Biochemistry and the Mash
Larry Horwitz covers carbohydrate structre, enzymes, hydrolysis and protein in this presentation.
Blame the Maltster: An Overview of Malting Operations and How They Influence Your Beer
As brewers, we understand that malt provides the base and backbone of beer flavor and fermentability. Because we have a lot of options when it comes to malt, understanding how they are produced can influence what we choose to use. This talk will explore influencing factors such as barley selection…
Brewing Better Beer: Practical Applications
Join author Gordon Strong as he discusses how to apply favorite reader tips from Brewing Better Beer. Understand the decisions and reasoning used to create two new all-grain recipes. Learn the approach, not just the recipes, as you see how your target beer preferences impact the decisions you make throughout…
Brewing Chemistry 101: pH and Buffering
This talk will cover basic brewing and water chemistry. Much of the chemical knowledge needed to understand how water affects brewing can often be daunting. However, words like pH, hardness, alkalinity, temporary hardness and residual alkalinity can be simplified once brewers understand the dual concepts of pH and buffers and…
Brewing with Induction
Few brewers use electric heat to boil—and frequently transition to propane when the opportunity arises —and many are missing out on the benefits of electric induction elements, either as a primary or secondary source of boil heat. Induction is cost-effective, efficient and safer than traditional electric elements or propane/LNG jet…
Building a Walk-In Cooler
Build your own walk-in cooler and do it on the cheap. This talk will outline how I built a 10'x4'x6' space for approximately $150, via Craigslist and eBay. While it won’t be easy to repeat this cost, it can be done. Styrofoam makes up the majority of the supplies needed…
Cider Revolution: How to Brew Great Cider from Everyday Ingredients
We are in the midst of a revolution in cidermaking and many homebrewers are still not aware how easy it can be to make outstanding ciders with inexpensive, easy to acquire ingredients. This talk will discuss proven methods for making excellent fruit and specialty ciders from commonly available ingredients, using…
Colonial Brewing Practices and Beers with Historical British Influences
The freedom-seeking settlers were influenced by their dependency on fermented beverages, a necessary alternative to the tainted water supplies in England. They brought with them a great appreciation for alcoholic beverages, a perspective derived from a long brewing tradition founded in folk wisdom, herbal pharmacopoeia and lore, political leadership and…
Come One, Come All—Wait a Minute: Assessing the Elastic Limits of Opportunity
These days it seems a new brewery is opening every day. Well, actually, that's true—a new brewery is opening pretty much every day, and sometimes more than one. With this proliferation of new breweries attempting to sell their beer in an already crowded market, questions are being asked in all…
Current Techniques and Recent Developments for Brewing Great IPAs
In a follow-up to last year’s presentation on brewing historical IPAs, this year’s presentation focuses on current craft brewing techniques to brew other great IPAs. We will discuss hop varieties, hop products, alternative hopping schedules, and methods to maximize hop flavor in beer. We’ll also review IPA style variations, such…
Fermenting on the Flip Side: Alternative Fermentations & Practices
Not everyone has the time or space for traditional homebrewing techniques, at least not all of the time. And even if you do, perhaps you're seeking something new and different to brew. This seminar will include practices that can cut down on the time and space required to brew. We’ll…
Geeking Out in the Cellar
Have you ever wanted to track and control what is going on in the cellar while you’re away? We will discuss a couple of options available to you. We will review the simple solutions as well as how to achieve full mastery of your cellar temperature control.
