Craft Brewers Conference 2026: What’s Happening in Philadelphia

The Craft Brewers Conference is back in Philadelphia. From April 20 to 22, the Pennsylvania Convention Center becomes the center of the American brewing industry — and for three days, the city fills with brewers, buyers, educators, and anyone else who cares about where independent craft beer is headed. Moreover, the timing this year carries extra weight. Philadelphia is hosting CBC for the first time since 2016, and it falls during America 250, the celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary. Beer and Philadelphia history have been tangled together since before the United States existed. This week feels like an acknowledgment of that.

If you are in the industry, attending the conference is obvious. However, even if you are not, the week around CBC transforms Philadelphia’s bar and brewery scene in ways that are worth knowing about. Good beer from all over the country pours through the city’s best venues during this stretch. Several of those events are open to the public. This post covers what CBC is, why it matters, and five things happening around it that deserve your attention.

What Is the Craft Brewers Conference?

The Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America is organized by the Brewers Association, the nonprofit trade organization that represents more than 9,300 small and independent American craft breweries. It is the largest gathering of beverage alcohol professionals in the country. Furthermore, it is not just a trade show. CBC includes intensive educational sessions on every aspect of running and improving a brewery — fermentation science, quality control, business operations, sales strategy, sustainability, and more.

The 2026 edition runs April 20 through 22 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street. It includes BrewExpo America, the trade show floor where suppliers, equipment manufacturers, hop growers, malt producers, and service providers exhibit alongside brewing companies. One badge gets attendees into everything: seminars, the trade show, networking events, sponsor activations, and the World Beer Cup awards ceremony on Wednesday evening at 5:30 PM. That ceremony is the closing event of the conference and one of the most significant nights in the annual brewing calendar.

Keynoters this year include Will Guidara, the former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, who will open Monday with a talk drawn from his work on hospitality. The closing keynote Wednesday comes from Bart Watson, BA president and CEO, who delivers his annual State of the Industry address — a data-driven look at where craft beer stands and where it is heading. Given the ongoing contraction in the brewery market and shifting consumer habits, that address will carry real insight this year.

Pennsylvania is home to 533 breweries, third in the country behind California and New York. The state produces more than 2.6 million barrels annually and contributes $5.2 billion to the national economy from craft beer. Hosting CBC here is not a coincidence. It is a statement about the industry’s investment in this region.

Five Events Worth Attending This Week

1. A New Pour — Pink Boots Society Philadelphia Festival (Sunday, April 19)

The week officially starts on Sunday, April 19 with A New Pour, a craft beverage festival organized by the Philadelphia chapter of the Pink Boots Society. The Pink Boots Society supports women and non-binary individuals working in fermentation and beverage alcohol through education and career development. Proceeds from the event fund their scholarship program directly.

The festival runs the evening before CBC opens and draws a mix of visiting industry professionals, local beverage lovers, and anyone who supports the mission. Vendors include Dogfish Head, Human Robot, Other Half, Yards Brewing, Victory Brewing, Sly Fox, Triple Bottom Brewing, The Referend Bier Blendery, and more than a dozen others. The afternoon includes educational panels and live music from two local Philadelphia acts. Think of it as the unofficial kickoff to CBC week, with a purpose beyond just the pint.

It is open to the public and tickets are available through Pink Boots Society’s registration page. If you are arriving in Philadelphia ahead of the conference, this is where the week starts.

2. Doom Bar CBC Tap Takeover (April 20, 2026)

Doom Bar on North 7th Street is hosting a multi-brewery tap takeover during Craft Brewers Conference 2026 week, bringing together a mix of respected breweries from across the country in one place.

The event kicks off at 6:00 PM on April 20 at Doom (421 N 7th St) and features a stacked lineup that leans heavily into breweries known for pushing modern styles—especially hop-forward beer and mixed fermentation.

