The 2026 Nominees

The American Craft Beer Hall of Fame is proud to announce the nominees for its 2026 class of Inductees.

A Board of Advisors—comprised of respected analysts, commentators, brewers, and advocates— has reached consensus on the following nominees for enshrinement in the 2026 class (in alphabetical order):

·         Charlie Bamforth

·         Larry Bell

·         Sam Calagione

·         Kim Jordan

·         Ray Daniels

·         Teri Fahrendorf

·         Garrett Oliver

·         Pete Slosberg

·         Mitch Steele

·         Carol Stoudt

These nominees represent the diverse and interconnected facets of the craft beer community, including brewery founders, brewers, writers, educators, innovators, and champions of the culture who helped elevate American craft beer to global prominence.

“This year’s ballot is like a “Who’s who” of some of the most important figures in American craft beer.” explains The Hall’s founder and President, Marty Nachel. “Every one of the nominees has been absolutely foundational to the industry’s success, and we could not be prouder to have the opportunity to induct some of their number into the Hall in 2026.”

As of this blog post, The Hall’s Electors are casting their official votes for the final list of new Inductees, with those Inductees being announced in February. This second class of Inductees will join last year’s Inaugural class (see previous blog post).

The 2026 Induction ceremony will take place live online, on Saturday, February 28th, with watch parties taking place at various breweries across the country (details to follow).

Last year’s Induction Ceremony can be streamed for free online on YouTube.