i was wondering if any other states had a malt beverage association?
i’m also wondering if these are common and if so, what is their purpose in other states?
We have something very similar…the Oregon Brewers Guild.
do they help the beer scene?
Very much so. I think one of their main purposes is lobbying against things like higher beer taxes.
very nice.
i had an intersting conversation with a member of council for the mmba. i can tell you that ours is NOT out to help craft beer drinkers.
Similar to Oregon, here in Florida we’ve got the Florida Brewers Guild.
But I think the distinction is that these two and similar organizations in other states are brewers associations - whereas yours seems to be a distributors organization. The goals and efforts of the two groups are sometimes in accord, other times in direct opposition.
MN has the MN Craft Brewers Guild and the MN Liscensed Beverage Association.
The latter of which, just stuck it’s foot in it’s mouth when they suggested that Surly leave the state instead of building a new $20 mil brewery.
direct opposition probably puts it mildly.
they DO support raising the limit to 8% ABW, but NOT higher.
when i say they support it, they won’t let it through (because it’s an election year they say). and i was also told that it’s probably 4-5 years away at that.
apperently, the president/head lobbyist is the one who will have to give final say/ok before it’s even presented for a vote.
it was quite the interesting conversation…
We have the Washington Brewers Guild, similar to to the others. There’s also the Washington Beer Commission, which the state legislature authorized to promote Washington breweries. One of their efforts is Washington Beer Lovers, which is for consumers and gets you discounts and special benefits at festivals and such.
Considering the number of breweries in Mississippi (1?) compared to WA (~100) it’s not a big surprise.
We have a similar organization as yours, the Washington Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association. They are definitely not always in alignment with the needs of the breweries.
somewhat off topic, in the same conversation, he asked me to brew a beer with him, for his wedding.
Tell him to raise the limit now, or better yet remove it altogether. He’ll get beer for his wedding 
Most, if not all states (probably all states) have a beer wholesalers association. They are essentially lobbying organizations aimed at promoting beer wholesaler interests in the state legislature. These wholesaler associations are among the most influential lobbying organizations in the states, they tend to be well funded and have a lot of clout.
This type of association is not the same thing as a brewers guild. Guilds like the Oregon Brewers Guild primarily promote breweries within the state and help gain exposure of locally made beer and some are involved in legislative activities related to breweries. Brewers and wholesalers/distributors do not always have the same interests, and frequently are at odds with one another.