The participating breweries include:

Brujos Brewing
Burial Beer Co.
Human Robot
North Park Beer Co.
Requiem Bier
Twin Elephant Brewing
Xul Beer Co.
Widowmaker Brewing

This isn’t a single “feature brewery” night—it’s more of a curated showcase. The draw is the variety: different regions, different approaches, all pouring in the same room. A lot of these breweries don’t regularly distribute in Pennsylvania, and even fewer show up together like this.

Doom fits the format well. It’s a smaller, no-frills space that naturally pulls in industry people during CBC week, especially those looking to get away from the convention center environment. Expect a crowd that actually cares about what’s on tap, along with a good chance of running into brewers themselves rather than just their beer.

3. Monk’s Café: Russian River & Sierra Nevada (April 19, 6–9 PM)

Monk’s Cafe is hosting a focused tap event on April 19 from 6–9 PM featuring Russian River Brewing Company and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

This one leans more classic. Russian River remains one of the most influential breweries in American craft beer, known for both its West Coast IPAs and its benchmark sour program. Sierra Nevada, one of the original pioneers of the movement, still sets the standard for consistency and balance—especially in hop-forward beers that don’t rely on haze to carry them.

At Monk’s, the expectation isn’t a massive list—it’s a curated one. A handful of well-chosen drafts, likely including IPAs and possibly limited pours, in a setting that’s built for sitting down and actually drinking rather than bouncing between stops.

4. Lawson’s Finest & Schilling at Glory Beer Bar (April 20, 2026)

Glory Beer Bar & Kitchen is hosting a tap takeover on April 20 during Craft Brewers Conference 2026 week, featuring Lawson’s Finest Liquids and Schilling Beer Co..

The event brings together two breweries that approach beer from very different angles. Lawson’s is best known for hop-forward releases like Sip of Sunshine—soft, expressive IPAs that helped define the Vermont style. Schilling, on the other hand, has built a reputation around precision lager brewing, with a focus on traditional European techniques and clean, structured profiles.

That contrast is what makes this one interesting. It’s not a single-style showcase—it’s more of a split tap list between modern hazy IPA and traditional lager, which tends to draw a crowd that actually wants to compare and talk through what they’re drinking rather than just chase one specific release.

5. Yards Brewing — CBC Commemorative Beer on Draft (April 20–22)

Yards Brewing at 500 Spring Garden Street in Northern Liberties is the brewery behind the official 2026 CBC commemorative beer. The beer is called “Of the Brewers. By the Brewers. For the Brewers.” — a 4.7% ABV pale lager brewed as a SMaSH (single malt, single hop) collaboration across every tier of the brewing supply chain. The recipe uses Spalter Select hops donated by IGN Hopfen and Bestmalz Heidelberg Malt from The Country Malt Group. Yards hosted the collaborative brew day on February 27 with brewers, industry partners, and supply chain representatives all in the building together.

Every registered CBC attendee receives a can at the convention center. For everyone else, the beer is available on draft at the Yards taproom during CBC week on a first-come, first-served basis. The can design draws from Philadelphia’s revolutionary printing history and includes a nod to Benjamin Franklin’s “Join, or Die” serpent — imagery that connects early American tavern culture to the collaborative spirit the conference tries to embody. Yards has been a part of this city’s brewing identity since 1994. Going to their taproom during CBC week to drink the commemorative beer is one of those moments that feels earned by the occasion.

We also have a tasting for Yards on the 17th from 4-6PM

Why This Matters for the Region’s Beer Community

Most of the events above are open to the public, not just conference badge holders. CBC week in Philadelphia is cool in that way — it creates a window when some of the best breweries in the country are actively pouring, collaborating, and talking in the city’s bars. The industry comes here to work, but it also comes here to be around people who care about the same things they do. That energy extends beyond the convention center walls in a way that does not happen in most cities during most conferences.

Pay attention to what is pouring this week. Some of it will not be available here again until the next time an industry event of this scale brings the right people to the same place.