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| Image Courtesy of Beer Advocate |
It’s no secret that the media world has experienced rapid change over the last few years. The truth is the media landscape has long been defined by change, including the niche occupied by beer periodicals like our own BeerAdvocate magazine. And change, while painful at times, can often be a positive.
As with many businesses, that quick pace of change creates risk. In January 2018, we changed the format and frequency of our magazine from a 72-page monthly to a 112-page quarterly. There were a number of sound reasons for the switch, and we were optimistic at the time about the future of our print publication, which has featured award-winning writing and beautiful art and photography over the course of its history. But the frequency and format change was not enough to overcome some of the larger trends in the market, and as you have undoubtedly noticed by now, we unfortunately weren’t able to fulfill our subscription obligations last year. So, as much as it pains us to make this announcement, we’ve decided that the best course of action is to discontinue the print edition of BeerAdvocate magazine.
Issue 134 will be the last issue of our magazine, which we will release to subscribers as a PDF in April. Moving forward, we do intend to continue publishing original content, but any and all articles will appear on our website. No future issues of the magazine—print or digital—are planned at this time. We deeply appreciate the support and encouragement we’ve received from readers since launching BeerAdvocate magazine back in 2007, but we’ve decided to focus on our strengths: the website, our festivals, and our new app.
This news will certainly be disappointing and frustrating to many, and we do want to sincerely apologize to everyone who had expected to continue receiving issues of the quarterly. However, along with some of our industry friends, we intend to fulfill our subscription obligation to you in a way that’s fair and valuable.
Respect Beer Society
First, all existing subscribers have the option to claim a free one-year online membership to our new Respect Beer Society, which entitles you to more than a dozen awesome perks, from beta testing our app, to discounts, advertising-free browsing, extended users stats, and much more. (Link and code provided in BeerAdvocate email).
Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine
In addition, our friends at Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine will be fulfilling print subscriptions for all customers who are still owed issues beyond issue 134. Their passion for quality and desire to share the stories and techniques of great brewers aligns with ours, and we think you’ll enjoy their bimonthly issues. Your first issue of Craft Beer & Brewing will arrive in May and—unless you renew—will expire when your current BeerAdvocate subscription would have lapsed. As a bonus, BeerAdvocate subscribers who expire with issue 134 will also be receiving a digital copy of their June/July issue. If you’re a current Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine subscriber, your subscription will be extended by the amount of remaining issues.
Once again, we truly thank you for your subscriptions, your support, and your understanding.
Sincerely,
Todd & Jason Alström
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