| Contents for January 3, 2012 | President's Message
World Brewing Congress
MBAA Courses
From the Technical Director
Heritage Committee Update
Publications Committee Update
Membership
In Memoriam
| | President's Message |
Happy New Year to all MBAA Members!
 I trust everyone enjoyed the holidays and is ready for an exciting new year! One of the first exciting changes for the MBAA is the announcement of two new MBAA Committee Chair appointments. Rick Seemueller (MBAA District Cincinnati) is the new Heritage Committee Chair taking over for Jerry Hilton and Rex Halfpenny (MBAA District Michigan) is the new Publications Committee Chair taking over for Ashton Lewis. I would like to extend my deepest sincere thanks to both Jerry and Ashton for their contributions serving as MBAA Committee Chairs with first class professionalism, enthusiasm and commitment. I look forward to Rick and Rex taking over the reins of these two important committee’s and ask all members to join me in thanking both for stepping up and volunteering their time.
In addition to the two new chairs, I would also like to introduce and thank the rest of our MBAA Committee Chairs for their contributions in 2011 and look forward to their support in 2012. In the coming weeks the Executive Committee will be contacting each committee chair to request their action plans for 2012 in support of the MBAA Long Range Strategic Plan and how to further energize and engage the entire organization. There are numerous opportunities for our members to become engaged in the MBAA either though MBAA Districts and/or MBAA Committees. If interested in stepping up and contributing, please contact your local District Officers, Committee Chairs or me.
Best wishes for the New Year.
Mike Sutton, MBAA President
| MBAA Executive Committee |
From left to right: Past President Robert McCaig, Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre; 2nd Vice President Mary Pellettieri, MillerCoors; President Michael Sutton, SS Steiner Inc.; Treasurer Ruth Ellen Martin, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.; Technical Director Karl Ockert, MBAA; 1st Vice President Horace Cunningham, Third Street Brewhouse |
* Indicates new committee chair.
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| | Back to Top | | World Brewing Congress | |
Call for Papers: World Brewing Congress 2012
One month remains for you to submit your research to be considered for the WBC 2012 program. Plan ahead and submit your research early for this world-class event taking place July 28–August 1, 2012, in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. For more information about WBC, visit the website or follow @2012WBC on Twitter. Suppliers, the exhibit floor is filling fast, so reserve your space today!
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| | Back to top | | MBAA Courses | |
IBD Exam Review Courses
Is one of your goals in 2012 to complete the IBD Diploma in Brewing exams? If so, then MBAA is here to help you prepare. MBAA will be reviewing the Diploma in Brewing Module 1, March 5–9 and Module 2 March 12–16, 2012, at MBAA Headquarters in St. Paul, MN. These courses can be taken separately or back-to-back, and are an excellent way to prepare for the exams. Space is limited, so register today!
Attend the Brewery Packaging Technology Course for FREE!
MBAA members are eligible to apply for the MBAA Scholarship. The recipient will have their tuition waived for the Brewery Packaging Technology Course taking place April 29–May 10, 2012, in Madison, WI. Applications must be received by February 1, 2012, to be considered. This class will sell out soon. If you are planning to attend, be sure to register early to secure your seat.
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| Back to top | | From the Technical Director | |
A Look Back and Ahead
2011 has been a busy year for the MBAA:
- We launched a new program aimed at educating wholesalers, retailers and other beer professionals beyond the brewery gate about beer history, styles, freshness and flavor through our Beer Steward Certificate programs. We trained about 1,000 people and will expand that number in 2012. By working with and helping the people who serve our flavorful, refreshing products we can elevate the stature of beer in the market place and expand the opportunities where customers choose it.
- We educated 100 students through our Malting and Brewing Science and our Packaging Technology short courses. These students enjoyed two-week long immersion camps at the University of Wisconsin in Madison where they heard presentations from industry professionals and made new contacts and friends with whom they can continue to work with throughout their careers.
- Our Technical Committee, chaired by Mary Pellettieri, brought out a superb program for the 2011 Minneapolis Annual Conference. We saw about a 35% increase in attendance with scores of brewers coming to hear presentations on new research and innovations along with workshops diving deeply into popular new brewing techniques like barrel aging and dry hopping. Once again another opportunity to make new friends and expand professional networks.
Looking ahead to 2012:
- The Beer Steward Certificate programs will continue to train beer professionals in all aspects of taking care of, describing, and presenting beer to customers. The program will add more accessibility to expand its presence as we work to include more bar and restaurant staffing to our graduates list. If you have a brewpub operation, check us out.
