Schedule
Tuesday, September 26
2-5pm
Interpreting Brewing Water: pH, Alkalinity, and Water Adjustments, a lab skills workshop with Dr. Chris Palmer and Dr. Bob Hall (University of Montana campus)
6-8pm
Welcome drinks at Dram Shop (229 E Front St.)
Trade Show Set-up and Registration (Holiday Inn Downtown, Atrium)
Wednesday, September 27
8-9:30am
Registration (Atrium)
8:30-9:30am
Breakfast (Clark Fork Room)
9:30am-12:15pm
Plenary Session (Parlor BCD)
Welcome Address - Ethan Kohoutek, MBA President
State of Montana Beer - Matt Leow, MBA Executive Director
Debriefing a Historic Legislative Session for Brewers - Sen. Terry Vermeire, Rep. Katie Sullivan, MBA Executive Director Matt Leow and moderated by MBA President Ethan Kohoutek
Keynote: “Winning the Future” - Joe Whitney, Chief Commercial Officer at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Keynote: “The high Price of Cheap Grain” - Bob Quinn, Organic farmer, scientist and author from Big Sandy, Montana
12:15-1:15pm
Lunch (Clark Fork Room)
12:15-1:45pm
Trade Show (Atrium)
1:45-3:15pm
Breakout Sessions 1
NEW! (Moved to an earlier slot in the day) Safeguarding Your Brews, Empowering Your Brewers: Insights on Safety and Retention - Brittany Buck, Employer Flexible (Parlor B)
Good Manufacturing Practices in the Brewing Industry - Claude Smith, Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (Parlor C)
Montana Brewers’ Roundtable - Loy Maierhauser, MAP Brewing Co. & Mark Bergstron, Bozeman Brewing Co. (Parlor A)
3:25-4:25pm
Breakout Sessions 2
Advanced Hop Products: Tools for Brewing Better Beer - Roger Herpst, Hopsteiner (Parlor B)
Draft Systems: Design, Operations & Troubleshooting - Rich Higgins, Master Cicerone & Consultant (Parlor C)
NEW! (Car troubles, moved to a later slot in the day) Courageous Conversations - Shannon Stober, Jumpstart Training (Parlor D)
4:35-5:35pm
Breakout Sessions 3
Sell More Beer with Well Trained Beertenders - Sara Killeen, Montana Craft Beer Connection (Parlor B)
Propagating and Repitching Yeast - Matthew Peetz, Propagate Lab (Parlor C)
Hop Sensory: Evaluating Your Hops for Better Beer - Jake TeSelle, Crooked Yard Hops; Brittany Ricks, MAP Brewing Co.; Hunter Riddle, Flathead Valley Hops (Parlor A)
7-9pm
Beer dinner at Cambie Taphouse (945 Wyoming St., Suite 145)
thursday, September 28
8-9:30am
Registration (Atrium)
8:30-9:30am
Breakfast (Clark Fork Room)
9:30-11am
Member Meeting (Parlor BCD)
11:15am-12pm
Plenary Session (Parlor BCD)
Keynote: “Why Brewers Should Care What Happens in the Statehouse” - Sam DeWitt, State Government Affair Manager at the Brewers Association
12-1pm
Lunch (Clark Fork Room)
12-1:30pm
Trade Show (Atrium)
1:30-2:30pm
Breakout Sessions 1
Digital Design Assets - John Faunce, Tuscola Branding (Parlor B)
2023 Legislation Updates: New Policies Impacting Breweries and Navigating Retail Licenses - Dacia English & Lisa Clayborn, DOR ABCD (Parlor C)
Setting Up QA/QC on a Budget - Jared Long, Black Tooth Brewing Co. (Parlor D)
2:45-3:45pm
Breakout Sessions 2
Tired of Turnover? Let’s Talk Retention - Kelly Brunger, SG Long; Patrick Kainz, MAP Brewing Co.; Paul Marshall, Draught Works Brewery; Teal Soden, Fairbanks Police Department (Parlor B)
The Importance of Oxygen Control in Brewing and Packaging - Thomas Sierra, Pentair Food & Beverage (Parlor C)
Beer Pairing Training to Help You Lead in Food and Beer - Julia Herz, American Homebrewers Association (Parlor A)
4-5pm
Breakout Sessions 3
Collaborative Breeding of Malt Barley for Flavor Using Heirloom Malt - Hannah Turner, Jamie Sherman, and Bruce McMahon, MSU Barley, Malt & Brewing Lab (Parlor B)
Documentation, Discipline, and Difficult Conversations - Brittany Waiss, KettleHouse Brewing Co. (Parlor C)
Off Flavors - Loy Maierhauser, MAP Brewing Co. (Parlor A)
6-8pm
Dinner and beer at Highlander Beer (200 International Dr.)
Friday, September 29
Fall Rendezvous - Caras Park
11 am-3 pm Beer judging
3-8 pm Brewfest