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Joint Technical Meeting
MBAA-Rocky Mountain District and ASBC Wild West Chapter
Thursday, November 5, 2008, 5:30PM-9:00PM
at
6th Floor Auditorium, MillerCoors
13th & Ford Streets, Golden, Colorado 80401

The fall meeting for District Rocky Mountain was held at the Miller/Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado on November 5. This was a joint meeting with the ASBC. Also in attendance, were a few representatives from the local IBPA chapter. It was a very diverse group for the evening. The attendance for the meeting was approximately 100 -- a mixture of professional and associate members and their guests.

The evening started with the beer tasting/social hour at approximately 5:00 pm. Tours were arranged thanks to Co-Technical Chairman Toby Eppard, Miller/Coors, and began shortly thereafter. Following the tours, both groups settled down with some savory food and tasty beers for the business portion of the evening. It was decided to hold the ASBC Business Meeting concurrently with the MBAA Business Meeting over dinner in separate areas of the Tour Center. This assisted with expediting the evening's events and worked well for both groups.

President Biegert opened the MBAA business portion of the evening by welcoming the attendees and again thanking Toby and Miller/Coors and their staff for hosting and sponsoring the fall meeting. Membership Chair Dana Johnson, Birko Corporation, reported that current membership is approximately 181 and climbing. Our roster increased another 5 members since the summer meeting at Wild Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery. Dana mentioned there is a new 'money saving' membership application now available. A payment of a mere $233.00 will entitle you to membership in the MBAA for 3 full years! He again encouraged all new attendees to become MBAA members. As an enticement to encourage new signups, the E-Board is giving away two free meals to each new attendee who decides to join the club. 10 free meals were given away tonight alone! Vice President Gary Dick, New Belgium Brewing Co., reported on the Board of Governors Meeting in La Quinta, CA. One salient point of interest: Retirees will not receive the MBAA Communicator by e-mail. Gary said the board suggested that individual districts should print out the periodical for the retirees. Some attendees voiced the opinion that this is not an effective use of resources. It is perhaps more environmentally responsible to send out the document to all members via good old Cyber Space (E-Mail). More discussions will surely ensue on this issue. Secretary Jon Kemp, AB/InBev, had no new earth shattering news to relate. Publicity Chair and Treasurer, Jim Canary AB/InBev (ret) reported next. Jim began by asking for suggestions and input on the district press releases. Jim then reviewed the financial status of the RMD. He stated that our funds continue to grow with total reserves of approximately $15,000.00. Just under $11,000 of the total was recently moved to a higher interest-bearing savings account (doubling the rate of return from 0.5% to a mind numbing 1.1%!) --- not bad for this economy!

Jim reminded all to apply for scholarships. The money is there for this reason.

Scholarship Chair Steve Presley, AB/InBev (ret.), also encouraged members to apply for funds and then subsequently made a nomination for a scholarship recipient - Ali Hamm. As a Masters candidate in Horticulture at Colorado State University, Ali has been instrumental in studying the feasibility of cultivating hops in the state of Colorado. Growing the spicy cones in our state could prove to be a boon to growers and brewers alike. She entered a written application for scholarship funds for financial assistance with the MBAA Brewing and Malting Science course in Madison, Wisconsin November 1-12th. She was unable to attend the Coors meeting due to her attendance at this seminar. After a short discussion, the maximum dollar amount for a scholarship ($300.00) was approved. It will be awarded to her at the next MBAA meeting. Congratulations Ali!

At this point the business meeting was adjourned, and the group moved to the auditorium for the technical speaker for the evening, Perry Dickerson, New Belgium Brewing Co. Perry's talk was titled Packaging and Warehouse Quality Assurance - The Link Between the Brewery and Happy Customers. Perry reviewed key issues that need to be emphasized in order to exceed customer expectations and be successful in the marketplace. All brewers must strive to improve and not "just fight fires". Typically, large brewers manage by auditing, and small brewers attempt to teach the proper procedures and then "cross their fingers". Some key points made by Perry that are relevant to all customer driven companies: Use a Holistic Approach to Managing, Emphasize Partnerships, Use Statistical Tools (SPC), and most importantly, Understand Your Process and Key Material Attributes (both in-house and at the supplier warehouse). Keeping these quality pointers in mind, there is no "one size fits all" solution for QA issues. Each brewery must understand its challenges and apply relevant world class tools to solve them. Use SPC tools, emphasize operator ownership and allow QA to focus on building 'systems' to resolve problems. Adjust your procedures according to what works for you and your suppliers.

Running a bit late we flew through the much anticipated and critical final part of the night, the door prices! An adept and efficient team of raffle masters combined to disperse the hats, bottle openers, mugs, t-shirts and t-tops all courtesy of the Miller/Coors Gift Shop.

Final note of business: The next function sponsored by District Rocky Mountain is the Winter Meeting to be held in early February. Stay tuned to the district website for information on the exact date/time/location and coming attractions including the rest of the 2010 calendar of events!

James (Jim) Canary
Publicity Chairman & Treasurer
Master Brewers Association of the Americas, District Rocky Mountain
November 10, 2009