Welcome to our conversation series where we speak with different individuals involved in the Pennsylvania craft beer industry. For suggestions on who should be featured, email us at [email protected].

Founded in 2011, the Brewers of PA is the statewide trade association that brings together the leaders of Pennsylvania based breweries, businesses that support brewing, and enthusiast members in order to promote and protect the brewing industry in the state. The group advocates for and promotes awareness of BOP members, to increase the visibility of local beers through marketing, events, and consumer education, and also to foster a healthy, ethical, and growth-focused beer industry. Read on to see how Dan and Adam started working in the beer industry, their favorite beers to drink right now, and more!

Describe your role in the PA craft beer industry.

Dan: Since 2011, I have served in the role as Executive Director of the Brewers of Pennsylvania, the official state guild of the Commonwealth. My specific focus is leading professional development and networking opportunities for member breweries, assisting our Harrisburg representation with all advocacy efforts and ensuring the success of all association operations.

Adam: As Deputy Executive Director I provide support to the Executive Director, Dan LaBert, and work in conjunction with the BOP board members to formulate and execute a strategic plan for the organization. As a former legislator, I also focus on the legislative goals of our organization and work to ensure that our members are actively engaging with their Senators and Representatives and vocalizing the legislative priorities of the Brewers of PA.

How did you get involved in Brewers of PA?

Dan: My 20+ year career in the association world combined with simply the right timing led to an opportunity to build an association from the ground up. In 2011, I was approached by BOP General Counsel Ted Zeller, asked if I wanted to be part of a brand new association focused on Pennsylvania breweries (large, small and every brewery in the middle) and helping level the playing field with archaic state liquor laws. It wasn’t long after I was sitting in a meeting room at the Hershey Lodge with Bill Covaleski of Victory Brewing Company, Dave Casinelli of D.G. Yuengling, Tom Kehoe of Yards Brewing, Chris Trogner of Troegs Brewing, Bill Brock of Straub, Artie Tafoya of Appalachian Brewing and a few others discussing how the Brewers of Pennsylvania would be the sword and the shield for all Pennsylvania Breweries. Of course, there were quite a few bottles of beer sitting on the meeting room table!

Adam: My first interaction with the BOP was as a legislator when they hosted several events at the Capitol. Later I attended the Meeting of the Malts in Allentown. You could quickly see they are a great group of people. They are super focused on growing their businesses and craft beer in PA. Everyone works well together regardless of the size of the brewery.

How did your passion for craft beer come about?

Dan: I was born in Schuylkill County, home of America’s oldest brewery in D.G. Yuengling & Son and the first adopters of independent, family-owned beer. Not to mention, there were a handful of other breweries local to the 5-7-0 that represented everything craft beer stands for before there was even a definition for what we know today. I can say with confidence that “coal crackers” have built-in local pride. However, my exposure to the industry was significantly enhanced when Bill Covaleski and the others mentioned (above) took me under their wings, invited me into their breweries to see their life’s work and hear their passion for quality made Pennsylvania beer.

Adam: I grew up in central PA and went to Susquehanna University and for most of my 20’s all I drank was Yuengling Lager. It certainly didn’t occur to me that I was supporting a local craft brewer – I just knew it was a solid, great beer. As the craft scene grew I ventured out into other PA brews – Belgian tripels, double IPA’s, fruited beers, etc. The explosion of options from breweries located right here in Pennsylvania was amazing. But, you will always still find a few Lagers somewhere in my beer frige!

How do you think PA is a unique craft beer state versus other states?

Dan: Wow! Great question. Our state has a rich brewing heritage. We have some of the best brewing minds combined with an abundance of agriculture (raw ingredients), clean water, uniquely positioned near major cities, open trucking lanes and dedication to industry leadership that not all states can claim. Despite the archaic liquor laws, breweries located here employ thousands of residents and produce the most amount of beer in the country (we’re #1!). Could you just imagine if this economic development was embraced with modernized beer equity instead of the status quo?

