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GovernanceArticles of Incorporation Photo ArchivesDistrict Meeting August 8, 2012, Rockyard Brewing Company, Castle Rock, CO
Rockyard Brewing Company Itinerary:
Brewers please bring “samples” of your favorites to share at the meeting!
Please bring to the brewers taste table at the brewery
MBAA District Rocky Mountain Press ReleaseAugust 2012District Rocky Mountain held its summer meeting at the Rockyard American Grill & Brewing Co. As always, the meeting started off with a social hour, featuring a large selection of tasty Rockyard After the short business meeting, Rockyard provided the hungry attendees with an assortment of As is customary, the evening concluded with a very lively raffle of prizes supplied by many of the Dana Johnson, filling in for: District Meeting February 8, 2012, Sandlot Brewery, Denver, CO
Meeting MinutesDistrict Rocky Mountain held its winter meeting at the Sandlot Brewery in Denver on February 8th. John Legnard, of the Sandlot Brewery spoke on the subject of "Brewing at a Baseball Stadium Brewery." This was the first meeting using the new, automated pay system online. While there are still a few kinks to work out, it seems that the system works well and check in ran smoother than ever before. This is that much more impressive because there were a whopping 158 people in attendance at the meeting! The meeting started off with a social hour that took place concurrently at the bar and behind the glass of the brewery. Attendees had their choice of Helles, Weizen, and Doublebock from the bar, or an assortment of beers brought by other brewers downstairs. Naturally, it was a crowded, jovial atmosphere downstairs, as everyone checked out the equipment, mingled, and tasted some fun beers. With permission from the friendly security guard, participants were allowed to walk out to the bleacher platform and see the field covered with snow. After the social hour, a traditional ballpark dinner of hot dogs and nachos was served. Miller Coors generously contributed funds to help MBAA cover the cost of dinner. After everyone was done eating, the group congregated on one end of the bar for the business meeting and technical presentation. District President Gary Dick kicked off the meeting by thanking the Sandlot brewery for hosting the meeting and Miller Coors for helping to subsidize it. Gary next offered Matt Thrall of Avery Brewing our collective congratulations and thanks for officially accepting the position of district Secretary. Jeff Biegert of New Belgium, who is the new scholarship chairman, next gave a description of the scholarship funds that our district offers, and Jonathan Kemp of A-B gave a short description of his trip to the MBAA national convention, which was funded with scholarship funds. It was announced that Rob Molin of Grand Teton Brewing won a copy of "The Practical Brewer" for his participation in the membership survey. Finally Mike Sutton, MBAA National President who was in visiting our fair state, got up to recognize our district's success and plugged the World Brewing Congress this summer. Technical Chairman Finn Knudsen of Knudsen Beverage Consulting then "talked about technical stuff because that's what technical chairs do." (His words.) He plugged the technical session being planned for June and introduced the guest speaker, John Legnard. John graduated from CSU and started his career as a Quality Control Technician at Coors. A short time later he helped start HC Berger Brewing Co, and has also helped with the first brews at several breweries including Great Divide and Left Hand. John has been at the Sandlot Brewery since it opened in 1995. There is no loading dock at the brewery; deliveries must come through the loading dock in center field and be brought halfway around the stadium. And this is very limited during game days. Imagine how difficult that is for spent grain storage and removal! The work space for the brewery (behind a glass wall) is owned by Miller-Coors, though the restaurant is owned by Aramark. Because of the strict liquor licensing, the brewers need to be careful about where beer is consumed or carried. Next John discussed the challenges of working for Miller-Coors that separate them from most other tiny breweries. Despite their size, because they are part of a large company, they have rigorous safety inspections with 545 checklist items. They also have a five page checklist of items required to bring a beer to market. The brewery was originally started as part of the R&D department of the company. Because it wasn't bringing in much money, it was then moved to the sales/marketing division because it was seen as a marketing asset. During that time, they've had 17 bosses in as many years with lots of turnover within the whole marketing department, and had to make "creative" products at the request of marketing such as Peanut Butter Ale. As a part of marketing, they have a limited budget for high level equipment, and are forced to be creative with their process (for example, mashing in based on timing the water flow, in the absence of a flow meter). Now that the company has started focusing more on craft beer (with the addition of Tenth and Blake), the Sandlot is getting more attention and given more leeway to stretch their brewing muscles. John concluded by stressing the incredible benefit of working for Miller-Coors, which is that they have a wealth of experts, many with PhDs, in all subject available for consultation. They are happy to be part of such a high quality team. After the presentation, John was thanked again for speaking, as well as for hosting us, with an engraved mug from the Rocky Mountain District. And as is customary, the evening concluded with a very lively raffle of prizes supplied by many of the members. The next meeting of District Rocky Mountain will be held in Fort Collins on April 11th, 2012, at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Tamar Banner District Meeting November 2, 2011 at MillerCoors, Golden, CO
