THE BREWERS ASSOCIATION

The not-for-profit trade association has announced the retirement of president and CEO BOB PEASE. After 32 years with the Brewers Association, Pease will step down in early 2025 once his successor is in place. Pease joined the Brewers Association in 1993 as a customer service manager and worked his way up to operations director. He was promoted to vice president in 1999, COO in 2010, and CEO in 2014. During his tenure, he turned around and solidified the organization’s financial standing, from debt servicing to over $23 million in reserves. In 2004, Pease established the association’s export development program, building it from the ground up and helping grow the global craft beer revolution for nearly two decades. In 2007, Pease worked with members of Congress to create the House and Senate Small Brewers Caucus —which has grown to become one of the largest member caucuses in Congress.
He played a key role in devising and executing the strategy to provide federal excise tax relief to craft brewers through the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA). Among other things, Pease forged strong relationships with members of Congress and staff on both sides of the aisle. In 2017, Pease and the association’s Public Relations and Marketing Committee and staff launched the independent craft brewer seal. To date, nearly 5,000 breweries have adopted this mark, which helps consumers differentiate beer made by small and independent craft brewers. In 2015 and 2020, Brewbound named him the “Beer Industry Person of the Year,” and since 2018, The Hill has consistently named Pease one of the top lobbyists in Washington, D.C.