
2026 Program & Schedule
Join us in Virginia Beach for four days of world-class technical sessions, industry-leading keynotes, and exclusive brewery tours.
Program Status: Preliminary Draft
Note: This schedule is currently under development and is subject to change. Please check back regularly for updates regarding technical session titles and speaker confirmations.
Schedule at a Glance
Wednesday, Oct 21
| 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM |
Registration Open |
| 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM |
Welcome Happy Hour & Collaboration Beer Launch (Offsite at Aslin Brewing) |
Thursday, Oct 22
| 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM |
Registration Open |
| 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM |
MBAA Annual Conference Breakfast |
| 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM |
Master Brewers Annual Business Meeting |
| 8:15 AM - 9:45 AM |
Opening Keynote with Jason Perkins, Allagash Brewing Co. |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM |
Sponsored Presentation: Chinova Bioworks |
Campfire Session: Safety Queries & Quandaries: Ask the Brewery & Food Safety Committee (Roberto Bellavia, Nelcy Latorre, Dirk Loeffler, Andrew Maust, Jennifer Pesavento) |
| 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM |
Brewtech:
- Precision Yeast Nutrition: Improving Fermentation Performance with MicroElements Brew Powder
(Tom Mondor)
- Capacity Modeling as a Master-Planning Tool for Integrated Beverage Facilities
(Rod Waite, Tim Wolf)
- Rebuilding Beer: Mouthfeel Modulation Strategies for Non-Alcoholic Brewing
(Meagen Coester)
- Ecolab
|
Draught Beer the Challenges and solutions to devlivering the perfect pint presented by the Brewers Association:
- Protecting Your Art: Developing and Scaling a Post-Brewery Quality Program
(Matt Meadows)
- Draught Beer - Microbiology and Food Safety
(Alastair Pringle)
|
| 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM |
Exhibit Hall Open: Trade Show & Posters |
| 12:15 PM - 1:45 PM |
Lunch inside Exhibit Hall |
| 1:15 PM - 4:15 PM |
Workshop 1: Sensory-Led Shelf Life: Translating Technical Data into Customer Acceptance (Liz Pratt) (additional cost to attend - $30) |
Workshop 2: Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Data Analytics Application in Brewing for Process Improvement (Travis Audet, Reid Laking, Adrianus "Arno" Thijssen) (additional cost to attend - $30) |
| 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM |
Poster Sessions inside Exhibit Hall: Even Poster #s 3:00 - 4:30 PM 2 - ATHP Detective Work in Action (Molly Browning) 4 - Simplifying Brewery Microbiology: Validation of a Portable On-Site qPCR Platform for Beer Spoilage Bacteria and Wild Yeast Detection (Max Derbyshire) 6 - Investigating the Inhibition of Industrial Saccharomyces Strains Caused by Monoterpenes (Tomas Fischer) 8 - Corn in the Brewhouse: Raw Material Selection, Process Methods, and Sensory Outcomes (Nicolai Hansen) 10 - Impact of Hop Treatment Conditions during Dry Hopping on Ester Levels in Beer (Yuta Katayama) 12 - Contract Production vs. In-House Brewing: Strategic Options and Operational Insights (Forian Kuplent) 14 - Optimizing Flow Cytometry for Microbial Monitoring in Beer Fermentation (Tom Mondor, Daniel Gusmer) 16 - Enhancing Draft Beer Foam Quality Using an Improved Slide Valve (Hirotaka Nishina) 20 - The Mysterious Mr. Moyashi (Lucas Smolic) 22 - Use Structured Frameworks to Level Up Your Data-based Decision-making Skills (Sam Thompson) 24 - From Mushrooms and Corn to Bright Beer: A Novel Vegan Fining Agent (Alan Windhausen) 26 - Biotransformation in Hop-Forward Beer: Theory and Practical tips for brewers (Alex Titov)
Odd Poster #s 5:00 - 6:30 PM 1 - Novel tunnel pasteurizer treatment technology dramatically improves results in a double deck 4-regenerative zone, 12 compartment high speed can line at a major U. S. brewery (Jack Bland, Jr, David Marten) 3 - The Great Dank Debate (Jeff Dailey) 5 - Scaling Recipes and Working With Production Partners (Bryan Donaldson) 7 - Food Safety and Regulatory Implications of Producing Nonalcoholic and Low-Alcohol Beer (Maddy Frierson, Samantha Humphrey) 9 - Biotransformation of KalHop' Grandissimo Geraniol Extract to Beta Citronellol via Lallemand Pomona Yeast (Connor Heckler) 11 - Common Design and Integration Failures in Craft Brewery Projects (Florian Kuplent and Dwight Garrels) 13 - From Detection to Decision: Applying Metagenomics to Understand and Manage Microbial Risk in Brewing and Beverage Production (Jermaine Lindsey) 15 - Counting the Clusters: Evaluating Accuracy and Throughput of Snowflake Yeast Quantification Techniques for Quality Control (Luisa Muhleisen) 17 - Hold My Beer: Why PFAS in Water Matters for Brewing Quality and What the Industry Can Do About It (Jennifer Redmon) 19 - Brewing With Historical Herbs and Timeless Teas (Devin Smith) 21 - Bacterial Contamination and Surface Hygiene in the Microbrewery Environment (Alex Thompson) 23 - Understanding Lager Aroma Defects: From Sensory Recognition to Process Control (Alex Titov) 25 - Integrated Water Reuse and Energy Recovery System - Large-scale brewery in Phoenix, Arizona (Jeff Van Voorhis)
