2018 Craft Brewers Conference Seminars We Are Stoked For!

Seminars we are stoked for
at the 2018 Craft Brewers Conference!

The team here at VicinityBrew is ready for the annual Craft Brewers Conference. This year will be our sixth year attending as an exhibitor. CBC is an excellent brewing industry event, and we are excited to connect with everyone in attendance! In addition to our excitement towards reconnecting with breweries, we are also eagerly awaiting to attend the fantastic and informative sessions at this event. We have listed below our top 10 sessions that we cannot wait to see at this years conference!

2017 Craft Brewers Conference

Photo © Brewers Association

1. Growing Into the Headwinds

  • Where: Karl F. Dean Ballroom A2
  • When: Wednesday, May 2nd from 2:40 PM – 3:40 PM
  • Who: Laura Bell, Bell’s Brewery, Natalie Cilurzo, Russian River Brewing Co., Chris Cramer, Karl Strauss Brewing Co.,Eric Ottaway, The Brooklyn Brewery, Benji Steinman, Beer Marketer’s Insights and David Walker, Firestone Walker
  • What:In a lively panel discussion, the leaders of five successful, long established craft breweries reveal how they continue to grow their business and thrive in the current environment.

2. Solutions for the Small Brewer

  • Where: Omni Hotel: Broadway Ballroom F-K
  • When: Thursday, May 3rd from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
  • Who: Ryan Scott, Odd 13 Brewing, Bryan Selders, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Patrick Staggs, Revelation Craft Brewing Company
  • What: Start-up. Nano. Brewpub. You’ve got the big stuff figured out,  but what about the endless small stuff that there are no commercially available and affordable solutions for? We have you covered.

What challenges does your brewery experience? Identifying some of the most common growing pains – and their solutions, for small craft breweries.

3. Planning for Automation

  • Where: Karl F. Dean Ballroom B
  • When: Tuesday, May 1st from 2:40 PM – 3:40 PM
  • Who: Abraham Kabakoff, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Nathan Schroeder, Bell’s Brewery Inc.
  • What: Automation is like any other large project: the more you prepare, the better your end result will be. Automating correctly makes you feel better, while doing it wrong will cause nothing but headaches. Find out what preparation is important for your automation project. Knowing what and why is the key to making results matter.

     One of the key elements to your brewery’s success is understanding trends in your brewing process and tracking what adjustments are being made to support consistency throughout your brews.

4. Trends you Need to Know

  • Where: Davidson Ballroom A
  • When: Tuesday, May 1st from 2:40 PM – 3:40 PM
  • Who: Jack Li, DATASSENTIAL
  • What: Dataassential shares the latest trends driving the adult beverage landscape forward, from emerging flavors to new styles of drinks and more. The session also explores consumer motivations for adult beverage consumption, as well as where craft beer wins most often versus other choices.

5. Quality Assurance for Small Breweries: The Key to Growth

  • Where: 104
  • When:Wednesday, May 2nd from 2:40 PM – 3:40 PM
  • Who: Zachary Taggart, Lab Manager
  • What: Learn to establish a QA lab for even the smallest start-up. From cell counting to grain staining, basic lab procedures will help you fine-tune your product to ensure consistency.

Capture quality specification on inbound raw materials to be noted for your production process, choose from our library of quality tests to tag your daily tank checks and add your own unique measures as needed.

6. Brewing a History Archive at the Smithsonian

  • Where: 101
  • When:Thursday, May 3rd from 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
  • Who:Theresa McCulla, Historian, American Brewing History Initiative, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
  • What: The Brewers Association has funded an initiative at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to preserve the histories of craft beer and home brewing in America. One year in, where has the historian traveled, what has the museum collected, and how is the Smithsonian sharing its findings with the public, now and in the future? Come learn about what the project has accomplished thus far and what is on tap.

7. How to run an Increasingly Complex Beer Business

  • Where: Omni Hotel: Legends Ballroom A-D
  • When:Thursday, May 3rd from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
  • Who:Sean Wilson, Fullsteam Brewery
  • What: Your beers are dialed in. You’ve carved out a successful niche. The stress of running a brewery is getting the best of you and likely your staff. This session is led by someone who’s been there. In this mini-bootcamp, we’ll follow one brewery (Fullsteam) to learn how it escaped the clutches of managerial chaos. Discover the framework for how a maturing brewery increased productivity, established core values and a long-term vision, and gained traction, all while improving employee morale.

8. Brewery Engineering Panel Discussion

  • Where: 104
  • When:Thursday, May 3rd from 2:20 PM – 3:20 PM
  • Who:John Blystone, Great Lakes Brewing Co., Kyle Harris, Barnum Mechanical, Chris McCombs, Red Rock Brewing Co. and Brandon Smith, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
  • What: Panel discussion on best practices for managing engineering needs in breweries of different sizes.

9. What is Your Data Telling you?

  • Where: Omni Hotel: Legends Ballroom A-E
  • When:Thursday, May 3rd from 2:20 PM – 3:20 PM
  • Who: Gloria Atika, Baker Tilly, Jack McCraine, Baker Tilly, Jason McMackins, Baker Tilly and Emily Wells, Baker Tilly
  • What: Baker Tilly’s craft beverage team will discuss how to analyze, benchmark, and manage your data to improve cash flow and help you understand how your brewery is performing.

Learn how you can improve your overall record keeping with brewery management software.

10. From 1 Barrel to 1,000: Managing Risk From Start-up to Rapid Growth

  • Where: 104
  • When:Tuesday, May 1st from 2:40 PM – 3:40 PM
  • Who: Jonathan Dunitz, Verrill Dana LLP, Daniel Kleban, Maine Beer Co., James Stanborn, GHM Insurance and Brad Weller, Macpage LLC
  • What: From leasing your facility to purchasing new equipment to hosting tastings and tours, learn how to protect yourself from liability and determine profitability. Explore accounting and insurance for growth.

These are the the top 10 sessions VicinityBrew is looking forward to attending and gaining knowledge from during the 2018 Craft Brewers Conference. We hope to see you at CBC next month!

Look for VicinityBrew Software in Booth #2624 on the BrewExpo America floor, or click here to schedule time to talk beer with us during the event.