First, Who Can Join?

The Independent Brewers Alliance is looking for U.S. and Canadian independent craft brewers who are industry leaders and innovators – committed to ethical business behavior, value long-term relationships and willing to work collaboratively with their fellow brewers for the benefit of the group.

Brewers must also meet the BA’s definition of an independent craft brewer. This means Small – under 6 million barrels of annual production with production attributed to a brewer according to rules of alternating proprietorship. It means Independent – less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not a craft brewer. And lastly is a Brewer – meaning has a TTB Brewer’s Notice and makes beer.

Two Classes of Membership

There are two ways for craft breweries to join the IBA. You can join for free as an Affiliate Member. The perfect way to test the waters. As an Affiliate Member you pay no dues and gain access to most of the IBA’s more popular savings programs. Then when things start working out for you, it pays to upgrade to Member-Owner status where you pay dues, and in return get full privileges including access to all savings programs with best supplier pricing, ownership in the IBA, voting rights and participation in our year-end profit sharing program. Read one Member’s success story of how they went from Affiliate Member to Member-Owner and why. You can read more about both classes of membership below.

Member-Owner Program with Full Membership Privileges

The Member-Owner Program offers access to all IBA savings programs, best supplier pricing, participation in any supplier volume rebate and profit sharing programs, plus ownership in the IBA with voting rights on IBA issues. To join as a Member-Owner a brewery must:
1. Pay $1,000 to purchase one share of voting stock in the IBA. Should you ever leave the alliance, your share will be returned to the IBA and you will get a full refund of the purchase price.
2. Pay annual membership dues of $2,500 plus $.05 per barrel produced in the prior calendar year. Dues are used to fund IBA program development.
3. Sign a membership agreement outlining the rules that govern the alliance, its structure and organization, how it operates, and the rights and responsibilities of its member-owners as laid-out in the alliance’s by-laws.

Affiliate Program

To join the IBA’s Affiliate Program – offers brewers access to most of the IBA’s savings programs – often at slightly higher prices than Member-Owners pay and no participation in any volume rebate programs. No dues are required but breweries must sign an Affiliate Program agreement outlining the rules that govern the program and the rights and responsibilities of Affiliate Program participants as laid-out in the alliance’s by-laws.

Interested in joining our Member-Owner or Affiliate Program? Fill out our simple application here or contact Laurie Jeffries – Director of Member Recruiting at laurie@brewersalliance.org.

1-Year Risk Free Trial for Member-Owners

Everyone who joins as a Member-Owner qualifies for the IBA’s one-year risk free trial. If at any point in your first year of membership you feel the Independent Brewers Alliance is not performing to your expectations, you can quit and get a full refund of your original membership fee and stock purchase cost. Just notify us by email within 365 days of becoming a member at matt@brewersalliance.org and we’ll send you a refund check within 7 business days.