Say Goodbye to Charlie Papazian As He Retires From the Brewers Association
D.J. at brewpublic.com:
Bob Pease, president & CEO of the Brewers Association issued the following statement on Charlie’s retirement…
“We would not be where we are today without Charlie Papazian. Armed with a vision, a mission and the passion to succeed, Charlie turned his love of homebrewing into a community and culture that has had profound implications for so many, both personally and professionally. His contributions are indelible and innumerable, and his legacy lives on as the Brewers Association continues to serve the community Charlie helped to create. Cheers to Charlie as he takes the next steps on his never-ending path of living and learning.”
I first heard about Charlie Papazian from “Dr. Bill” Sysak, who at the time, was a member of my podcast with Stephen Johnson, Brad Kohlenberg, and Matt Becker, named New Brew Thursday. In 2010, NBT got to interview Charlie for the first time at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), and again in 2011, also at GABF. One of the things he talked about that stuck with me was how the festival started so many years ago with only a handful of breweries. This blew my mind because we were interviewing him at the very beer festival that he founded, but were surrounded by hundreds of breweries and thousands of beer drinkers. It’s quite amazing how far GABF and the beer industry itself has come, and Charlie played a big role in that, not only because of his role in the Great American Beer Festival, but also his influence on so many homebrewers that would one day open breweries of their own. Charlie Papazian is a truly important figure in the American beer scene. He’s also a genuinely kind person who loves beer and the vibrant, enthusiastic community that surrounds it.
Thanks to Charlie for everything he’s done for all of us beer nerds over the years, and may we all never forget, “relax, don’t worry, and have a homebrew.”