State Of The Association – June 2026

Yo Everyone! Hope you had a good May.

Here’s what BDOA has been up to the last couple of months, in case you missed it!

We hosted our first virtual all-member meeting, bringing together 30+ members from around the country, where we shared ideas, talked BDOA and just hung out and got to know one another.

It was a lot of fun getting to see the community interact in a new way, and I’m excited to see how these meetings progress!

Our next meeting will be on June 12 at 5PM PST, so make sure to join and come hang out with us! Video call link.

Not only did we come together virtually, but we also did it in person too. We added another Chapter in Charleston, South Carolina, bringing us up to six Chapters across the nation.

Four other Chapters hosted get-togethers and meetups to bring their members together for some beer and good times.

We also did an all-member Shotgun Challenge with several people submitting their videos to be crowned the fastest chugger in BDOA!

Congrats to Ricky W. #2112 from Texas for winning the competition! They will receive a BDOA shirt and get their name etched onto the BDOA Championship Plaque.

As for me, I have been working with the Chapters to coordinate June’s member challenge — the Beer Can Pyramid Challenge: to see who can build the tallest beer can pyramid!

This will be a nationwide, all month long competition with the winning person/team getting their name on the Championship Plaque! You can find out more information on the BDOA website.

Also, for every beer can that is used in the competition, we will be making a donation to a local charity for the deposit amount. So the more people that join, and the more cans that we all use, the bigger the donation!

As always, it’s been a lot of fun building BDOA with you, and even more fun getting to know all of you.

Here to chat, answer questions, and help out anyway I can. Make sure to reach out to me directly if you need anything hayden@beerdrinkersofamerica.org

Now on to some updates, upcoming events, and member voices.

BDOA Updates:

• Member Count: 2,983
• Biggest State: California – 304 members
• Smallest State: Delaware – 4 Members
• Chapters: 6 (Oregon, West Virginia, Michigan, Minnesota, California, South Carolina)
• Discord Count: 410+ members – Join the member-only Discord
• March Madness Champion: Kyle Brewer #1,920 – Pennsylvania
• Fastest Shotgun Winner: Ricky Williams #2,112 – Texas

Upcoming Event:

• Monthly Virtual All Member Meeting will be held on June 12th at 5PM PST. Join the Facebook Group to stay updated and join the meeting!
• This month’s member challenge is the Beer Can Pyramid Challenge. The goal is simple: build the tallest beer can pyramid. The winner or winning team will get their name on the BDOA Championship Plaque.
  
  For this challenge, We will be donating the deposit value of every beer can used in the competition to charity. The more cans used, the bigger the donation.

Find out more information here.

Member Voices:

Below are unedited messages submitted by BDOA Members. This section is for shoutouts, stories, Chapter updates, meetups, beer trips, and anything else members want to share with the Association.

1. DOYNE R UNGER #2,205 (Indiana)
   MY LOVE FOR BEER GREW WHILE LIVING IN CENTRAL TEXAS FOR 20+YEARS. SHINER BOCK BECAME MY CHOICE OF BEER THANKS TO A GOOD FRIEND. WHILE HELPING HIM BUILD A NEW GARAGE HE INTRODUCED ME TO SHINER BOCK AND I MADE THAT MY CHOICE IN AFTER THAT. NOW I LIVE IN INDIANA WHEN EVER I AM IN A PLACE THAT SELLS SHINER IT ENDS UP IN MY CART. WHEN I CAN’T GET SHINER MY NEXT CHOICE OF BEER I GO FOR MODELO NEGRO. I DO LIKE THE DARK BEERS, AND OF ALL I HAVE TRIED THESE ARE MY FAVORITE.
2. Lincoln T. #2,039 (Minnesota)
   I’m sending a callout for any member in South Dakota or Minnesota. Trying to find more members near me to meet up. I’ll be going to Madison, SD for school this fall. I’m on the discord if any of yall wanna hit me up.
3. Julio D. Rodriguez #1,542 (Rhode Island)
   Greetings my fellow beer drinkers. I’ll be visiting family in NJ this month. I’ll also be visiting some breweries in NJ (Central Jersey) and PA (Lehigh Valley and Bucks county). If anyone is around, let me know!
   
