Craft Beer Needs Its Story Back | Marty Nachel, Beer Author & Founder of the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame

Send us Fan Mail Marty Nachel has spent 40 years in craft beer as a homebrewer, beer judge, writer and author of Beer For Dummies and Homebrewing For Dummies along with the NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON - International Beer Judge Stories. In 1986 he became one of the first 70 people in North America certified by the Beer Judge Certification Program, and he has since judged at the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup and competitions around the world. Today his focus is the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame, a volunteer-run nonprofit he started in 2024 to preserve the history of craft beer and honor the people who built it. In this episode of the Ready To Drink Podcast, Marty and host Nate Fochtman talk about why craft beer is struggling after COVID and what could bring it back. Marty explains why breweries need to get back to telling their story, why the local tavern has been a gathering place since the first American towns were built, and why he believes the next generation will rediscover craft beer through its history. He also shares the advice from his recent "lean into legacy" talk to brewers in Chicago, including events, education nights and the simple ideas that turn a taproom into a community. The conversation also covers the founding of the Hall of Fame, its first two induction classes, the new Hall Monitors program for small donors and the Beer Story Project, a book of more than 100 stories from people across the industry. In this episode: Marty's path from homebrewer in 1985 to international beer judge Writing Beer Across America, Beer For Dummies and Homebrewing For Dummies Why there was no craft beer hall of fame until 2024 How the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame selects and honors inductees Why breweries need to return to their founding stories The tavern as America's original gathering place Taproom events that bring people back through the door Why craft beer's downturn is a cycle, not the end The Beer Story Project and what comes next Connect with Marty Nachel on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram or   AmericanCraftBeerHallOfFame.com This is the Ready To Drink Podcast. New episodes drop weekdays covering the alcohol, hemp derived and functional non-alc categories from the operator's seat, not the press release. ReadyToDrinkPodcast.com | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube The FreeMind Group Owner-operator market development and PR, built on the street for the last 18 years. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Presented by The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com