Beer Travel for a Deeper Understanding and Better Brewing

Ron Smith, Europe Beer Tour Guide

BeerMBA

Ron Smith is a Master Beer Judge Certification Program Judge, a Certified Cicerone, a beer and brewing educator, a craft brewery consultant, and a European Beer Tour Guide with BeerMBA. Ron has been homebrewing as a member of the Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI), judging beer, and supporting the craft beer movement for over 25 years.

Ron has taught a beer styles and sensory analysis class at Indiana University in Indianapolis for 15 years, as well as a short course in craft brewery operations for seven years. He also teaches about all aspects of beer, brewing, ingredients, processes, styles, off-flavors, judging, beer and food pairing, and many more topics in private classes for breweries, distributors, and others. In addition, he routinely consults with craft brewers on stylistic, quality, and technical issues.

Ron is a sought-after judge for professional brewing competitions and has judged in prestigious international competitions around the world. He has traveled extensively throughout Germany, Belgium, and the Czech Republic, learning firsthand about the beers, brewing processes, serving techniques, history, and culture in those countries. This travel, and the incredible education that it provides, is what led Ron to want to share those experiences with others, and he has been leading European beer tours for small groups for 15 years. These are incredible journeys, primarily through Germany, Belgium, and the Czech Republic.

Ron also holds a Masters of Business Administration, with honors, from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, and Bachelor of Arts and Associate of Applied Science degrees from Purdue University, and he consults numerous businesses in the area of marketing and operations.