To be a thriving craft beer community in Arkansas.
To strengthen and advance the Arkansas craft beer community by driving legislation, enriching education, fostering collaboration and growing promotion.
The Arkansas Brewers Guild was formed in 2003 out of a need for a unified voice for Arkansas’ emerging craft beer industry. At the time, only a handful of breweries operated in the state, and restrictive alcohol laws limited brewery growth, direct sales, and market access. Pioneering breweries — Vino’s Brewpub, Diamond Bear Brewing Company, West Mountain Brewing Company— came together, organized collectively, and hired a lobbyist to advocate for legislative reform that would allow Arkansas breweries to survive and grow.
That same year, the Guild helped secure passage of the Arkansas Native Brewery Act, landmark legislation that transformed the state’s brewing landscape. The law increased brewery production caps, allowed breweries to self-distribute beer to retailers, and permitted on-premise taproom sales. These changes laid the foundation for the modern Arkansas craft beer industry and established Arkansas as one of the more brewery-friendly states in the region.
The Guild continued to play a major role in shaping Arkansas alcohol policy throughout the following decades. In 2015, the Guild successfully defended self-distribution rights for small breweries producing up to 15,000 barrels annually while working alongside the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Division and distributors to modernize state brewing regulations. Legislative efforts over the years have expanded brewery privileges and flexibility, including allowing direct sales seven days a week, permitting sales of beer up to 21% ABW for on- and off-premise consumption, enabling breweries to participate in festivals and farmers markets statewide, authorizing secondary production facilities and satellite taprooms, allowing breweries to sell wine and spirits on premise, and creating transportation flexibility between commonly owned facilities.
As the legal environment improved, Arkansas’ brewing industry experienced significant growth. In 2013, Arkansas had only thirteen breweries statewide. By 2016, that number had grown to more than thirty, and by 2022 Arkansas was home to forty-nine breweries. Throughout that growth, the Guild has served as the primary advocate, collaborator, and industry resource for breweries across the state.
Today, the Arkansas Brewers Guild continues to advocate on behalf of Arkansas breweries, serve as a liaison with state regulators, provide education and networking opportunities, and promote Arkansas craft beer through events and community partnerships. The Guild’s work has helped create a stronger, more collaborative brewing industry while supporting small businesses, tourism, manufacturing, and local communities across Arkansas.