SAVOR Behind the Scenes: How the Brewery Selection Process Works

On Friday, May 9th and Saturday, May 10th, Washington, DC will once again host SAVOR. Seventy-six breweries will participate in the event. Here is how they got here.

Sixteen breweries are “Supporters,” meaning that by virtue of paying $15,000 as a “Supporting Partner,” or $5,000 as a “Supporting Brewer,” they bypass the lottery system that the Brewers Association (BA) has set up to choose the other sixty breweries. A list of these breweries is available on the SAVOR site, as are a list of the other benefits given to supporters, according to this PDF.

In 2014, 151 breweries entered the lottery for 60 spots. All breweries that enter the lottery must be members of the Brewers Association. Breweries that win the lottery are charged a fee to pour beer at SAVOR based on the amount of beer they brewed the previous year, ranging from $1,000 to $2,250. Entering the lottery is free. More details are available on the SAVOR site.

The lottery winners must be able to bring two beers to the event, al