   Email: NYKnicks1501@yahoo.com
4. Michael #493 (Minnesota)
   Hey guys! We’ve received a few new members in Minnesota!! Looking to reach all MN members about our chapter meeting on 6/27 at Wooden Ship Brewing in Minneapolis at 2pm. Hope to see you there!!
   
   Email: cannon.falls.bdoa@gmail.com
5. Paul Tisch #2,129 (Michigan)
   Greetings from Shelby Township, MI! 🇺🇸
   
   The Shelby Township Chapter is firing on all cylinders, and we are officially keeping the craft beverage conversation loud, local, and mission-driven. For those unfamiliar with what we are building out here in southeast Michigan, our entire chapter is anchored by The Three Pillars of our Charter, affectionately known as The Three Legs of the Barstool:

• Leg 1: Camaraderie – It’s all about building real fellowship, enjoying beers with old friends, and making plenty of new ones over a great pour.
• Leg 2: Supporting Local Breweries & Taprooms – The craft scene needs us. When our chapter shows up, we deliberately pack the house on traditionally slow days to help get butts in stools and keep these local businesses thriving!
• Leg 3: Giving Back to the Community – We drink with a purpose. In exchange for driving a crowd of thirsty beer lovers to a venue, we ask them to directly contribute a portion of our group’s proceeds straight to the local food pantry to fight food insecurity right here at home.
  
  Our May chapter meet-up at Steampunk Tap Room was an absolute blast. The highlight of the night was having every member in attendance sign our official BDoA flag—a piece of chapter history we’ll take with us to every destination. The night was such a success that the Steampunk owner and BDoA member Paul Weihs stood on the bar and thanked us for packing the place!
  
  We are also implementing clever new ways to grow our ranks. A huge shout-out to member Joe Nagy (2137) for a brilliant idea that we’ve officially deployed: many of our local crew are now sporting their official BDoA membership cards on lanyards! Even better, we’ve added a custom QR code straight to the back of the cards. Now, whenever we are out at breweries or taprooms, anyone who wants to join the crew can scan the back of our lanyards right then and there.
  
  Finally we’ve been busy spreading the word online as well. I recently sat down with the guys over at the Man Cave Happy Hour podcast to talk shop, swap local beer lore, and pitch the BDoA mission. You can check out the full video recording of the episode here: (https://www.facebook.com/ManCaveHappyHour/videos/2518206162029969).
  
  If you are in the area, stop drinking alone and come grab a stool at our next event!
  
  Cheers,
  Paul Tisch (2129)
  Questions? Hit us up at shelby.township.bdoa@gmail.com

1. Tyler #928 (West Virginia)
   I want to give a shoutout to everyone from the WV chapter who came and supported us at our first festival appearance! Everyone hung around the tent and helped showcase the BDOA pride and friendship that we encourage. They also brought 14 new members into the chapter! Thank you all, we would not be where we are today without your support!
   
   Email: Tyler@beerdrinkersofamerica.org
2. Raymond Holmes #1,083 (Florida)

• 1. Possible Monthly, quarterly, yearly meet up (local chapter, state chapters, all BDOA members)
• 2. Best beer photo contest (non-creators or influencers)
• 3. Once a month chapter photos (group pics)
• 4. Possibly a “discord” or “twitch” channel.
• 5. Patreon channel for non-members. (low monthly rate for exclusive content)

Email: Intoxstat.info@gmail.com

1. Jason Reihing #2,548 (Kentucky)
   Need to work out a beer trading program for local beers in different places we can send and trade with each other to try different local beers from all over from other towns.
   
   Email: Jreihing71@gmail.com

Closing Remarks:

We should pass 3,000 members this week! This marks our fastest 1,000-member gain to date — we added 1,000 new members in just under five months!

To keep the momentum going, I want you to ask a friend to join Beer Drinkers of America. Ask a friend to join this month’s competition, or sign up your dad for Father’s Day.

Buy them a membership for $14.99 here.

Let’s keep growing and get our next thousand members even faster. The goal is to do it in three months this time!

That’s all for this month. As always, I’m here to chat, so email me back or message me on Instagram if you would like to chat, make suggestions, or get more involved!

Cheers!
Hayden R.
#001