American Homebrewers Association Earns Dual IRS Nonprofit Status, Expanding Its Mission

After 47 years operating under the Brewers Association's umbrella, the American Homebrewers Association has secured a landmark dual nonprofit designation, receiving official IRS approval in January 2026 for two separate entities: a 501(c)(6) membership association incorporated in Colorado and a 501(c)(3) charitable organization incorporated in Texas.

The AHA, which was founded in 1978 and has operated as a division of the Brewers Association since 1983, counts more than 20,000 members and runs flagship programs including the National Homebrew Competition, Big Brew for National Homebrew Day, Learn to Homebrew Day, and Zymurgy, the longest-running magazine in homebrewing. The Colorado-based 501(c)(6) carries the formal name American Homebrewers Association, with a stated vision of "a homebrewer in every neighborhood and a homebrew club in every community." The Texas-based 501(c)(3), informally called the A-HA Foundation in community circles, extends the organization's charitable reach.

The path to this moment began quietly. The Brewers Association board approved the recommendation for AHA independence late in 2024. By January 2025, the AHA had incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in Colorado, later switching that classification to a 501(c)(6) and initiating steps to establish the separate Texas charitable entity. On July 7, 2025, the AHA formally separated from the Brewers Association, naming Strategic Association Management as its operations team and introducing a founding board composed of Drew Beechum, Sandy Cockerham, Shawna Cormier as chair, Gary Glass, and Gregory Roskopf. Over the summer of 2025, the organization recruited, trained, and seated five new committees and more than 30 member leaders. November brought the public filing announcements for both nonprofit statuses, and January 2026 delivered the IRS approvals.

Founding board chair Shawna Cormier, who also serves as a Brewers Association at-large board member, drove much of the groundwork. "We did extensive research, surveyed members and interviewed numerous stakeholder groups to determine the next best steps for the AHA," she said. "Our members should be excited to have front-row seats to history. We're eager for the AHA to chart its new path and meet the needs of the homebrewing community."

Brewers Association president and CEO Bart Watson framed the separation as a natural evolution of two organizations that have long shared DNA. "The craft beer revolution of the 1990s and early 2000s sprang from the shoulders of homebrewers who went pro and started their own breweries," Watson said. "But times change. And so, after 42 years of integration and partnership, the time has come for both organizations to venture on to new journeys independent of one another." The Brewers Association is providing one-time seed funding and deferred revenue from membership dues to support the AHA's transition.

The AHA's 501(c)(6) mission statement sets an explicit community-building mandate: "We celebrate and promote the art, science, and joy of fermentation, championing a united and knowledgeable community of today and tomorrow's homebrewers." Board elections are currently open through March 29, giving members a direct role in shaping the organization's next chapter as it operates, for the first time in four decades, entirely on its own terms.