Hello Fellow NABA Members!

There has never been a better time to be a NABA member. That’s a pretty bold statement to make for an organization that’s 50 years old. But it’s absolutely true. Here are some reasons why:

Biggest membership numbers: Consider that NABA now has more members than at its previous peak in the early 1990s, when we were the beneficiary of the beer can collecting boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s. NABA is growing at an unprecedented pace thanks to the work of our members, local chapter partnerships, social media, and organization leadership.

Expanded magazine: We went from 48 pages per issue just a few years ago to varying from 64-80 pages. Every edition of this magazine has more than 100 members participating in its publication!

Largest convention attendance: We set a record last year for our 50th convention in Milwaukee and hotel bookings for this year in Pittsburgh are 50% above last year! The Pittsburgh convention has some amazing programming—there’s still time for you to register.

More local chapter affiliations: We now have 48 local chapter affiliates—more than twice as many as we had 5 years ago. The strength of our hobby is at the grassroots level and NABA is happy to help promote our chapters and their events.

Outstanding leadership team: I have the privilege of working with a truly dedicated and talented team that we’ve steadily assembled to drive NABA forward. This includes our Board members, Membership Committee, and magazine staff. Check out the names of this terrific group of people on page 1 of this issue. They are truly some of the finest people to work with on behalf of our club and hobby.

Strategic partnerships: This magazine has covered the news about our partnership with The Mill/Cone Top Brewery Museum, an incredible project in development in Vicksburg, MI. Our association with Cone Top will provide NABA with tremendous exposure and gives our members an opportunity to curate displays in a state-of-the-art museum—at no cost to our organization—when this amazing facility opens in 2026.

We are in the second year of our successful partnership with Morean Auctions, a leading breweriana auction company, to host our convention auction and reinvigorate it to the premier level it once enjoyed before the days of the Internet. This is NABA’s most important source of operating funds and allows us to do all the things mentioned above—without raising dues!

NABA also has sponsored the Trayman2.0 brewery tray capture project, which will provide a website of all known North American trays and will be packed with information—and available to all collectors at no cost.

And stay tuned…we are on the verge of announcing another major partnership that will hugely broaden NABA’s exposure, build membership, and offer our members an additional opportunity to create exhibits and displays of their breweriana.

Has there ever been a better time to be a NABA member? We don’t think so. And we are glad to have you as a member and grateful for your involvement and support!

See you in Pittsburgh!