January 2011 marks the official retirement of our Technical Director Ray Klimovitz. MBAA owes a huge thank you to him. Suffice it to say, MBAA is in a much better place and has a bright future thanks to the groundwork set in place by Ray. I consider myself very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Ray on the Executive Board these past few years. We are planning to honor him at the upcoming MBAA Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN.
With Ray's retirement, we now have our new Technical Director Karl Ockert flying solo after several months under Ray's wing. Karl is very busy right now with the MBAA Beer Steward Certificate Program. This program has the potential to be a huge revenue stream for MBAA that, in turn, will allow us to better support our members. More importantly, this program is a grassroots approach to promoting "beermanship" that should lead to a better understanding of beer by our customers and hopefully result in more sales for the entire industry. A dedicated website should be up and running for this program in January - keep an eye out for it!
Our MBAA Districts continue to excel at delivering value to our members through top-notch programs. I am excited that my home District, Western Canada, will host a joint meeting with the Western Barley Growers in Calgary, AB, Canada, February 16-18, 2011. The joint conference is appropriately titled "Better Beer Through Better Barley" and will be an opportunity for barley farmers to meet with end users and hopefully participate in memorable discussions. We have lined up some world-class presenters to speak at the conference, including Charlie Bamforth, Gil Sanchez, Joe Hertrich, Paul Schwartz, and Alex Speers, to name only a few. Mark your calendar to attend - see you there!
Changes to
The MBAA Communicator
Starting this month, The MBAA Communicator will be sent to you monthly instead of biweekly. Of course, you will still be able to see all the District news, upcoming educational events, job board, and all the usual information that the
Communicator normally provides. In addition, our new coeditors, Mark Sample of Left Hand Brewing and Bob Seaman of Yuengling Brewing, are developing new features, relevant industry articles, and discussion forums that will add an extra dimension to our newsletter. The goal is to make the
Communicator more interactive and more helpful to you. We hope you like the changes and that you will assist us by submitting materials.
Our first question must have been slightly too esoteric. Let us try again. This is a great point to ponder that most of us have shared with fellow brewers and scientists before. It is especially ubiquitous in the craft beer world, where we all find our own way of doing certain things. The question: "Is there a right way?" More specifically, is there a right way to dry hops? Or, is there just your way? Either way, we would love to hear about how you do it and relay it to the MBAA community. We look forward to hearing from you all!
To leave you this month we toast the New Year...
"Here,
With my beer
I sit,
While golden moments flit:
Alas!
They pass
Unheeded by:
And, as they fly,
I,
Being dry,
Sit, idly sipping here
My beer."
- George Arnold
Thanks for checking out the new MBAA Communicator. Mark and Bob are giving it a new look with more content, and we're excited to be part of it. Every issue in 2011 will include an article from Briess about one of our favorite topics...specialty malts. Thanks for this opportunity to talk shop and hopefully offer some new ideas for designing beers.
This month we're talking about pale ale malt because, in the base malt category, it's one of the more interesting ones produced. Pale ale malt is characterized by a warm, malty, toasty flavor and is the go-to base malt for ales (an exception being
Koelsch) and rich, full-flavored dark beers. A few things to note about pale ale malts:
• They are fully modified two-row base malts
• Their DP is 85-100, which is sufficient for use at 100% of the base malt while supporting the inclusion of specialty malts without extending the brewing cycle
• Their color is 2.5-4.5°L
• They are produced in the same manner as standard base malts but kiln-dried at higher temperatures
Most pale ale malts deliver more than just malty flavor, depending on the maltster and variety of malting barley used. For example, some pale ale malts have hints of biscuit and nutlike flavors. These flavors make pale ale malt a good candidate for many beers, even lagers. In addition, because its malty flavor isn't overpowering you'll want to use 10% or more to realize an optimal flavor impact, depending on the gravity of the beer. For example, try 10-15% in a high-gravity beer such as a bock beer and more in a low-gravity beer. The bottom line is that blending two-row base malts and pale ale malts is a great way to achieve interesting and different flavors in all but the lightest styles of beer.
The IBD Diploma in Brewing Exam will be here before you know it! Make sure that you are ready by attending the IBD Exam Review Course offered by MBAA. This course will help attendees prepare to take the third module of the exam, which is typically the most difficult to pass for those without an engineering or technical educational background. The course is only one month away!
View the full course schedule and register today!
The MBAA Brewery Packaging Technology Course is still four months away and is already filling fast! Register early to secure your spot in the course. Interested in attending the course for free? MBAA members are eligible to apply for the MBAA Scholarship. The recipient's tuition will be waived. New this year - the IBD Packaging Exam will be offered on May 13!
Act now and make plans to join us in Madison, WI, May 1-12, 2011.
MBAA Annual Conference Call for Papers Opens January 17
MBAA wants your help in creating a technical program that features the latest industry research. Submit your abstracts between January 17 and March 17. If your abstract is selected, you will have the opportunity to showcase your findings at the MBAA
Annual Conference taking place October 13-15, 2011,
in Minneapolis, MN. Remember to review the
Submission Instructions as you are preparing your abstracts.
Share great presentations from your local District meetings with all of our MBAA members through the
Technical Quarterly. TQ is looking for practical papers addressing everyday issues in the brewery, case studies, and new research and innovations in technology. A great paper presented at the local level and published in
TQ can reach more than 2,000 readers. All papers are collected in the
TQ archives, which contains papers spanning
TQ's 47-year history. Contact me at
kockert@mbaa.com to submit your paper or recommend a paper.
Congratulations to Mike Meyer, a District mainstay and former president of MBAA District St. Louis, on receiving the 2010 Georgia Frontiere Community Quarterback Award sponsored by the St. Louis Rams!
Out of 150 nominees, Mike was chosen as 1 of the final 10 who exemplify leadership, dedication, and a commitment to improving the St. Louis bi-state area through volunteering. On November 19, a luncheon was held to honor Mike and the other nine volunteers for their continued dedication to their community. Angels' Arms, the organization to which Mike has committed his efforts, received a donation of $1,250 honoring that commitment. Since the program's inception in 2000, the St. Louis Rams organization has donated more than $170,000 to community groups through this award initiative. MBAA is fortunate to have a strong professional and community volunteer such as Mike Meyer!
January 2011 marks the official retirement of our Technical Director Ray Klimovitz. MBAA owes a huge thank you to him. Suffice it to say, MBAA is in a much better place and has a bright future thanks to the groundwork set in place by Ray. I consider myself very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Ray on the Executive Board these past few years. We are planning to honor him at the upcoming MBAA Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN.
Changes to
The MBAA Communicator 
Congratulations to Mike Meyer, a District mainstay and former president of MBAA District St. Louis, on receiving the 2010 Georgia Frontiere Community Quarterback Award sponsored by the St. Louis Rams!
