The craft beer industry confronts its demons

• "This scourge of discrimination and inequity has festered and held us back," he told attendees at the Craft Brewers Conference, which concluded Sunday.
• "We are at an inflection point," added Virginia Morrison, the association's co-chair for diversity.

Why it matters: In the past 18 months, the beer industry struggled to address racism in its ranks, and an outpouring of stories emerged from women about sexism, harassment and assault.

• Flashback: The three female owners of Lady Justice Brewing in Aurora took their story to a national platform this summer, and at least one Colorado brewery owner publicly apologized for its workplace culture.

Between the lines: The conference is the largest industry-only gathering in the nation and typically is focused on education seminars and a trade show.

This year, the event had a different feel, with an entire track of meetings about workplace culture, ranging from diversity and inclusion to mental health.

• The conference included trainings from the National Conflict Resolution Center and promoted the #NotMe app to report misconduct and discrimination.

The bottom line: "We've been very reactive," Brewers Association's diversity ambassador Nikol Jackson-Beckham told John at the conference. "It's time to connect the dots."