- The Website Committee chaired by Rob McCaig is working with MBAA Staff to refresh and update the look, feel, and functionality of mbaa.com making it more user-friendly and increasing its value as a member resource tool. The new look should debut this coming summer.
- The HACCP/GBP Sub-Committee chaired by Jim Kuhr is producing guidelines for breweries of all sizes to meet basic U.S. food safety requirements. Once those are produced they will be published on the new mbaa.com website.
- Work is proceeding on the new edition of the Packaging Technology book, which should be ready to publish by early 2013. This is a work involving thirty authors in the packaging industry.
- Our Technical Committee, now chaired by Susan Welch, and in association with her ASBC counterpart, is preparing the technical program for the not-to-be-missed 2012 World Brewing Congress in Portland, Oregon July 28–August 1.
I am constantly told by people in other industries that the brewing industry is unique in its ability to pull its colleagues together, share knowledge and have some fun together. Of course beer is a great social lubricant, but it is available at almost all industry conferences. There is something special about our industry that allows and encourages its members to work together, assist and innovate. This is the continuing mission of the MBAA, and we can measure our success by how involved and connected our members feel. Happy 2012 everyone!
Karl Ockert
MBAA Technical Director
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| | Back to top | | Heritage Committee Update | |
Seeking Member Involvement for MBAA 125th Anniversary
 By way of introduction, I am Rick Seemueller, the new Chair of the Heritage Committee. I have the regrettable distinction of replacing the irreplaceable Jerry Hilton. We certainly thank Jerry for all of his exhaustive efforts in the past. Thankfully, Jerry has agreed to remain active on the committee.
The MBAA celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2012! This milestone event serves to remind us of the importance of our industry's history and heritage, at both the national, and District level. We, as Heritage Committee members, would like to ensure that there is a process to identify senior and/or retired brewers, or business leaders in the various support and allied trade businesses. We are looking for librarians, archivists, writers, historians, hobbyists, or anyone knowledgeable about our industry. We cannot afford to lose their personal oral histories, memories, diaries, records, letters, photographs, meeting minutes; any information that is historically pertinent and enlightening to the MBAA, at national and District levels.
Your Heritage Committee will be offering some guidelines that might help to achieve this. In the meantime, please feel free to e-mail me, or any Heritage Committee member with your thoughts, suggestions, or questions.
We are looking forward to an exciting, 125th year for the MBAA!
Prost!
Rick Seemueller
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| Back to top
| | Publications Committee Update | |
Rex Halfpenny to Chair the Publications Committee
 Many will already recognize Rex’s name from his Michigan Beer Guide, www.michiganbeerguide.com and the Michigan Brewers Guild which he founded with this wife Mary. Rex is currently the president of District Michigan and we are very fortunate to have him agree to chair the MBAA publications committee, taking over from Ashton Lewis. The publications committee oversees our book publication efforts adding to the MBAA library of technical textbooks, conference proceedings and handbooks. The committee’s main task is to identify worthwhile, interesting and relevant book projects, find authors and an editor to steward the project and then help guide the project through to competition. There are already book projects underway, if you would like to join Rex on the committee please contact him at mibeerguyd@aol.com
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| | Back to top | | Membership | |
Help Other Brewers Start the New Year Right!
Now is the perfect time to share MBAA with your colleagues. The brewing world is growing and MBAA offers important technical information—plus access to the best brewers in the world. Tell your fellow brewers what your local district is doing, and be sure to share news about the upcoming World Brewing Congress in July. Your colleagues can join online and be a part of MBAA for the new year!
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District Officers: Send Us Your Events
The MBAA would like to ask that all District Officers please send in their meeting dates for the next year. We would like to have an updated events calendar as soon as possible so please inform Linda Schmitt of your upcoming 2012 District events.
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| | Back to top | | In Memoriam | |
 J. Antolin Sierra Benavides held a variety of senior technical positions with Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma in Monterrey, Mexico and was a brewing instructor for Siebel most recently. He also served as a member of the MBAA Technical Committee. He passed away on November 21, 2011 after a battle with cancer. Benavides joined the MBAA in 1981 and was an Independent Member.
The MBAA received notice from the family of Marcus Hertel, of Hertel GmbH, that he recently passed away. Hertel joined the MBAA in 2009 and was a member of District Europe.
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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| | The MBAA Communicator
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Submission deadline for next issue: Wednesday, February 1, 2012
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"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."
—Kinky Friedman
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