Brewers Association Urges Beer Fans to Put Phones Down on National Beer Day

The Brewers Association launched a campaign earlier this month with a message that cuts through the noise of the social media age: put the phone down and pick up a pint. Timed to National Beer Day on April 7, the initiative carries the tagline "Phones Down. Beers Up!" and pushes both breweries and their regulars to treat taprooms and brewpubs as the genuine community spaces they are.

The campaign's central argument is direct. "Unlike our smartphones, craft beer actually brings people together," reads the messaging on CraftBeer.com. "Neighborhood taprooms and brewpubs are some of the last great gathering places we have, and they deserve to be celebrated and protected. On April 7, put the screen down and pick up a pint."

The practical hook for drinkers who need a nudge: the BA points out that most Americans live within 10 miles of a craft brewery. CraftBeer.com is hosting a Brewery Finder tool to help anyone locate a nearby taproom or brewpub, whether the plan is to stay for a flight or grab a crowler to go. Breweries looking to activate around National Beer Day can download free promotional assets from the same site, and anyone wanting to signal their allegiance to independent beer can sign up as a supporter through CraftBeer.com.

The BA, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, is the not-for-profit trade association representing more than 5,600 U.S. breweries and over 27,000 homebrewers. Its programming spans the World Beer Cup, Great American Beer Festival, Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America, Homebrew Con, the National Homebrew Competition, and American Craft Beer Week. Its publishing arm, Brewers Publications, is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the country, and the organization puts out both The New Brewer and Zymurgy magazines, the latter being essential reading for anyone with a fermenter in their garage.

"Phones Down. Beers Up!" fits into a broader pattern of BA campaigns built around getting drinkers physically back into taprooms. This past January, the organization, working alongside a coalition of state brewers guilds, launched "Pour Love into Local," a winter messaging push that invited both beer drinkers and non-drinkers to visit local breweries during the historically slow post-holiday period. That campaign highlighted how breweries function as gathering places serving "diverse, creative and innovative offerings beyond traditional beers."

For anyone wanting a reason to celebrate April 7 beyond the calendar, the BA's Independent Craft Brewer Seal offers a practical guide to the beer aisle. The seal identifies beers brewed by small, independent U.S. craft breweries, and CraftBeer.com encourages shoppers to seek it out whenever they're browsing for a pack to bring to the taproom or crack at home.

With over 9,500 breweries now operating nationwide, the infrastructure for a genuine National Beer Day celebration exists in nearly every zip code. The BA's campaign simply asks that when you find your spot on April 7, you keep the phone in your pocket long enough to actually taste it.