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President's Message |
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 As my time as your President draws to a
conclusion I would like to once again thank all of my fellow Executive members
and the staff at Scientific Societies. I would also like to acknowledge the hard
work of all of the Committees and the Board of Governors. These people all
volunteer their time to ensure that our organization continues to move ahead and
serve our members and the industry, no small feat given how busy we all are in
our jobs these days.
It has been an incredible honour (Canadian spelling) to be the MBAA President
this past year, and a huge opportunity to meet and interact with the members as
well as represent the MBAA at other brewing conferences around the world. I look
forward to continuing to serve MBAA in the future and look forward to an even
brighter future for our great association.
Cheers,
Rob
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Featured News |
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 Attendance
is Booming for the MBAA Annual Conference; Hotel Reservation Deadline Extended
Have you registered to attend the MBAA Annual Conference yet? More than
425 of your colleagues have!
Register now to connect with hundreds of brewers from across the industry
and around the world. This year's program is top notchā€” see for yourself by
taking a sneak peek at the
program book, now available online. Plus, the housing deadline has been
extended to today, October 4. Reserve your room at the Minneapolis Hilton by the
end of the day today to ensure your discounted rate. The Minneapolis Hilton is
the headquarters hotel as well as the site of the conference. The 2011 MBAA
Annual Conference is just two weeks away–register
and make your
hotel reservations!
Help Complete the Second Edition of MBAA's Beer Packaging
Are you interested in being part of a team that will finalize
the update of Beer Packaging for MBAA? We are looking for interested individuals
from the beer and beverage industry to be involved in seeing the project through
to completion. Both associate editors and contributing authors are needed. We
are seeking individuals knowledgeable in the areas of project management,
environmental management, can filling, bottle filling, glass bottle
manufacturing, soft drinks and specialty products, packaging materials, and beer
quality. Beer Packaging, will cover all aspects of up-to-date packaging
information, including packaging materials, filling, quality management,
engineering and project management, line design and controls, and containers. It
will be a standard reference for packaging industry professionals worldwide. Are
you willing to invest in this effort? Do you know anyone else who might be
willing to share their expertise? If so, please contact MBAA Technical Director,
Karl Ockert.
Diploma Brewer Module 1 and 2 Preparatory Courses
Offered by the MBAA
Attend these courses to prepare for the Institute of Brewing
& Distilling (IBD) Diploma in Brewing Examination.
Module 1, "Materials and Wort", and Module 2, "Yeast and Beer" will assist
attendees in mastering all facets of brewing from raw material to finished beer
in bright tank. The courses are open to anyone without prior work or educational
requirements, however participants are encouraged to be well-grounded in science
and have some exposure to professional brewing or allied trade. The completion
of the IBD General Certificate in Brewing is helpful, but it is not required.
Why Should I Take the Exam? IBD certifications are recognized as highly
respected and valuable professional designations. Breweries around the world use
the Diploma in Brewing to qualify potential technicians, team leaders, and head
brewers. This course is specifically geared to those planning to take the IBD
Diploma in Brewing exam. Instructor: David Taylor, DG Taylor Consultancy
Associates Ltd, Accredited Trainer for the Institute of Brewing & Distilling.
History Now Posted in the Heritage Archive of MBAA
Website
At the time of the 100th year anniversary of the MBAA (1987),
and its anniversary convention in Milwaukee, Brewer's Digest Magazine published
a comprehensive history of the MBAA's first 100 years. The piece was 13 pages
long, and included photos of many of the past officers. It has been posted in
the
Heritage Archive Section of the MBAA website for public viewing.
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Technical Director Notes |
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 2011
Hop Crop is in the Barn
I spent last week touring both Oregon's Willamette and Washington's Yakima Valleys sampling hop lots and talking with growers and
suppliers about this year's crop. The last farms were completing harvest and
finishing up deliveries to supplier warehouses for final testing, inspection and
grading. Growers have adjusted to shifts in brewers' hop needs, which can be
seen in large changes in varietal acreages. Willamette acreage continues in a
steep decline, down 42 percent to 1844 acres from last year, and nearly 75
percent from the 6858 acres in 2007. Disease pressures and an oversupply of
commodity alpha has triggered some adjustment to planting in super-high alpha
crops like Columbus-Tomahawk-Zeus (CTZ) whose acreages declined a combined 8.5
percent. Other varieties less sensitive to powdery mildew such as Apollo, Bravo
and Super Galena actually grew slightly. Overall, however, there was a net
reduction in acreage from 31,289 last year to 30,016 acres this year. On a
positive note, the net aroma hop acreage increased with varieties like Cascade,
Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo and Citra adding significant acreage.