Miller Coors Brewery District Rocky Mountain held its autumn meeting at the Miller Coors Brewery in Golden on November 2nd. This meeting was the annual joint meeting with the Wild West chapter of the ASBC. Ian Bearpark, of the Thwaites Brewery in Lancashire, England, spoke on the subject of "English Cask Beer – Brewing, Filling and Drinking." Meeting MinutesDistrict Rocky Mountain held its autumn meeting at the Miller Coors Brewery in Golden on November 2nd. This meeting was the annual joint meeting with the Wild West chapter of the ASBC. Ian Bearpark, of the Thwaites Brewery in Lancashire, England, spoke on the subject of "English Cask Beer – Brewing, Filling and Drinking." The meeting started off with a social hour in the bar on the 6th floor of the brewery, featuring a selection of beers from Miller Coors and A.C. Golden. There was an impressive collection of sour beers from A.C. Golden that were remarked on throughout the social hour and dinner by the crowd. Across the board, all comments were incredibly positive! After the social hour, attendees enjoyed a delicious catered Mexican dinner graciously provided by Miller Coors. After dinner, President Gary Dick ushered the crowd into the auditorium for the educational presentation. Because time was short, there was no business meeting. Technical Chairman Finn Knudsen of Knudsen Beverage Consulting then introduced the guest speaker, Ian Bearpark. Ian worked in Romford, Alloa and Tetley's breweries for Carlsberg before joining Thwaites Brewery. He's also worked with Adnams and Black Sheep on their cask beer expansions. Ian's talk was incredibly engaging and humorous. He started off with a short history of cask beer in England. Until the 1950's, there were two types of English ale, mild and bitter. As beer started to be found in kegs and was now filtered and pasteurized, CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) sprang up to protect the more traditional cask style of beer. Cask beer differs from keg beer in that it is unfiltered, contained finings (and thus is neither vegetarian nor allowed under the Reinheitsgebot), and often uses sugar or caramel. Today, 6 million hectoliters of cask beer are brewed annually, which is about 8% of the total UK beer market. It is made by about 550 small local breweries and a few larger regional breweries. It varies in strength anywhere from <3% abv to >6% abv, though lighter strength is more common. Most breweries fill firkins, which hold 9 gallons. However there are a couple of breweries that still use the largest cask size, the hogshead, which holds a whopping 54 gallons. Ian addressed the topic of what is "good" cask beer according to the standards in English pubs. It should be clear and bright, taste fresh, have natural carbonation (and not be flat), and have a healthy head. The correct serving temperature is between 10-13°C. A cask beer should be a session beer, therefore between 3-4.5% abv. Finally, it should have a nice balance between malt and hops. Next Ian discussed how the casks are prepared and filled. They are traditionally filled under atmospheric conditions. In some places they are filled prior to the end of fermentation so that residual sugar and yeast are available for a secondary fermentation. Otherwise they are finished in the fermenter, and sugar is added to the cask. Finings are added, usually to the cask itself though sometimes auxiliary finings are added to the racking tank. They are silica based, made from the swim bladders of sturgeons, and mixed with acid to produce collagen. Positive charges between the particles force coagulation. One limitation that exists with casks is that while finings force the yeast to settle out and therefore produce clear beer, if the cask is agitated at all (moved to another location, for example), time is needed to resettle the yeast. Marstens Brewery has developed a new type of finings known as FastCask, which has solved this problem whereby their finings keep the yeast out of solution even if the cask is moved. Ian also discussed the cask filling process, and showed a few slides and videos of automated and semi-automated filling lines. Many English breweries today have automated cask cleaning machines and they counter-pressure fill their casks to avoid foaming. Last, Ian reached the topic of cask serving. He showed many pictures of beer engines for serving, and one video of the proper pour using a beer engine. Today many beer engines use cooling jackets to serve the beer at the precise temperature. They also have sparklers on the end of the gooseneck to help produce a frothy head. He completed his talk on a cheerful note, stating that more and more cask beer drinkers today are locavore, younger people, and that there is a definite ongoing market for casks because of their low carbon footprint. Ian credits CAMRA (and its members, who he described colorfully) with the survival of this brewer's art. As is customary, the evening concluded with a very lively raffle of prizes supplied by many of the members, including a large selection of shirts and glassware. The next meeting of District Rocky Mountain will be held in Denver on February 8th, 2012, hosted by the Sandlot Brewery. Tamar Banner District Meeting August 10th, 2011 at Dry Dock Brewing Company, Aurora, CO5:30 - 9:00 PM Itinerary:
