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
| 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM |
Registration Open |
| 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM |
Speakers & Exhibitors Breakfast (invitation only) |
| 9:15 AM - 10:15 AM |
Morning Coffee Service |
| 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM |
Opening Keynote with Jason Perkins, Allagash Brewing Co. |
| 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM |
Focus Session:
Beyond Pellets: Liquid Hopping for Yield, Speed, and Efficiency
|
Campfire Session:
Safety Queries & Quandaries: Ask the Brewery & Food Safety Committee |
Brewtech Oral Presentations:
- Precision Yeast Nutrition: Improving Fermentation Performance with MicroElements Brew Powder
- Capacity Modeling as a Master-Planning Tool for Integrated Beverage Facilities
- Treating Brewery Wastewater for Reuse
- Rebuilding Beer: Mouthfeel Modulation Strategies for Non-Alcoholic Brewing
- Move Less Beer, Deliver the Same Taste: The Promise of Alfa Laval Revos Beer Concentration Technology
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FOCUS SESSION:
Draught Beer: The Challenges and Solutions to Delivering the Perfect Pint presented by the
Brewers Association
|
| 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM |
Lunch inside Exhibit Hall |
| 12:00 PM - 6:30 PM |
Trade Show & Poster Hall Open |
| 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM |
Afternoon Break Service inside Exhibit Hall |
| 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
Workshop 1: Sensory
(additional cost to attend - $30) |
Workshop 2: Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Data
(additional cost to attend - $30) |
| 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM |
Bierstub |
Friday, Oct 23
| 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM |
Registration Open |
| 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM |
Morning Coffee Service |
| 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM |
Sustainability / Utilities / Maintenance Orals:
- Beyond the Bubbles: Safeguarding Quality and Brand Integrity Through CO2 Purity
- Brewing Sustainability into Each Batch: Energy and Water Conservation Strategies in the Brewhouse and Cellars
|
District & Yeast Orals:
- Best District Presentation Oral
- Generating Novel Lager Yeasts with a Regional Identity
|
| 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
Brewing Operations Wort Production - Cellar Orals:
- Getting More From Less: The Benefits of Downstream Bittering Extracts
- Weak Wort Recovery - Are You Leveraging Your Extract to Its Fullest Potential? QA/QC
- Mitigating Risk & Loss - Preoperational Inspections in the Brewery
|
Focus Session:
The Evolution of West Coast IPA: What’s Changed, What Matters, and How You Can Leverage Data To Create Modern West Coast IPAs |
| 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM |
Focus Session:
Yeast Propagation - A Timeless Fundamental to Achieve Optimal Fermentation Performance
|
Campfire Session:
Cleaning, Conveying, and Storage of Malt: Impacts of Malt Handling on Performance and Yield
|
| 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM |
Lunch & State of the Industry with Bart Watson, Brewers Association |
| 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM |
Annual Business Meeting |
| 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM |
Raw Materials Orals:
- Investigation of the Shelf Stability of Different Rice Formats and Its Effect on Lager Quality
- Investigation of Yield and Quality Impacts of Virus-Free Hop Propagation
- Hop Storage (MBAA Grant - Shellhammer)
|
Focus Session:
Modern Tools, Missed Fundamentals: Why Basic Brewing Checks Still Matter
|
| 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM |
NABLAB / Beyond Beer Orals:
- Use of the Transglucosidase Enzyme for Reduced Fermentability in Low Alcohol Beers
- Exploring Glucosidase Activity and Sulfur Production in Maltose-Negative Yeast for Improved Non-Alcoholic Beer Flavor
- Rational, Style-Driven NABLAB Formulation via Controlled Mashing and Limited Fermentation
|
Campfire Session:
Can't Pass Up a Deal: Successfully Integrating Used Equipment into a Production Facility
|
| 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM |
Afternoon Break Service
|
| 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM |
Focus Session:
Better Living Through Chemistry (And Equipment) - Optimizing Water Treatment and CIP Systems for Efficiency and Safety
|
Brewing Operations Orals:
- High Temperature Mashing as a Process Tool for No and Low Alcohol Brewing
- Impact of Oxygenation and Fill Time on Key Fermentation Parameters in Multi-Fill Brewing Practices
- ALDC - Are You Down With Me?
|
| 6:30 PM - 7:45 PM |
Closing Keynote with Barbara Stone, Abstrax Hops: Raising the Bar: Innovation That Builds Stronger Breweries
|
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: Utilizing Brewery Data to Drive Smarter Decisions (additional cost to attend - $30) |
| 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 - 2:00 PM |
Conference Farewell Lunch |
Registration is Open
Secure your spot today to take advantage of early bird pricing and workshop availability.
Register Now
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