Even with the cool, wet spring and early summer, yield levels
appeared to be normal for established vines. Most contracted amounts will be
met; though supplies for Centennial, Chinook and some others are tight. For the
"baby" vines in the Yakima Valley yields were unexpectedly low. Normally a crop
can be planted and a fairly high yield received during a hop vine's first year
in the warm, irrigated Yakima hop fields, not so this year. In general, the
alpha levels on aroma varieties seemed to be a bit higher than normal. Some
varieties, like Cascade, came in just under 10 percent and Crystal over six
percent alpha acid. Mildew pressures in both areas took their tolls especially
on the late harvest varieties. The alpha count on the super-highs, especially CTZ, were trending at lower levels than normal. For more information about this
year's crop numbers as they are completed visit:
www.usahops.org and
www.usda.gov as well as your hop supplier's website.
Karl Ockert
MBAA Technical Director
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Technical Tips |
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Water: The Double-edged Sword, Part 1
This month's technical tip outlines the pros and cons of
water, and procedures to make sure it does not destroy your capital from the
inside out. Tips include lubing your bearings frequently to keep them
well-packed, installing shields in bearing/gearbox areas, and more. The
entire technical essay is available on the MBAA website.
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District News |
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District New
England Fall Event Updates
The Redhook Brewfest is
October 15 in Portsmouth, NH and the upcoming district fall meeting will take
place at Cape Ann Brewery in Gloucester, MA, October 28. District
representatives ask that if you are a member of the New England district that
you post a
Redhook Brewfest poster in your brewery, posters are available online for
download. The district fall meeting will be a panel discussion on craft
distilling. The panel includes Ned Wight of the New England Distillers and Joe
Swanson of Cold River Distillers, among others in the distilling industry.
Dinner and social hour begins at 7 p.m. following the panel. Additionally,
representatives encourage members to apply for the available
scholarship.
District St.
Louis Kicks Off the Fall Meeting Schedule
With the 2011 Annual Golf Tournament behind us, we would like to offer
thanks to all the participants, sponsors, and beer contributors for making it
memorable. Special thanks go to Daniel Jones, our District Golf Chair for all
his efforts through the year, and his uncanny ability to ensure good weather.
Our next meeting is Thursday, October 20, at Ferguson Brewing Company. Please
join us!
Bell's Brewery
Expands
Member of District
Michigan, Bell's Brewery, Kalamazoo, Michigan, recently added a 200 Bbl GEA/Huppmann
brewhouse. Vessel shells were fabricated at their shop in Hudson WI. Some
specialized parts such as the lauter tun bottom and heat exchange surfaces were
fabricated in Germany. All vessels, including the 21' diameter lauter tun, are
shipping complete from the shop, taking up two full highway lanes. The 42,000 sq
ft. expansion also includes grain storage and handling areas, 14 (400 Bbl)
fermenters, supporting mechanical systems, and some offices and employee areas.
The brewhouse is scheduled to come online in February for production.
District Rocky Mountain Summer Meeting Recap
District Rocky Mountain held their 2011 summer meeting at the Dry Dock
Brewery in Aurora, Colorado on August 10. Kevin DeLange, the owner of Dry Dock
Brewery, spoke to a packed house on the subject of "The Rapid Increase of Small
Breweries in Colorado.¯" A
full recap of the meeting is available on the MBAA website, and includes
pictures of the event.
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In Memoriam |
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Charles Lichtendahl passed away on August
30, 2011. He joined in MBAA 1949 and was a member of District Cincinnati.
We also said goodbye to District Western New York member
Norman R. Sione. Norman passed away September 2, 2011. He was a member
of the MBAA since 1982 and was a well-known member of the local and
international brewing industry.
On September 7, 2011, Robert J Pehr, Sr., a
long-time member of MBAA passed away. Robert actively contributed to the
District St. Louis for nearly 50 years after joining in 1948. His son, Bob Pehr,
Jr. is also a member of the MBAA, with District Mid-Atlantic
We would respectfully request that district officers or relatives notify
Cheryl Kruchten
as soon as possible upon the death of one of our members or retirees: Cheryl
Kruchten, Member Services Representative, Master Brewers Association of the
Americas, 3340 Pilot Knob Rd., St. Paul, MN 55121, U.S.A. Direct Phone:
+1.651.994.3801; Main Phone: +1.651.454.7250.
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Send Us Your News |
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The MBAA Communicator, please send items to
MBAA Headquarters.
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Americas
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