Acid Is Your Friend!
Description Mashing is a chemically-complex process that performs better when the brewer knows how to adjust their water chemistry to better match the needs of the grist. Using acid is an important component in those adjustments. This session will illustrate why adjusting mashing and wort…
Barrels of Fun: Barrel Aging Beer, Mead, and Cider
Description Barrel-aging for beer, mead and cider. From sourcing and preparing a barrel, to fermenting, transferring, storing, blending and aging best practices from an experienced homebrew barrel-ager. Sharing lessons learned (including a horror story or two) and some practical tips and tricks to barrel age…
Beer Dinners: Bringing It All Together, Beer, Friends, and Food
Description Ever thought of hosting a beer dinner? This session is designed to inform, encourage and guide homebrewers to host their first beer dinner. Strategies and considerations for a successful beer dinner will be shared. Then, participants will have two rounds of practice to reinforce…
Beyond the “Barley Monoculture” Lies a Frontier of Flavor
Description How to manage Protein levels in brewing with ingredient choices. How to encourage fermentation flavor expressions and biotransformation. About the Speaker Sebastian Wolfrum is the founder of Epiphany Craft Malt in Durham, NC, to provide an integrated regional…
Big Sticky Stout
Description Tips and advice on managing overfilled mash tuns, long boils, stressed yeast, and mounds of coconut, vanilla, nuts, cacao nibs, and more! About the Speaker Michael Tonsmeire, also known as “The Mad Fermentationist,” is the co-founder of Sapwood…
Branching Out: A Homebrewer’s Guide to Scaling to Commercial
Description This presentation is for individuals who wish to work in or start a commercial brewery. I will address the appropriate manner to transition from homebrewer to commercial brewer. Drawing from personal experience moving from homebrewing, to being trained in school, to working in numerous…
Brewing Low Gravity, Low ABV Beers
Description Low gravity/ABV beers are perfect for having more than one, sharing with friends and family. They also don't have to be watery, thin and simple. We will explore ways to produce high quality and flavorful low Gravity/ABV beers. About the Speaker
Bringing Back the Joy of Homebrewing
Description Every long time hobbyist has hit a lull - been there, done that, ho hum, I can buy a pack of good beer around the corner. So how do you spark the joy and get back to brewing. How do you keep the joy…
Bringing Back the Joy of Homebrewing
Description Every long time hobbyist has hit a lull - been there, done that, ho hum, I can buy a pack of good beer around the corner. So how do you spark the joy and get back to brewing. How do you keep the joy…
Brülosophy: Lies, Damn Lies, and Homebrew
Description How well do you really know your beer? Through live taste tests and data from Brülosophy's exBEERiments, we'll challenge your palate, your brewing software and your expertise. Volunteers attempt a deceptively simple blind tasting challenge. We reveal lab data showing your beer may not…
Choosing the Right Software for Your Competition: BAP vs. BCOE&M Showdown!
Description This session compares two leading competition software platforms: Beer Awards Platform (BAP) and Brew Competition Online Entry & Management (BCOE&M). Attendees will learn the key differences, strengths, and limitations of each system. Ideal for organizers seeking clarity on which tool best fits their competition's…
Cidermaking 101: Core Concepts
Description This session introduces the essentials of cider production for home cidermakers and enthusiasts. Learn the steps of how cider is made, from apple selection and pressing to fermentation, blending, carbonation, and packaging, plus pathways to scaling up production and further education.