Abstract: In less than six years, Dry Dock Brewing has grown from 120 bbls/yr to a current production rate of 2700 bbls/yr. This presentation will begin with a look at the history of Dry Dock Brewing and the model used to open and expand the brewery with little initial capital investment. It will then examine the unique legislative climate in Colorado which makes it relatively easy to open a small brewery. Finally, it will discuss the recent impact Dry Dock has had on the state brewing industry and consider the future of small breweries in Colorado. C.V. - Brief: Kevin DeLange is the owner and operator of Dry Dock Brewing Co. and The Brew Hut, sister businesses in Aurora, Colorado. After earning a Masters degree in History from Iowa State University, Kevin spent a number of years in corporate America before diving into entrepreneurship in 2002 with his purchase of The Brew Hut, an existing business selling home brewing equipment and ingredients. After only three years, he decided to make the leap into craft brewing, opening Dry Dock Brewing in 2005 when the 800 sq. ft. space next to The Brew Hut became vacant. Built almost solely on word-of-mouth advertising and quality beers, Dry Dock has garnered some of the most prestigious awards in the industry, culminating in the Small Brewing Company of the Year award at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. Despite expansions in June 2009 and January 2011, keeping up with production has been Kevin's biggest challenge. Meeting Minutes/Press Release: District Rocky Mountain held our summer meeting at the Dry Dock Brewery in Aurora on August 10th. Kevin DeLange, the owner of Dry Dock Brewery, spoke to a packed house on the subject of “The Rapid Increase of Small Breweries in Colorado.” As is traditional, the meeting started off with a social hour featuring a large selection of 14 Dry Dock beers, and those who were interested took self-guided tours of the brewing facility. A quick tour with Kevin revealed that they employ a 7bbl brewhouse from which they brew 2 brews a day, 5 days a week, making about 2500-3000bbls a year. They employ 3 full time and 3 part time brewers. They are now filling kegs from their 7 20bbl serving tanks to distribute to various on-premise accounts around the area. In January they also started packaging 22oz bottles in 4-5 different varieties. Still nonetheless, 75% of all beer they make is still poured in their tap room, of which 2/3 is drunk on premise and 1/3 goes home as growlers. The biggest sellers they have are their German styles, especially the hefeweizen. After the social hour, attendees enjoyed a delicious catered barbecue dinner. After dinner, President Gary Dick opened up the business meeting by welcoming everyone and thanking Kevin DeLange and Dry Dock Brewery for providing their brewery as a venue and for arranging the meal. The meeting included a membership report that we currently have 207 members and are aiming for 225 by the November meeting, a treasurer’s report, a reminder of scholarship opportunities including 2 available $450 scholarships to attend the MBAA national convention, and a description of what to expect from September’s upcoming out-of-towner meeting. Additionally, Larry Leinart spoke about a very cool beer festival that he attended at Brewery Ommegang called “Belgium Comes to Cooperstown.” Technical Chairman Finn Knudsen of Knudsen Beverage Consulting then introduced the guest speaker, Kevin DeLange. Kevin started Dry Dock Brewery in 2005, in the retail space adjacent to the home brew shop, The Brew Hut, which he has owned and run since 2002. Like most of the brewers who have opened breweries in the last few years, Kevin comes from a home brewing background himself. He learned to develop recipes (and to detect off-flavors!) as brewers would come into the shop and describe what they’d made and ask him to taste it. Additionally, he developed relationships with many local suppliers and brewers through the Brew Hut. The driving forces for opening a brewery in that space included an enthusiastic customer base at the Brew Hut, availability of local used equipment including a brewhouse from Palisade Brewery, and the belief that there was demand for a brewery in the area marketed solely through the home brew shop and by word of mouth. In 2006, when Dry Dock when a gold medal for their ESB, suddenly they were getting lots of press and they found they could not keep up supply to meet demand. Dry Dock expanded in both 2009 and 2011. They are interested in starting a larger barrel program. They now have the space, but are not able to keep the beer around long enough. Mirroring the popularity of Dry Dock’s beers with consumers, in 2009, Dry Dock won the Small Brewer of the Year award at the Great American Beer Festival. Kevin’s main thesis was that the Colorado market is directly responsible for the success of the “tasting room model” of a brewery that sells beer primarily to costumers in a retail setting. The advantages in Colorado include: the ability to self-distribute, a mature home brew culture that prioritizes drinking locally, no chain store sales so the smaller business models can compete, and no laws mandating that this model sell food. Dry Dock is certainly not the only brewery to have figured out that this can be a successful business. There are ~ 25 breweries scheduled to open within the next 12 months. And many larger breweries such as Odell and Avery have recently expanded their tasting rooms because they are such a huge revenue source. Kevin concluded by questioning whether this model is sustainable with so many new players entering the market. In his particular case, because Aurora has such a large population but only 1 brewery currently, he argued that there is definitely room for more competition. And as more breweries come to town, the key to success will not just be to make beer but to make good beer. Dry Dock has been able to grow because they were able to reinvest in expansion, and were he to be ready to expand further, he’d likely open a 2nd tasting room rather than keep expanding in the current location. And while legislatively Colorado is very friendly to this business model currently, there’s no guarantee that this will not change over time. As is customary, the evening concluded with a very lively raffle of prizes supplied by many of the members, including a large selection of shirts and glassware. The next meeting of District Rocky Mountain will be held in Glenwood Springs, CO on September 16-18th, hosted by the Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company. Tamar Banner District Meeting at Wynkoop Brewing Company Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Author/Presenter: Brewers please bring "samples" of your favorites to share at the meeting! Itinerary:
