Brewbound revealed its 2023 Award Winners and class of Rising Stars today during the multimedia trade publication’s Brewbound Live business conference in Marina del Rey, California.
The Brewbound Awards celebrate beverage-alcohol companies for their achievements and impact throughout the last year. The Awards serve as an appreciation of notable industry members, trend setters, breakout brands, change agents and up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
Winners of the 10th annual Brewbound Awards include:
Craft Brewery of the Year: Lawson’s Finest Liquids
Waitsfield, Vermont-based Lawson’s Finest Liquids achieved several milestones in 2023, including achieving B Corporation Certification and completing 100% solar powered brewing operations with Vermont’s largest solar canopy. Beyond the beer, Lawson’s donated around $40,000 to the Vermont Strong fund, which went to helping flood victims in the state.
Lawson’s co-founder Sean Lawson also passed the torch as CEO to Adeline Druart, who will lead the brewery in its next growth phase. Moving forward, the Lawsons will serve as brand stewards and ambassadors, while Drurart looks to build upon their legacy.
Large Brewery of the Year: Athletic Brewing Company
The arrow continues to point up for the non-alcoholic (NA) beer maker Athletic Brewing, which first crossed the 100,000 barrel mark in 2021 and is on pace to reach 250,000 barrels in 2023.
Last year, Athletic became the 13th largest Brewers Association-defined craft brewery by volume. The company was also the second biggest craft growth leader, with five of the top craft growth brands in off-premise retailers, per Circana data. In the on-premise channel, the company began a slow roll out of draft beer this year.
In its mission to mainstream NA beer, Athletic became ubiquitous, striking partnerships with JetBlue, TGI Fridays and Netflix. As 2023 comes to a close, Athletic is on pace to become the No. 1 NA beer brand family.
Beyond Beer Company of the Year: BeatBox Beverages
Founded in 2013 by Justin Fenchel, Aimy Steadman and Brad Schultz, party punch maker BeatBox Beverages is just beginning to hit its stride. The Austin, Texas-based company posted triple-digit off-premise growth this year, coming on the heels of more than doubling its sales from 800,000 cases shipped in 2021 to 2 million cases shipped in 2022.
This year, BeatBox gained national placements in 7-Eleven stores and launched a partnership with pop punk star Avril Lavigne. Those efforts have BeatBox poised to sell just under 140,000 barrels of product by year’s end.
Beer Champions of the Year: The National Black Brewers Association’s Founding Members
The National Black Brewers Association (NB2A) was founded by former Sacramento Mayor, NBA all-star and Oak Park Brewery owner Kevin Johnson to help promote the Black brewing community, as Black-owned breweries account for less than 1% of craft breweries in the U.S.
The organization has quickly put a spotlight on Black-owned craft breweries thanks to the work of the organization’s founding members, including inaugural officers:
- President Kevin Johnson, Oak Park Brewing;
- First vice president Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery;
- Second vice president Dr. J. Jackson-Beckham, Crafted for All;
- Treasurer Marcus Baskerville, Weathered Souls Brewing;
- And Secretary Celeste Beatty, Harlem Brewing.
In establishing the NB2A, they’ve collectively taken an important step in bringing representation and giving a voice to Black brewers.
Person of the Year: Garrett Marrero, Maui Brewing, Founder & CEO
Maui Brewing founder and CEO Garrett Marrero sprung into action during the August wildfires in Maui that killed nearly 100 people and displaced thousands of others. He and his team helped by running supply missions, collecting vital items for the survivors and getting drinking water to those in need.
Maui also spearheaded the Kokua Project, a collaboration beer effort to raise money for those in need. In his community’s greatest time of need, Marrero exemplified the spirit of the craft brewing industry.
Brewbound Rising Stars
In addition to the Award winners, Brewbound also honored seven emerging alcoholic beverage companies as part of its 2023 class of Rising Stars. They include:
- Alvarado Street Brewery, Monterey, California;
- Big Grove Brewery, Iowa City, Iowa;
- Crowns & Hops Brewing Co., Inglewood, California;
- Dokkaebier, Oakland, California;
- Stateside Vodka, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
- Torch & Crown Brewing Company, New York City;
- Trace Brewing, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“Brewbound’s 2023 Award winners and class of Rising Stars are a window into the beer and beverage-alcohol industry’s future,” said Brewbound editor Justin Kendall. “They include companies and individuals whose work helped expand the category by reaching new consumer groups and in innovative ways. They also supported their communities through philanthropic efforts and sprung into action at a time of great need.
“The Brewbound team is proud to honor these Award winners and Rising Stars.”
About Brewbound
Published by BevNET.com Inc., Brewbound is a leading multi-media industry trade publication providing comprehensive coverage of the beer space, analysis of industry trends and in-depth interviews with industry leaders. In addition to providing daily news, Brewbound also gathers entrepreneurs and executives to exchange ideas, discuss the state of the industry and hear strategies for succeeding in the alcohol beverage segment via a series of nationwide meetups, multi-day business conferences, live-streamed shows and podcasts.