Clean Beer Starts with Clean Equipment: Advanced Cleaning and Sanitation
Description While most homebrewers recognize the importance of cleaning and sanitizing, many do not fully understand the underlying science or how to optimize these practices for consistent, high-quality results. This session will go beyond the basics to explore the “why” behind effective cleaning and…
Collaboration, Connection, & Curiosity: How Clubs Grow Better Together
Description This session explores how bringing homebrew clubs together creates connection, shared learning, and real collaboration. Through the Colorado Homebrewers Conference, we saw how simple connection leads to lasting relationships, better coordination, and shared problem-solving. Attendees will learn how to foster collaboration across clubs,…
Competition Brewing Strategies: Brewing for Medals, Finals, and 43+ Scores
Description´ Competition brewing isn't one game, it's at least three. Strategies that win local circuits, succeed at national competitions, or produce 43+ scores are different. This session explores how goals shape recipe design, category selection, and brew planning so brewers can align their approach with…
Crafting Hard Cider for the Beer Brewer
Description A comprehensive course to sourcing, processing, fermentation, and bottling hard cider. How to create a balanced hard cider, from apple to bottle, while avoiding common mistakes. A comprehensive course to sourcing, processing, fermentation, and bottling hard cider. How to create a balanced hard…
From Brew Day to Award-Winning Beer: Strategies for Competition Success
Description This presentation explores what drives success in homebrew competitions, bridging the gap between brewer expectations and judge evaluations. Drawing on data from hundreds of competitions and thousands of scoresheets, it highlights how feedback, scoring trends, and common pitfalls shape results. Emphasizing process over recipe…
From NHC to World Beer Cup, Homebrew Style
Description Learn homebrew inspired and focused techniques that Diatribe Brewing co-owner Dave Byer still uses at his brewery to win medals at competitions like the World Beer Cup and GABF. From breaking from the rules on aging temperatures and yeast techniques to taking pride in…
From Pours to Partnerships: Brewing Community Events
Description Brewery partnerships can open doors to collaboration, taproom pours, and events, but what happens next determines success. This session explores how relationships create opportunities and how clubs turn them into meaningful experiences through collaboration across clubs, partnerships with professional breweries, charitable purpose, and events…
Fruit and Mead
Description Join Ken Schramm for a discussion on the use of fruit in mead. Melomel is probably the best-selling type of mead in the commercial mead world, and one of the most popular among home meadmakers. We'll explore why fruit and honey is such a…
Fruited Hydromels – An Approachable Mead
Description Home fermenters that tend to pass on making mead cite issues like "it takes so long" or "I can't drink much of something that strong/sweet". Enter the fruited hydromel. We will walk through a process for executing a sessionable mead that can be made…
Getting Buzzed: An Intro to Making Ciders and Meads
Description Discover the easy way to craft delicious meads and crisp ciders at home. This session guides you through creating a perfect base brew and different approaches to enhancing your flavors using fruits and spices. We’ll simplify the process, and share award-winning recipes to ensure…
Hear About the What, Why, and How of Pressure Fermenting
Description Pressure Fermenting: What is it exactly? Why should I consider doing it? What are the issues? How do I do it? About the Speaker I have been homebrewing for over 30 years. I have also…
Homebrew Quick-Tip Concentrate! A Rapid Fire of Short Easy Clever Tips!
Description Want to up your brewing savvy and create award-winning, tasty homebrew but your attention span isn't, shall we say, robust? You're in luck as we open a can of Homebrew Quick-Tip Concentrate loaded with a vetted collection of useful techniques in short easy bites,…
Hopfen und Malz: How Beer Travel to Germany Can Up Your Homebrew Game
Description Learn about German beer styles at their source! In this session, I'll share practical knowledge and insider tips you can use to plan your beer trip to Germany. Tour Weyermann's malting facilities in Bamberg, then sample Rauchbier in an ancient tavern. Sip Kölsch…
How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, Practice, Practice!
Description Many brewers never brew the same batch twice. Motivated to discover new recipes, they seek the untried, unusual and unique. This is good - all part of the creative process. I have brewed 600+ batches of beer, mead and cider. Of these, I have…
How Great Lagers are Brewed around the World
Description 1) We will focus on the key fermentation elements that define great lager brewing: ingredient selection, yeast management, and the meticulous control of fermentation and lagering. 2) We’ll compare regional techniques, highlight cultural influences, and examine how brewers balance tradition with…
How to Keep a Small Club Alive
Description Learn how to keep a small homebrew club thriving without burnout. This 45-minute session covers simple, low-hassle meeting ideas, engaging activities, and practical approaches to organizing a small group. We'll share real-world strategies for maintaining momentum, building participation, and creating a fun, welcoming culture.…
I Lawfully Homebrewed a Vaccine, and You Can Too
Description Vaccine scientist presenting a documented DIY yeast-based experiment demonstrating engineered yeast production and measurable antibody responses. About the Speaker I'm a vaccine scientist by day, but I've been homebrewing off and on for 30 years. It's…
Innovation and Fermentation: Elevate Your Yeast Skills for Your Next Brew
Description Innovation has always been at the heart of homebrewing, it’s in our DNA. We’re constantly creating, exploring, “exbeerimenting.” To push boundaries, it’s key to understand every part of a recipe, especially the four core ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast. In this session, we’ll…
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