Title: Abstract: Much has changed in the world of craft brewing since the Wynkoop Brewpub first opened its doors in 1988. Today there is a much coveted award given every year by the Brewers Association named after the Wynkoop's original brewer: The Russell Scherer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing. This presentation will compare some of Russell's original recipes from the archives of the Wynkoop with more current ideas of innovation today. The intent is to define what it means to be "innovative" in a quickly changing industry. Also included will be some fun insights into the challenges and success the Wynkoop has had in attempting to redefine itself in the last few years through our efforts in self-distribution and a new joint venture with the Breckenridge Brewery. C.V. - Brief: Charles Andrew Brown, or Andy, is currently in charge of all things beer related at the Wynkoop Brewing Company. He attended the American Brewers Guild Craft Brewers Diploma Program shortly after moving to Colorado from his home state of Maine in 1999, followed by a brief internship at the Elysian Brewery in Seattle. Previous to attending brewing School, he worked on the bottling lines at the D.L. Geary Brewery in Maine and the defunct H.C. Berger Brewery in Fort Collins. After brewing school he landed a job brewing at Left Hand Brewery in Longmont, where he worked for seven years, becoming head brewer there. While working at Left Hand, Andy also earned an Associates of Science Degree from Front Range Community College. After Left Hand he worked for two years for Oskar Blues, helping transition to the Longmont facility, before becoming the first brewer the Wynkoop ever hired from outside the company. Meeting Minutes/Press Release: The spring meeting for District Rocky Mountain was held at the Wynkoop Brewery in Denver on April 13. A very full bus headed down from Fort Collins and miraculously hit no traffic on I25. In total, 93 people were in attendance. The meeting started off with a social hour, where the members enjoyed a selection of Wynkoop beers including the very tasty Coupler, a Stranahan’s barrel aged imperial milk stout. During the social Steve Presley sold stylish MBAA polo shirts (see accompanying photo 1). After the social hour Brad Landman, one of the brewers at Wynkoop, took us on a tour of the brewery (see accompanying photo 2). Wynkoop has a 20 bbl brewhouse, made up of mash tun and brew kettle. To grain out, they use a wheelbarrow to carry the spent grain through the kitchen! In the cellar, they have mostly open fermenters, with 1 cylindro-conical fermenter. They typically keep 4 yeast strains going for their year-round beers. In addition to their year-round beers, the brewers are always experimenting with new projects. Right now they’ve got a Belgian quad with raspberries aging in an oak barrel, and they’re about to fill a Stranahan’s whiskey barrel with a barleywine they recently brewed. In addition to serving the beers at the brewpub, they’ve started to can their beers on a 2-head canning system down in the basement. It takes 2-3 people to run it, and goes fairly slowly. They’re very excited about the recent partnership with Breckenridge Brewery down the road, and the prospect of being able to can beer there much more easily! After the tour President Gary Dick of New Belgium Brewing Co. welcomed everyone and ran a brief business meeting (see accompanying photo 3). He started off by thanking the staff of the Wynkoop again for hosting the meeting. At this time, MBAA members were encouraged to introduce any visitors they’d brought to the meeting. Membership chairman Dana Johnson, Birko Corporation, reported that we currently have 217 members in our district. Prior to the technical presentation, attendees enjoyed a delicious Mexican-themed dinner. The chili rellenos were hot and tasty, but the highlight for Steve of Asher Brewing was the stout float for dessert (see accompanying photo 4)! Technical Chairman Finn Knudsen of Knudsen Beverage Consulting then introduced the guest speaker and our host of the evening, Andy Brown. Andy has been the brewery manager at Wynkoop for the past 3 years. The title of Andy’s talk was “The Changing Nature of Innovation in Craft Brewing.” Andy started out by talking about the early days at the Wynkoop Brewery, started by now Governor John Hinkenlooper back in 1988. It was the first brewpub in the state of Colorado. Russell Schehrer was the original brewer at the Wynkoop, and the inspiration for Andy’s talk. In 1988, the brewery was a pioneer in the industry, brewing styles that were very unique at the time such as mead or chili beer, serving cask conditioned beers, and helping to revitalize a rundown neighborhood. Andy and the other brewers’ attempt to be as pioneering in 2011 as the founders were in 1988. They do so by canning their beers, collaborating with the local arts scene and philanthropic organizations, and by being the only brewery in town to deliver beer by horse and carriage. (It’s the second largest Clydesdale fleet in the state, Andy jokes!) Andy looked at the term innovation from many different angles, to try and figure out what drives it and how we can all innovate. Today’s innovation is not coming from completely new ideas, but from synthesizing and improving upon others’ older ideas and making them our own. As an example he pointed to some of the ways brewers are being innovative with increasing alcohol content in the strongest beers being brewed and pointed out that it’s very similar to techniques in sake brewing. Andy concluded that the customers are what drive innovation – none of us would be in business if we were only brewing to impress each other. He posed it to the group that though the Rocky Mountain region is known as “The Napa Valley of Beer” we do not really have a style of beer that we’re known for like West Coast IPA. This was just one of the many ways in which Andy Brown challenged the audience to think creatively and to strive for innovation in all that we do. As is customary, the evening concluded with a very lively raffle of prizes supplied by many of the members. Perry Dickerson of New Belgium was probably the most excited about his raffle win (see accompanying photo 6). The next meeting of District Rocky Mountain will be held in Fort Collins, CO on June 23rd at the Odell Brewing Company. Tamar Banner Summer Meeting August 18, 2010 at Tommyknocker Brewery and Pub, Idaho Springs, CO
