The American Craft Beer Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2026, honoring eight influential figures whose work has helped shape, advance and sustain the US craft beer movement. The organization exists to preserve and celebrate the history of craft beer in the United States by recognizing the people who built it, championed it and ensured its continued growth so that their contributions will not fade with time.
The Class of 2026 reflects excellence across brewing science, entrepreneurship, advocacy and education:
- Charles Bamforth — A British scientist specializing in malting and brewing, Bamforth is a former president of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and served as the endowed professor of malting and brewing sciences at the University of California, Davis Brewing School. He later worked as senior quality adviser to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and has received numerous industry honors, including the Brewers Association Recognition Award, the Master Brewers Association of the Americas Award of Honor, and honorary life membership in the MBAA.
- Larry Bell — Bell founded Kalamazoo Brewing Company (later renamed Bell’s Brewery) in 1985 and became a frequent speaker and presenter throughout the industry. He received the Brewers Association Recognition Award for innovative brewing and dedication to craft beer, while Bell’s Two Hearted Ale earned recognition from the American Homebrewers Association as one of the best beers in the United States.
- Sam Calagione — Alongside his wife Mariah, Calagione co-founded Dogfish Head Brewing Company in 1995 and became widely known for championing experimentation and nonconformity in brewing. He invented Randall the Enamel Animal draught flavoring device and later starred in the Discovery Channel series “Brew Masters” in 2010, helping bring craft beer culture to a broader audience.
- Teri Fahrendorf — One of the first women brewmasters in the United States, Fahrendorf led brewing operations at Golden Gate, Triple Rock and Steelhead brewing companies and earned eight Great American Beer Festival medals. A 2014 Brewers Association Recognition Award recipient for lifetime achievement, she is also a respected consultant, technical writer and international speaker, and founded the Pink Boots Society to support women in the beer industry.
- Kim Jordan — Jordan co-founded New Belgium Brewing Company in 1991 and guided the brewery’s growth from a small startup into one of the nation’s most prominent craft producers. Under her leadership, New Belgium became known for its sustainability initiatives and culture of social and environmental responsibility. She has also been named a 2025 inductee to the Colorado Business Hall of Fame.
- Garrett Oliver — Oliver has served as brewmaster at both Manhattan Brewing Company and Brooklyn Brewery and is widely respected as an author and educator. His works include “The Brewmaster’s Table” and “The Oxford Companion to Beer.” Named an honorary Beer Academy Sommelier by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, he remains a sought-after speaker and international beer judge.
- Pete Slosberg — Slosberg co-founded Pete’s Brewing Company in 1986, and its flagship Pete’s Wicked Ale helped define the American brown ale style while becoming the No. 2 selling craft brand at its peak in the mid-1990s. He later authored “Beer for Pete’s Sake” and continues to contribute to the industry as an international beer judge and co-founder of the South Beer Cup competition.
- Carol Stoudt — Stoudt and her husband opened Stoudt’s Brewing Company in 1987, where she became one of the first female brewmasters in the United States and the nation’s first female sole proprietor of a brewery. A recipient of the Presidential Award from Breweries in Pennsylvania, she is widely recognized as a trailblazer who helped expand opportunities for women in the craft beer business.
