Brewers from throughout Arkansas are making big plans to converge upon Fayetteville July 12 and 13 for all things beer—as the Arkansas Brewers Guild hosts its popular annual conference “The Natural State of Beer.” There will be plenty to learn, people to meet and bottles to swap, and there’s no question one of the highlights of the gathering will be a chartered brewery tour to visit the veritable explosion of microbreweries in the region.

The learning portion of the conference will feature morning and afternoon sessions on a variety of topics, including distribution, sustainability, water quality, small business practices and the Cicerone Certification Program designed to extensively educate beer professionals in order to enhance the beer serving and tasting experience for consumers. This year’s keynote speaker will be Neil Witte, Quality Ambassador for the national Brewers Association, author and twenty-plus year veteran of the craft beer business. Witte is currently one of only thirteen Master Cicerones, the highest level of Cicerone certification and a recognition of “outstanding tasting abilities with an encyclopedic knowledge of commercial beers.”

Registration for The Natural State of Beer is $100.00 and includes lunch and refreshments. Discounts are available for Arkansas Brewers Guild member breweries and member employees. For more information, please visit arkansasbrewersguild.org.