Itinerary:
Author/Presenter: Title: Abstract: Tommyknocker Brewery is a 20 bbl. brewhouse, housing 14 fermenters, 6 bright tanks, 15 taps, and a small bottling line, producing 8000+ bbls. of beer a year. Currently, we are underway on an expansion. This expansion adds 8000 sq. ft. to the brewery, more than doubles the size of the kitchen, adds over 125 seats to the restaurant, and two vacation rental apartments. You’ll be given background about TKB including some of the different phases, struggles and successes we’ve had. All hands will be on deck to show you around and enjoy great food and beer. C.V. - Brief: Larry Nemnich, President - Larry has been with TKB since the beginning, almost sixteen years ago. He began his career with our company as the general manager and has been our president for the past nine years. Steve Indrehus, Head Brewer - Steve has been with TKB for fourteen years. Previously, Steve worked for Wasatch Brewing Company in Park City, Utah. In addition to brewing, he also has had the opportunity to work for Mont Elise Vineyards in Bingen, Washington. Eric Rode, Lead Brewer - Eric spent some of his brewing days with New Belgium Brewery and CB Potts before joining TKB. He has been with us for twelve years and is an integral member of our team. Jim Schwab, Sales & Distribution -Jim has been with TKB for the past eight years. Prior to his arrival at Tommyknocker Brewery, he worked for another little brewery down the canyon for a long, long time… Press Release Summer 2010The summer meeting for District Rocky Mountain was held on August 18, 2010. We were graciously welcomed by the Tommyknocker Brewery and Pub, Idaho Springs, CO. Our hosts were Larry Nemnich, Steve Indrehus and Jim Schwab. The festivities for the evening began at about 5:30 pm with the social hour and tours of the brewery. Unfortunately, half the attendees were stuck on the side of the road at Interstate 70 and the Evergreen exit! It was, as they say, “a long day!” As bad luck would have it, the Fort Collins contingent to the meeting (enjoying a comfortable chartered bus ride) had a mechanical breakdown just 20 minutes short of our destination. Fortunately, we had the right tools and the right talent riding shotgun for the driver (Photo 1). The Fort Collins team quickly discovered the cause of the problem (a broken coolant hose), then strategized the repairs, “Where’s the duct tape?” Initially we tried to flag drivers down on I 70 with a promise of trading BEER for duct tape (Photo 2) – quite a bargain for takers! After a thorough examination of the storage compartments of the vehicle, we found ratchets and spare hoses. Then finally, through a truly amazing show of team work, we managed to ‘empty’ enough beer bottles (Photo 3), re-fill with melted beer cooler water (Photo 4) and top off the radiator reservoir enough to limp to our destination – 2 hours late. Just in time too! We were running low on full bottles of beer. Luckily Tommyknocker was well prepared with a scrumptious meal and cold beer! Our technical speakers for the evening were the owners and operators of Tommyknocker Brewery. Jim Schwab and Steve Indrehus tagged teamed for the presentation to the group. The talk was titled Small Town Brewing on Big Time Interstate. We were treated to an in depth discussion of the Tommyknocker’s history, brewery specifications and growth challenges. Tommyknocker Brewery and Pub opened its doors in December 1994 in historic downtown Idaho Springs in a building built in 1892. The brewhouse is a 20 bbl system; there are (12) 40-bbl fermenters and (2) 60 bbl fermenters. A total of 9 people run the brewery/bottling and trucking department. They are presently undergoing a major expansion to the restaurant and the brewery. The Tommyknocker Team should run their millionth case through the filter by the first quarter of 2011. The entire detailed Powerpoint presentation is available for viewing on the restricted access MBAA-RMD web page http://www.ebcii.com/mbaapassword/mbaarmd.html. President Jeff Biegert conducted a short and sweet business meeting due to the late arriving bus ‘mechanics’. Our membership continues to grow, we are over 200 members. Steve Presley reminded members that scholarships are available and that members need to take advantage of the program. Jim Canary gave a quick Treasurer’s report. He mentioned that the district has approximately $15,000.00 between the checking and savings accounts. Final note of business: The next function sponsored by District Rocky Mountain is the Annual Out of Towner to be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday September 24, 25 and 25. The OOT will be held in Grand Lake. Check out the website for details and for the rest of the calendar for 2010. What: MBAA RMD Out-of-Towner Meeting When: Friday, September 24 – Sunday, September 26, 2010 Where: Grand Lake Brewing Co. Prepaid Cost: $30/member couple; $20/ member, and $45/ non-member James (Jim) Canary Spring Meeting April 22, 2010 Anheuser Busch / InBev, Fort Collins, COAnheuser-Busch It's that time again! Spring has sprung and thoughts turn once again to outdoor BBQ's and drinking beer! (Although I have to admit my thoughts are always on good beer drinking opportunities.) In order to satisfy your thirst, we are once again holding the spring Master Brewer's meeting here at Anheuser-Busch. As an added bonus, we are bringing back the in-process tasting/tour that was so popular at the meeting two years ago. The meeting is exactly one month from today - Thursday, April 22nd starting at 5:30 PM at our Tour Center. For more information, please open the attached. RSVP by Thursday, April 15th. Looking forward to seeing you all there and, as always, feel free to spread the word and bring along a friend (or two). Itinerary:
