time is here! From May 13-19, the country will be celebrating American Craft Beer Week (ACBW). For the third year in a row, ACBW events will be taking place in all 50 states—a phenomena that serves as an incredible sign of these craft beerie times.
With so much going on during the week, I decided to create a quick-hit cheat sheet to help you celebrate the week along with the hundreds of craft breweries and tens of thousands of craft beer lovers.
What is American Craft Beer Week?
Beer weeks celebrate the culture of craft beer, and give breweries and beer businesses the opportunity to connect with their fans. The Brewers Association, the national non-profit association on behalf of the majority of today’s U.S. breweries, and publishers of CraftBeer.com, celebrate the achievements of the craft beer community each May with ACBW, The Mother of All Beer Weeks.
How Do You Celebrate ACBW?
- Conduct a craft beer tasting or pairing.
- Visit your favorite local brewery, restaurant or tap room and enjoy your local craft beers.
- Host a tasting at home featuring craft beer from small and independent producers.
- Organize a gathering for the first-ever national ACBW toast: Thursday, May 16 at 5 p.m. PT/6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET.
- Seek out other like-minded folks by attending an official ACBW event. Use the official ACBW events page to find an event in your area.
- Tweet your pride for U.S. craft brewers using the hashtag #ACBW.
- Update your social media accounts to show support of ACBW with these cover photos and profile pictures.
Lofty Goals And Lofty Words
When you’re in the midst of the largest annual celebration of American craft beer, you definitely need a full-on ACBW Manifesto written by small and independent craft brewers. The words in this declaration are lofty and truly capture the spirit of what ACBW is all about. 
You’re Among Friends
It’s widely known that the craft brewing community is very welcoming. I commonly see fellow beer lovers welcome and guide newbies into the flavorful beer fold. Wanna connect with this clan? Join more than 50,000 beautiful craft beer lovers on the ACBW Facebook page!
Beer Week History
The phenomena of state and city beer weeks has not always so strong, but in 2013, CraftBeer.com already has 40+ weeks on the books! There are even quite a few beer weeks that overlap with ACBW:
- Chicago Craft Beer Week
- Frederick Beer Week (MD)
- Lexington Craft Beer Week (KY)
- Long Island Craft Beer Week
- San Antonio Beer Week
- Santa Ynez Valley Beer Month (CA)
- Seattle Beer Week
- Session Beer Month
So with celebrations in all 50 states, and possibly in a location near you, we sure hope you join us in raising a glass to today’s U.S. small and independent craft brewers.
CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.
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