As always, the Association of Brewers, host of the Craft Brewers Conference, recognized contribution to the brewing industry with awards announced at the Grand Banquet. This year the AOB Advisory Board Recognition Award went to Mary Ann Gruber of Briess Malting Co. with more than 40 years in the business. Her influence has touched the entire brewing industry and her recognition brought a standing ovation from peers.
The AOB Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation was given to Phil Markowski of South Hampton Publick House.
“This award means a lot to me. This is clearly one of the highpoints of my brewing career,” comments Markowski. “I have no doubt that America is the best place to be a brewer because we don’t have the burden of having to carry on a long brewing tradition. We have more freedom to be creative and can gather influences from all over. That’s what Russell Schehrer did and that’s the example I try to follow.”