Technical Presentation: Title: “Barley is to Beer as Grapes are to Wine; Procuring High Quality Brewing Materials for High Quality Beers” Abstract: “I really think, my dear friends, that one of the reasons that we have prevailed and so many breweries haven’t, is that we focused our full efforts and our full intentions on producing a quality product. I think some of you have heard me say this before, that barley is to beer as grapes are to wine. You cannot make a good wine out of bad grapes and you can’t make a good beer out of bad barley. You can make a terrible beer out of good barley, that’s easy to do. But at least start right.”– Bill Coors (2004 Center, Colorado, Barley Field Days) At MillerCoors, quality in our beers starts in the barley and hops fields across the world. In this presentation, we’ll discuss our relationship with our suppliers, may they be small farmers to large companies, and how we align our supply partners with our ideals as a company and procurement organization. C.V. - Brief: Steve has been with MillerCoors for 18 years. Previous to this position, he began his career as the Montana barley procurement agronomist, then moving to Golden, Colorado in progressive positions as the Logistics Manager, Group Manager, Director for the Brewing Materials Department, and as the Director of Direct Materials Procurement (brewing and packaging materials) at MolsonCoors. Before joining MillerCoors, Steve was the Area Manager, Product Support, for Deere & Co., covering the Montana/North Dakota Industrial Equipment dealer organizations. Steve has extensive experience in agricultural production, supplier management, raw materials procurement, total cost/value sourcing, sales support, and people management. Steve’s Brewing Materials Team is responsible for sourcing all the raw ingredients used in the brewing process, including barley, malt, hops, adjuncts, enzymes, flavorings, spices, and filtration materials. In addition, the team also is responsible for sourcing the energy requirements for brewery network, as well as marketing By Products from the brewing process, including spent grains and spent yeast. His 31 person team is located in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Steve earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Education from the University of Wyoming. He is also certified in Supply Chain Leadership from Penn State University and has completed advanced Lean Supply Chain training from the University of Tennessee. Meeting MinutesThe spring meeting for District Rocky Mountain, hosted by Anheuser Busch / InBev, and was held at Anheuser Busch Tour Center in Fort Collins, CO. We had one of the largest turn outs for any meeting every held by District Rocky Mountain. The evening began with the social hour and tours of the brewery. The tour included tasting in process beer throughout the plant. An awesome meal of chicken, ribs, vegetable lasagna and all the fixings was prepared by Texas Roadhouse. Thanks to Steve Woodward (Fort Collins Feed) for arranging the meal with Jimmy Dolan of the ‘Roadhouse’. Our technical speaker for the night was Steve Rockhold (MillerCoors). Steve’s presentation was titled “Barley is to Beer as Grapes are to Wine; Procuring High Quality Brewing Materials for High Quality Beers”. One of Steve’s opening comments: “If you focus solely on raw material cost, your overall cost will increase”. If you buy the ‘cheapest’, you get cheap raw materials and subsequently a cheap finished product due to production issues. “You can’t make good beer out of bad barley”. You must work with your suppliers and focus on maintaining and improving the quality of your raw materials to ensure a high quality finished product. Your suppliers are essential to adding value to the raw materials and therefore your beer. Start it out right; get close to your suppliers (farmers). For example, MillerCoors has a barley program; they work with 800 growers in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Through the Legacy Coors Barley Program, MillerCoors works with agronomists and farmers to develop their own barley varieties. The suppliers feel like they’re part of MillerCoors brewing. “Work with the growers and they will work with you”. Members of the Coors family still make visits to farmers to personally let them know how important they are to the process and to show them their appreciation of their efforts. The Coors Hops Program works in a similar fashion as the barley program. MillerCoors works with direct grower contracts and grower market associations to hand pick hops for their family of beers. They recognize top growers individually for their contributions to the corporation. In summary, Steve mentioned that, “Great ingredients, great facilities, great processes and great people make great beer!” Cheers, Steve, the MBAA-RMD agrees! Ein prosit! The business portion of the evening was conducted by Scholarship Chair Steve Presley (Anheuser-Busch InBev Ret). Steve again thanked Kevin Fahrenkrog and Todd Hansen (both of Anheuser-Busch InBev) for hosting the event at the tour center. He congratulated the district for being one of the largest, most active and vibrant districts in the United States. Our membership