Adam: We really do have a great environment for brewing beer here in PA – our laws are very pro-brewer. When I meet with other state guilds they are usually fighting for rights and privileges that we already have here in PA. We can self-distribute our beer and there isn’t a cap on how much you can self-distribute, there is no production cap on the amount of beer you can brew, we can have satellite locations where you can cross-sell other PA products (beer, wine, and spirits) and the cost for a brewing license is very reasonable compared to other states. Given this great environment, it is no wonder we have increased from 88 breweries in 2011 to over 350 today.

When is the last time you went to a brewery outside of PA? What stood out to you about that experience?

Dan: The most memorable experience at an outside Pennsylvania brewery was a few years ago when I (& a few others) were flown to California to be members of the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp at the Chico Brewery. Ken Grossman and his team run a first-class operation and provided us with a memorable experience. We were taught how to brew and helped develop a specialty beer (Guildy Pleasure) for their Beer Camp festival tour. Sierra Nevada is legendary and their dedication to “supporting local” is a model for many craft breweries.

Adam: I generally tend to stay in PA but when I went to visit the Erie Guild in 2019 I did head up to New York to visit Southern Tier. I had been to their taproom in Pittsburgh when it first opened so I was interested in checking out their original location. It was worth the journey. They had an impressive taproom and a great tour. I would say the thing that caught my attention was the number of out of state license plates I saw in the parking lot. It just goes to show that if you make great beer people will travel from all over the country to enjoy it.

Do you have a favorite beer or beers to drink right now?

Dan: In my role with the Brewers of Pennsylvania, I am exposed to a serious amount of phenomenal Pennsylvania beer from dedicated members of the guild. No way I can be pinned down to naming just a few. My beer refrigerator will always have a number of beers from the 5-7-0 but let’s just say my Yuengling cans share space with beers from everywhere in the state, Philadelphia to Erie, Pittsburgh to Pittston and quite a few from Central PA! Keystone Diversity.

Adam: Being from central PA I always keep an eye out for the latest seasonal release from Troegs. Nugget Nectar is one of my all-time favorites this time of year.

Where do you see the beer industry heading with content/social media and events?

Dan: The foam will continue to rise, however, there will be some that spill over the side of the glass. In other words, breweries that maintain a focus on quality and build a local following, can and will survive. Breweries who build both an online and in-person experience (combined with quality) will thrive. Unless our state legislature addresses franchise reform in a common-sense, win-win performance agreement, not in perpetuity, the deck will always be stacked against Pennsylvania breweries from expanding their footprint, no matter how strong an online following.

Adam: Nearly every BOP member has at least a website and/or Facebook page that they use to promote their brewery. Many others go above and beyond to promote their special events on various other social media platforms. It really has become a necessity in this digital age. As more breweries continue to open and competition increases I think we will see more breweries getting very creative in their social media advertising campaigns.

Give us your top 3 social media pages that you turn to regularly for inspiration.

Dan: Of course, Breweries in PA is a go-to source to learn even more about the individual beers being brewed and community efforts of Pennsylvania Breweries. I also really enjoy reading Bob Batz Jr from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Beer Busters Podcast, Lew Bryson, Craig Larimer (The Morning Call), Brewbound, Sara Bozich, Porch Drinking, It’s a Brew Life, Craft Brewing Business, Stouts and Stilettos, and a few others. Oh wait, you said three, oops!

Adam: I’m admittedly not a huge social media person. My day usually starts by checking the BOP website to see if Dan or Wayne have added any new content. Then I jump over to the Brewers Association website to see what is going on at the national level. I also keep an eye on the Breweries in PA website which has great content from across the state. I would say my only true “social media” involvement would be LinkedIn. I have connected with most of the other Executive Directors from across the country so I can keep tabs on what is going on in their respective states.

Thanks to Dan LaBert and Adam Harris for talking with us! You can find more information on them, as well as Brewers of PA on the BOP website, and also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.