|
| 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM |
Afternoon Snack Break inside Exhibit Hall |
| 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM |
MBAA Annual Conference Bierstub |
Friday, Oct 23
| 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM |
Registration Open |
| 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM |
MBAA Annual Conference Breakfast |
| 7:00 AM - 7:45 AM |
Novonesis Sunrise BrewRun: The Brewing Industry's Own Wellness Moment, Powered By Fermentation (Sign Up - a 5K funrun from DoubleTree to Ocean & Back) |
| 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM |
Sustainability / Utilities / Maintenance Orals:
- Beyond the Bubbles: Safeguarding Quality and Brand Integrity Through CO2 Purity
(Mark Taylor)
- Brewing Sustainability into Each Batch: Energy and Water Conservation Strategies in the Brewhouse and Cellars
(Darrin Kinsey)
|
focus session:
Beyond Pellets: Liquid Hopping For Yield, Speed, and Efficiency (Meagen Coester, Steve Gonzalez, Christine Hess)
|
| 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM |
Focus Session:
The Evolution of West Coast IPA: What’s Changed, What Matters, and How You Can Leverage Data To Create Modern West Coast IPA’s (CJ Penzone)
|
Brewing Operations: Wort Production TO Cellar Orals:
- Getting More From Less: The Benefits of Downstream Bittering Extracts
(Sam Thompson)
- Weak Wort Recovery - Are You Leveraging Your Extract to Its Full Potential?
(Nick Okada, Jens Klein)
- Mitigating Risk & Loss - Preoperational Inspections in the Brewery
(Jennifer Pesavento)
|
| 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM |
Brewing Operations: Wort Production TO Cellar Orals:
- High Temperature Mashing As a Process Tool For No And Low Alcohol Brewing
(Nicolai Hansen)
- Impact of Oxygenation And Fill Time On Key Fermentation Parameters In Multi-Fill Brewing Practices
(Barret Foster)
- ALDC - Are You Down With Me?
(Travis Audet)
|
Campfire Session:
Cleaning, Conveying, and Storage of Malt: Impacts of Malt Handling on Performance and Yield (Ashton Lewis)
|
| 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM |
Lunch & State of the Industry with Bart Watson, Brewers Association |
| 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM |
Focus Session:
Modern Tools, Missed Fundamentals: Why Basic Brewing Checks Still Mater (Mike Gerhart, Kayla Johnson) |
Raw Materials Orals:
- Investigation of the Shelf Stability of Different Rice Formats and Its Effect on Lager Quality
(Maddie Shults)
- Investigation of Yield and Quality Impacts of Virus-Free Hop Propagation
(Ryan Christian)
- Beyond HSI: Understanding Aroma Hop Aging from Storage to Beer
(Tom Shellhammer)
|
| 3:00 PM - 4:15 PM |
focus session:
Yeast Propagation - A Timeless Fundamental To Achieve Optimal Fermentation Performance (Justin Kingsford) |
NABLAB / Beyond Beer orals:
- Use of the Transglucosidase Enzyme for Reduced Fermentability in Low Alcohol Beers
(Andrew Fratianni)
- Exploring Glucosidase Activity and Sulfur Production in Maltose-Negative Yeast for Improved Non-Alcoholic Beer Flavor
(Andrew Maust)
- Rational, Style-Driven NABLAB Formulation via Controlled Mashing and Limited Fermentation
(Laura Burns)
|
| 4:15 PM - 4:45 PM |
Afternoon snack Break
|
| 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM |
novel Microbiology Research Orals:
- Carbonation as a Control Mechanism of Salmonella Growth in Non-Alcoholic Beer
(Roxana Navarro)
- Generating Novel Lager Yeasts with a Regional Identity
(George van der Merwe)
|
Campfire Session:
Can't Pass Up a Deal: Successfully Integrating Used Equipment Into a Production Facility (Mike Gerhart, Kayla Johnson, Garrett Meier, Campbell Morrissy, Kane Willie) |
| 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM |
Closing Keynote with Barbara Stone, Abstrax Hops: Raising the Bar: Innovation That Builds Stronger Breweries
|
| 7:30 PM - 9:45 PM |
MBAA Annual Conference Bierstub
|
Saturday, Oct 24
| 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM |
Travel to Offsite Locations: Explore the technical side of Virginia Beach's vibrant brewing scene with hands-on learning experiences. |
| 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM |
Workshop 3: Visualizing Brewery Data to Drive Smarter Decisions at New Realm (Brian Faivre, Ashley Howard, Justin Kingsford, Jason Weihbrecht) (additional cost to attend - $30) |
| 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM |
Goat Yoga at New Realm |
| 9:30 AM - 12:45 PM |
Workshop 4: Brewery Tour Field Trip (additional cost to attend - $30)
- 9:30 AM - 10:10 AM: Sojourn Fermentory
- 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM: Afterglow Brewing
- 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM: To Be Announced
|
| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM |
Conference Farewell Lunch at New Realm |
Registration is Open
Secure your spot today to take advantage of early bird pricing and workshop availability.
Register Now
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