is approaching 200! Steve also mentioned that there are scholarships available and that members need to take advantage of the program. He then presented a scholarship for $100.00 to Michael Demers who attended the Rocky Mountain Microbrewing Symposium in Colorado Springs this past February. Sue Pawlak (Anheuser-Busch InBev Ret) was next up for the evening. She reminded the group that the local IBPA district is merging with MBAA RMD. The merger is a win-win situation for all our members. IBPA has a scholarship fund of approximately $15,000.00 that can only be used for packaging related scholarships. This is great news for all members looking to improve their knowledge and skills and help their companies thrive by learning more about the critical aspects of packaging technology and techniques. Sue then presented Bryan Kittle (New Belgium Brewing Company) with a $300.00 scholarship for attending the “MBAA Brewery Packaging Technology Course” in Madison WI. Jim Canary (Anheuser-Busch InBev Ret) gave a quick Treasurer’s report. He mentioned that the district has approximately $10,000.00 between the checking and savings accounts. “Between IBPA and MBAA RMD, we have a substantial amount of funds to spend on our members and should keep our district active and interesting for some time to come”. Final note of business: The next function sponsored by District Rocky Mountain is the Brewing Technical Summit on Friday, June 25, 2010 from 08:00-17:30. Hosted by New Belgium Brewing Company, the summit will be held at the Aztlan Northside Community Center at 112 E. Willow Street, Fort Collins, 80524. (Directions: www.fcgov.com/recreation/north-aztlan.php) The price for early registration, by June 1st, is $25 for members ($50 for non-members). Late registration fees jump to $40 for members and $65 for non-members. So, join if you are not a member, and register early to save money! Check out the website for details and for the rest of the calendar for 2010. James (Jim) Canary Winter Meeting February 3, 2010 at Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver, CO
Great Divide Brewing Company Place: Date: Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 Cost: $15 members, $30 non-members Time: 5:00 – 9:00 Itinerary:
Author/Presenter: Title: Great Divide Brewing Co. Abstract: Great Divide Brewing opened in May 1994 with a 17 barrel brewhouse, two 17 barrel open fermenters, two conditioning tanks, one bright beer tank, a small DE filter and a hand bottler. Brian Dunn will give some background on the startup of the brewery and will talk about the growth and evolution of the brewery in the 15 years since opening. Brian will lead a tour of the brewery and guests will see first hand the challenges of running a production brewery in an old building located in an urban neighborhood, including a packaging line located on two floors. C.V. - Brief: Brian holds a M.A. in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver and a B.S. in Agriculture from Colorado State University. Previously, Brian worked for an agricultural development company operating overseas projects. His work included extended stays in Africa and Europe. Brian wrote business plans, secured financing, and operated projects ranging in scope from $20 to $40 million. In addition, Brian ran a European sales and marketing office for one of the company’s South American export projects. In early 1993, Brian founded Great Divide Brewing Company. He wrote the business plan, raised money, rezoned the property, designed the brewing facility and installed the equipment. Brian brewed the first beer in May 1994 and at the time, was the brewery’s sole employee. He brewed, filtered and packaged beer for the first few years, but his job has gradually changed and now spends most of his time on the business operations of the brewery. Minutes from the MeetingThe winter meeting for District Rocky Mountain, hosted by The Great Divide Brewing Company, was held at The Lobby American Grille Restaurant on February 3 in downtown Denver. As usual for the Rocky Mountain District, we had a diverse, engaged and energetic group at the gathering. The turn-out was larger than anticipated with an enthusiastic crowd of over 106 attendees! It was a boisterous mélange of professional and associate members and their guests. The evening began with a lively beer tasting and social networking hour at 5:00 pm. Our technical speaker for the night was none other than ‘El Presidente’ of The Great Divide Brewing Company - Brian Dunn. Brian treated us to a brief history of the brewery, sharing with us some of the challenges, growing pains and evolution experienced during the 15 years since its inception. Brian holds a M.A. in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver and a B.S. in Agriculture from Colorado State University. He has had a unique background working for an agricultural development company which operated overseas projects in both Africa and Europe. He wrote business plans, secured financing, and operated projects ranging in scope from $20 to $40 million. He also ran a European sales and marketing office for one of the company’s South American export projects. Undoubtedly this was all invaluable experience in tackling the challenge of starting a new business. In early 1993, Brian founded Great Divide Brewing Company. He wrote the business plan, raised money, re-zoned the property, designed the brewing facility and installed the equipment. The first beer was brewed and the doors opened in May 1994 with a 17 barrel brewhouse, two 17 barrel open fermenters, two conditioning tanks, one bright beer tank, a small DE filter and a hand bottler. At the time, he was the brewery’s sole employee. He brewed, filtered and packaged beer for the first few years. Brian now spends most of his time on the business operations of the brewery. Following the presentation, Brian led a tour of the brewery (very conveniently located across the