Thirty years ago, beer media was a sparsely covered niche with a lot of beer reviews—and not much else. Today, it’s a global topic appearing regularly in dedicated magazine columns, numerous independent blogs, on the pages of social media influencers, and beyond.

This panel will touch on the history of beer media but will focus on its current role and look at the future that’s evolving right now. How can breweries leverage relationships with media to inform, educate, and promote their business, and what should they be doing in-house to control their narrative? How do beer writers seem themselves as part of the beer industry, and what are the expectations from both journalist and subject? How can journalists balance editorial work with advertorial work, and what are the rules of transparency from both sides? As print dwindles and media budgets shrink, where do we see the future of beer media going?

Jeff Alworth is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. He writes about beer, cider, and occasionally, politics. His books include The Beer Bible (Workman), The Widmer Way (Ooligan), The Secrets of Master Brewers (Storey), and Cider Made Simple (Chronicle). His books have twice been cited by the North American Guild of Beer Writers as Best Book, and in 2016 The Beer Bible was named best wine, spirits, or beer book by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). He also co-hosts the Beervana Podcast, where he and Oregon State University economics professor Patrick Emerson discuss beer and the economics of beer. Jeff has taught university courses about beer and the brewing business, and regularly leads educational tastings and events. Currently, he also offers virtual corporate tasting events via Teamraderie.

Tristan Chan is the Founder of PorchDrinking.com. Over the past ten years, PorchDrinking has focused on positive storytelling within the craft beer industry, serving as a resource, and making beer fun, approachable, and inclusive. Tristan also recently launched his own marketing consulting firm, The Porch Collective, to help breweries and hospitality brands share their stories through PR, Social Media, Partnerships, and overall Marketing Strategies.

 Moderator, Beth Demmon (she/her), is an award-winning San Diego-based freelance writer and podcaster who specializes in covering the culture of craft beer for numerous local, regional, and national outlets. She is a member of the North American Guild of Beer Writers; the British Guild of Beer Writers; a BJCP-certified beer judge; a Certified Cider Professional; co-chair of the San Diego Brewers Guild’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee; and founder of the Diverse Beer Writers Initiative. Follow her work on bethdemmon.com or on Twitter at @delightedbite.

Courtney Iseman has been a journalist for a decade, focusing primarily on craft beer for five years. She has written for outlets including Good Beer Hunting, VinePair, Craft Beer & Brewing, Thrillist, Craft Beer, Atlas Obscura, Vice, PUNCH, Fodor's, and HuffPost. She writes a monthly beer column for metal magazine Decibel, is a content consultant for craft beverage e-commerce platform TapRm, and writes a free weekly beer culture newsletter, Hugging the Bar.