Gluten-Free Brewing
Celiac disease affects roughly one percent of the U.S. population. Many of us know people who have this disease and are denied the basic joys of barley and wheat-based foods, including beer. Commercial constraints can hinder good gluten free beer being brought to market. The U.S. beer industry is again…
Going Pro Panel
Dick Cantwell is joined by professionals from multiple corners of the brewing world in this seminar focused on enlightening those homebrewers interested in turning their hobby into a career. Industry experts will be on hand to provide insights covering topics from sourcing ingredients and formulating hop contracts to acquiring equipment…
Historic Water
The range and variety of beer styles from around the world were in large part the products of the local water they were brewed with. The local water chemistry made some styles more suitable for brewing or the water enhanced beer flavor. Unfortunately, some brewers make the mistake of trying…
Hop Growing 101: An Introduction for Everyone, Including Non-Gardeners
The goal of this seminar is to demystify hop growing and give participants the knowledge and confidence to grow their own. While there is a lot of information online about growing hops, it is scattered. The seminar will offer one-stop-shopping for anyone contemplating growing hops. This talk is suitable for…
Hops vs. Malt: A Smackdown with Cheese
Two brews go mano a mano in this tasting, competing for your vote. In the ring: a hoppy ale and a malt-focused brew. On the plate: five artisan cheeses. Guided by Cheese & Beer author Janet Fletcher, you’ll learn to identify the cheese styles that respond better to hoppy beers…
How to Improve Club Events and Empower Leaders
There is a lot of good homebrewing talent out there, but more often than not, those organizing events have difficulty tapping into it. This session aims to empower club leaders, elected or otherwise, with tools to make their events successful. We'll talk about classic pitfalls, the fear of failing in…
It’s Not Done ’til it’s Done: Post-Fermentation Mead Tweaks
Mead fermentation can be unpredictable, especially with unusual ingredients. At the end of primary fermentation you may be left with a problematic beverage. Learn techniques you can employ to deal with those issues and transform a lifeless mead into something enjoyable.
Mastering Mead
An engaging discussion on mastering the mead making process, from the perspective of a homebrewer gone professional. Learn how Michael Fairbrother formulates new recipes and refines the basic elements, and what's involved to make great mead time and time again. This presentation will include a sampling of several of meads…
Mead and Chocolate: Experience Excellence
Join Berniece Van Der Berg of Moonlight Meadery for an overview of mead and chocolate pairings—samples included. Learn about taste perception, flavor hooks, and why mead works so well with a wide range of chocolates.
Methods of Creating and Maintaining a Wild House Culture
This presentation aims to help homebrewers create unique, complex and enjoyable beers using a house culture—a cocktail of non-traditional yeasts and bacteria from any number of sources. Several methods of creating and maintaining house cultures will be discussed and compared, each of which has been developed to make brewing with…
Practical Malting
Craft malting is emerging as an industry that directly supports craft brewers and homebrewers. Andrea and Christian Stanley from Valley Malt discuss what motivated them to start a malt house in Massachusetts and share their equipment and process. Many homebrewers possess an inherent DIY attitude toward their craft. Andrea will…
Process Improvement and Beer Enhancement: The Nano Experience
This seminar will address several topics of interest for advanced homebrewers, nano brewers and those pondering going pro at the nanobrewery level. In August 2012, the partners who own and operate Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland opened a new concept called Nano Brew Cleveland—a 24 tap beer bar and brewpub…
Serving With Style
The time has come. You have been honing your brewing craft, reading Palmer, Noonan and Zainasheff. You have tweaked your brews, entered the competitions to get guidance and pored through the forums. After brewing your best stuff, controlling your fermentation, lagering and aging, you are about to serve your pride…
Stand on Your Two Brewing Feet
Join George Hummel, author of The Complete Homebrew Beer Book and Mid-Atlantic Brewing News’ homebrew columnist, as he illustrates taking the next steps from beginner brewing. Drawing on almost 30 years of brewing experience, he’ll show how to extract the most flavors from malt extract-based beers. Leveraging the vast array…
Step Up Your Starters: Insight into Yeast Propagation for Homebrewers
This presentation, intended for advanced homebrewers, will not be your ordinary talk about making yeast starters and how they can improve your beer. Drawing on research in yeast growth and fermentation performance , this seminar will provide insight into how yeast grows and what affects yeast growth and health in…
Stepping Up Your Sensory Game: How to Be a Better Taster
The necessity of being able to accurately describe your beer, whether you’re a judge or simply an aficionado, cannot be overstated. As the community continues to grow exponentially, homebrewing competitions are popping up around the globe, requiring more and more qualified judges. We will discuss topics including the identification of…
The Science of Beer Flavor
Join West Chester University Chemistry professor Dr. Roger Barth as he discusses the science behind what you taste when having your favorite brew. In this presentation, Roger breaks down what the anatomy of flavor really is, from taste and aroma to the mouthfeel and flavor threshold of your beer. Go…
Waste Not, Want Not: Sustainable and Frugal Homebrewing
The intent of this seminar is to show varying sustainable brewing concepts for water use, chilling, heating and energy recovery, ingredient sourcing and waste disposal. The pros do this to maximize profits; homebrewers can do it to have more money to buy ingredients and beer, and lessen impact on the…
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