Maine Brewers’ Guild

What Maine Brewers’ Guild does

The Maine Brewers' Guild is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 1986 and granted IRS nonprofit status in 1994, representing Maine's craft brewing industry. It serves two primary member segments: licensed brewery members (150+ breweries producing 99.9% of Maine-brewed beer) who pay $0.30 per barrel in annual dues, and allied trade members (suppliers, equipment vendors, and service providers such as Crosby Hops, Amherst Label, and Maine Malt House) who purchase tiered Platinum, Gold, or Supporter memberships. The organization is governed by a board of directors composed of elected brewery employees and operates with a single paid staff member, Executive Director Sarah Bryan, headquartered in South Portland, Maine.

The Guild's core offerings span consumer-facing tourism products and B2B industry programs. Consumer products include the Maine Beer Trail digital passport (beertrail.me, launched August 2020 with 100+ participating breweries across 8 regions) and the Plan Your Route tool, which integrates with Google Maps to enable custom brewery itineraries. B2B and community products include 207 Beer Week (an annual November 1–9 celebration featuring 80+ events), the New England Craft Brew Summit (a B2B conference attracting 400+ industry professionals), the Annual Golf Scramble, and Quarterly Member Meetups. Revenue is generated through brewery and allied member dues, event ticket and sponsorship sales, and voluntary donations from beer fans; financial details are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Maine Brewers’ Guild

Legal name

Maine Brewers' Guild

Website

https://mainebrewersguild.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Maine Brewers' Guild is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association representing 150+ Maine craft breweries (99.9% of Maine-brewed beer) through per-barrel dues, allied supplier memberships, and signature events including the Beer Trail, 207 Beer Week, and the New England Craft Brew Summit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewing Trade Association

NAICS

Breweries (31212)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Craft Brewing (AFAFAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC), Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE)

Keywords

• Craft beer trade association
• Brewery industry advocacy
• Nonprofit trade guild
• Beer tourism promotion
• Brewery membership organization

Headquarters

HQ city

South Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Brewery Member Dues: Annual dues from brewery members based on barrel production ($0.30 per barrel produced in prior year), with new member dues at $250.
2. Allied Member Dues: Annual dues from allied trade members including suppliers, equipment vendors, and service providers to the brewing industry.
3. Beer Event Proceeds: Revenue generated from hosted events including 207 Beer Week, New England Craft Brew Summit, and Annual Golf Scramble.
4. Donations: Voluntary donations from beer fans and supporters of Maine craft beer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Maine Brewers' Guild is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association that represents Maine's craft brewing industry through Brewery and Allied Membership programs, legislative advocacy, and statewide consumer promotion. It operates consumer-facing tools such as the Maine Beer Trail digital passport, an online Brewery Directory, and a Plan Your Route trip-planner, and convenes the industry via annual events including 207 Beer Week and the New England Craft Brew Summit.

Product overview

The Maine Brewers' Guild operates as a nonprofit trade association serving Maine's craft beer industry, offering a suite of member services and consumer-facing products. The core consumer products include the Maine Beer Trail digital passport for tracking brewery visits, a Plan Your Route tool integrated with Google Maps for trip planning, and the annual 207 Beer Week celebration. The Guild also organizes the New England Craft Brew Summit conference, Annual Golf Scramble, and Quarterly Member Meetups. For industry members, the Guild offers Brewery Membership and Allied Membership programs that provide advocacy, networking, and promotional support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brewery Membership Program Annual membership tier for Maine craft breweries, providing legislative advocacy, statewide consumer promotion via the Maine Beer Trail, Brewery Directory listing, and access to Guild events such as 207 Beer Week and the New England Craft Brew Summit; dues are structured per barrel of Maine-brewed beer.
• Allied Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 165 active licensed breweries in Maine as of 2022
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Portland GreenDrinksminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 June 2026Portland GreenDrinks is part of the international Greendrinks network — an informal, volunteer-managed social networking community built around sustainability. The Guild partners for joint networking events to promote craft beer and environmental consciousness.
• Brewers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Guild is a Brewers Association Supporter, aligning with the national craft beer industry organization for advocacy and promotion.
• Maine Office of TourismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Maine Office of Tourism supports Guild efforts to promote Maine breweries, contributing to statewide tourism initiatives.
• Allen Insurance and FinancialcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the 2026 New England Craft Brew Summit.
• Amherst LabelminorOthersLabel manufacturer serving beer industry. Platinum Allied Member of the Guild.
• Crosby HopsminorOthersHop supplier and Platinum Allied Member providing ingredients to brewing industry.
• Yakima Chief HopsminorOthersHop supplier and Platinum Allied Member serving the craft brewing industry.
• Maine Malt HouseminorOthersMalt supplier in Mapleton, Maine. Platinum Allied Member supporting local ingredient sourcing.
• Blue Ox MalthouseminorOthersMalt house in Lisbon Falls, Maine providing locally-sourced malt to Maine brewers.
• Russian River Brewing CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured keynote at 2026 New England Craft Brew Summit. Co-owner Natalie Cilurzo will present. Exclusive Allagash × Russian River collaboration debuts at Summit kickoff.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• California Craft Brewers Association: California's nonprofit trade association for craft breweries. Direct peer operating the same model — dues-funded advocacy, signature events (e.g., Craft Beer Summit), and consumer-facing craft beer tourism resources — but at a meaningfully larger state scale.
• Oregon Brewers Guild: Oregon-based nonprofit trade association representing the state's craft breweries. A direct peer — same nonprofit structure, same member-dues model, same role in advocacy, promotion, and consumer-facing brewery tourism programs for a regional craft beer market.
• Colorado Brewers Guild: State-level nonprofit trade association for Colorado craft breweries. Direct peer with parallel activities — brewery directory, advocacy, events, and industry promotion — in another high-per-capita craft beer market.
• Washington Brewers Guild: Washington state's nonprofit craft beer trade association. Direct peer running a similar brewery directory, advocacy, and consumer events model for the Pacific Northwest craft brewing community.
• Craft Beverage Association of Indiana (or equivalent state guild e.g., Brewers of Indiana Guild): State-level nonprofit craft beer trade association (Indiana example). Direct peer with parallel membership, advocacy, and event programming for another state's craft brewing community.
• Vermont Brewers Association: Nonprofit trade association representing Vermont craft breweries. Direct peer in a neighboring New England craft beer market with comparable advocacy, member events, and tourism-driven brewery trail programming.
• Massachusetts Brewers Guild: Massachusetts-based nonprofit trade association for the state's craft breweries. Direct peer running the same membership, advocacy, and consumer engagement model in another New England craft beer market geographically adjacent to Maine.
• New York Brewers Association: New York state's nonprofit trade association for craft brewers. Direct peer with analogous dues-funded advocacy, events, and consumer brewery directory activities for a large craft beer market.
• New Hampshire Brewers Association: New Hampshire-based nonprofit trade association for in-state craft breweries. Direct peer operating the same advocacy and consumer-facing brewery promotion model in a neighboring New England state.

Broad incumbents

• Brewers Association: National trade association representing craft brewers across the U.S. Directly comparable as the parent-level trade body the Maine Brewers' Guild aligns with as a 'BA Supporter.' Functions similarly — advocacy, events, and industry promotion — but at a national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mebrewersguild

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maine Brewers’ Guild