Nominations Open for 2nd Annual Craft Beer Distributor of the Year Award 

(Alexandria, VA) - The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) and the Brewers Association (BA) are seeking nominations for the 2nd Annual Craft Beer Distributor of the Year award.  The award recognizes an American beer distributor who actively markets, sells and promotes craft beer.  The award will be presented October 11 at the Great American Beer Festival, hosted by the BA, in Denver, Colorado.
 
America's beer distributors and craft brewers can nominate any distributor they believe is deserving of the award.  Nominations will be accepted until September 1, 2008.  For entry rules and regulations, visit www.nbwa.org.
 
"Craft beer has generated an unprecedented level of excitement and exploration in the wide variety of flavors beer has to offer," said NBWA President Craig Purser.  "It's hard to find any other industry that has seen double-digit growth for the past several years.  That shows just how much consumers across the country appreciate craft beer.  Beer distributors take great pride in serving as the vehicle to market for these brands and in providing choice and variety to the consumer."
 
Brewers Association President Charlie Papazian applauds beer distributors for providing a valuable service by giving craft beers a presence in the marketplace.  "Without America's beer distributors, we wouldn't be seeing the enthusiasm for the wide array of flavor and diversity of American beer.  This award recognizes the extra efforts distributors are making on behalf of craft beer."
 
In addition to the Craft Beer Distributor of the Year award, a Craft Beer Achievement award and Craft Beer Distributor Recognition award will also be presented to finalists.
 
The year 2008 marks the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition which came with the passage of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  This year also marks 75 years of the modern state-based, three-tier system of alcohol regulation which is the system that creates the effective and safe system of alcohol distribution that gives craft brewers a vehicle to market.  Beer distributors serve as the critical link in the three-tier system, helping deliver 13,000 brands of beer to licensed retailers from coast to coast and providing consumers with choice and value that is unparalleled anywhere in the world.
 
 
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Founded in 1938, the National Beer Wholesalers Association advocates before government and the public on behalf of more than 2,750 licensed independent beer distributors with operations servicing every congressional district and state across the country. Beer distributors are committed to ensuring that the products they provide are consumed legally, moderately and responsibly.  For more information about beer distributors, please visit www.nbwa.org