[Excerpt taken from November/December 2014 Zymurgy magazine article “From the Glass” by AHA Director Gary Glass]
Starting January 1, 2014, membership dues for the American Homebrewers Association will be going up by $5 for a single-year U.S. membership, an increase of 13 percent over the current membership price of $38. It’s been 12 years since the last price increase, and a lot has changed since 2002. This $5 increase in membership is less than half the 30-percent inflation seen since 2002, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and much less than the 46-percent increase in our costs for printing and mailing each copy of Zymurgy magazine over that timeframe.
Here are just a few of the things the AHA has done since 2002:
- Grew the AHA Member Deals program by 420 percent to more than 900 participating locations
- Launched HomebrewersAssociation.org website. A complete redesign of HomebrewersAssociation.org with even more great homebrew content will be hitting the interwebs later this year.
- Introduced eZymurgy, giving members instant access to volumes of Zymurgy magazine from 2000 to present
- Introduced Zymurgy apps for Android and iPhone/iPad, with free access for AHA members
- Introduced Research & Education Fund
- Introduced Radegast Club of the Year Award
- Assisted with the legalization of homebrewing in Utah, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Alabama
- Worked with homebrewers on homebrew-related legislative issues in nine other states
In addition, we will be adding another eight pages to your favorite homebrewing magazine, Zymurgy, to accommodate additional content coming from members via the Research & Education Fund. Of course, the AHA will continue to support homebrewing rights legislation where ever necessary and will continue to build upon all of the great programs and events the AHA offers.
Join the American Homebrewers Association or renew your current membership before January 1, 2014 to pay current membership dues.
Digital AHA Membership
With onset of the new year, the AHA will be offering a new membership option that includes all of the great benefits of a regular membership, minus the mailed copy of the magazine. With the launch in 2012 of eZymurgy and Zymurgy apps in 2013, many members have inquired about a digital-only option out of environmental concerns. The new digital AHA membership means fewer trees needed to print the magazine and less energy consumed and pollution produced in the delivery of the magazine.
Rest assured, all members, regardless of the membership option you choose, will continue to have access to all of the great digital content on eZymurgy and the Zymurgy apps at no additional charge!