street from The Lobby Restaurant). Guests were able to see first-hand the challenges of running a production brewery in an old building located in an urban neighborhood, including a packaging line located on two floors. After Brian’s presentation, he was awarded a memento of our gratitude for his time and efforts: A stainless steel mug etched with the MBAA logo along with his name and the date engraved – a striking complement to any brewer’s stein collection. Hint: Host a meeting of MBAA-RMD and or give a talk, get an awesome MBAA-RMD stainless steel commemorative mug! Following the tours, attendees settled down with some savory food and tasty beers for the business portion of the evening. Vice President Gary Dick, New Belgium Brewing Co, opened the business session by welcoming the attendees and again thanking The Great Divide and The Lobby Restaurant for their hospitality. Membership Chair Dana Johnson, Birko Corporation, reported that current membership is approaching 200! More new members on the way, we gave away 9 free meals at this meeting alone. (Reminder: The E-Board is giving away two free meals to each new attendee who decides to join MBAA-RMD). If you haven’t renewed or joined, and you do so starting in 2010, a payment of a mere $233.00 will entitle you to membership in the MBAA for 3 full years! Dana again encouraged all new attendees to become MBAA members. Secretary Jon Kemp, AB/InBev, thanked Michelle Peterson, Miller/Coors, and Linsey Cornish, CSU student, for helping to recruit new members. Publicity Chair and Treasurer, Jim Canary, AB/InBev (ret), gave a succinct update on the financial status of MBAA-RMD. He stated that our total reserves were approximately $13,000.00. Next up was Finn Knudsen, EBCI, who awarded Ali Hamm scholarship money for her attendance at the 2009 MBAA Brewing and Malting Science course held in Madison, WI November 1-12th. (As a Masters candidate in Horticulture at Colorado State University, Ali was instrumental in studying the feasibility of cultivating hops in the state of Colorado). She entered a written application for scholarship funds to assist with paying for the MBAA course. The maximum dollar amount for a scholarship ($300.00) was approved. Congratulations Ali! Bulletin: We want more members to apply for scholarships! That is one of the reasons we raise money! Go learn about brewing and packaging beer, and get PAID to do it! But you have to ‘apply for the scholarship’! Running a bit late we flew through the much anticipated door prize session. We had a mountain of prizes at that! There were the usual mugs, key chains and t-shirts but also some more unusual gifts. Just another of the many reasons to join the club and come to the meetings!. Thanks to all the companies who donated door prizes, including The Lobby Restaurant for a generous offering of four $25.00 restaurant gift certificates and to Micromotion, which donated a compact tool kit! Final note of business: The next function sponsored by District Rocky Mountain is the Spring Meeting to be held April 22 at the AB / InBev Brewery in Fort Collins. Stay tuned to the district website for information on more upcoming events, such as the Annual Technical Day to be held June 25 in Fort Collins at the Aztlan Northside Community Center! The rest of the calendar for 2010 can also be found on the website. James (Jim) Canary Beer Drinkers Guide to ColoradoCool site that highlights all the great breweries in Colorado. They also sell a map of all the brewery locations. |
Gary Dick and Jonathan Kemp at the newly improved check-in desk.
The Sandlot logo
The team from Avery Brewery: Ian, Jesse, Mel, Rob, and Kelly Tretter from New Belgium.
Teri Fahrendorf and Tammy Johnson, finding floor seating before the presentation.
Finn Knudsen presenting John Legnard with his mug.
The crowd mingling in the basement of the Sandlot Brewery.
Chuck Campagna of Glenwood Canyon, Perry Dickerson of NBB, Matt Thrall of Avery Brewing and John Rich of NBB eating dinner.
Ian Bearpark of Thwaites Brewery, speaking to the crowd.
Tech. Chair Finn Knudsen presenting Ian Bearpark with a thank you gift for his presentation.
Mark Sample, Matt Sholbrock, and Ro Guenzel, the Left Hand brew crew.
Kevin and Derek of Chem Station, ready for an enthralling technical presentation.
Grady Hull of NBB, John Legnard of Sandlot, and Jeff Cornell of AC Golden.
Steve Presley (Anheuser-Busch, retired) sells MBAA polo shirts before the meeting.
Steve Turner (Asher Brewing) enjoys dessert.
Brad Landman gives a tour of the Wynkoop Brewery.
Perry Dickerson’s (New Belgium) triumphant raffle win.
Tech. Chair Finn Knudsen (KBC) presents C. Andy Brown (Wynkoop Brewery) with a thank you gift for his presentation.
Finn Knudsen toasts our hosts at Tommyknocker, Steve Indrehus (Head Brewer) and Jim Schwab (Sales and Marketing Manager). Many thanks to Tommyknocker for delaying the meeting for the missing bus riders!
Brewers wait patiently for repairs at the 'I 70 Beer Tasting and Rest Area'.
District Secretary Jon Kemp to the rescue! Alerting drivers on the Interstate: 'Will Trade Beer for Duct Tape'. Now that's a bargain!
Filling empty beer bottles with water for the radiator.
District Vice President Gary Dick trouble-shoots the problem; it's a broken coolant hose. Where's the duct tape when you need it!
Shane Roberts, Brian Armstrong and Eric Allstott toast while touring Great Divide
Barristers of Great Divide Brewing make sure everyone gets a sample on tour.
RMD attendees listening to Brian Dunn's presentation at the Lobby Restaurant.
Attendees Chad Styles, Rob Flavin, Stacy Pretz and Lindsay Samuels enjoy the evening. Rob, why the long face? Cold beer, great food and fun friends? What's up dude?
Finn Knudsen thanks Brian and presents him with a MBAA-RMD commemorative mug. Brian rests his eyes after a long day of brewing and presenting. Hard work ain't easy!MBAA
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