2019 Keynote Address
7 Hops: Bitter Sisters Who Reveal the Secrets of Humulus lupulus
How should you use a hop you’ve never heard of? Why are New World hops different? What’s a thiol? How come nobody warned us about hop creep? We’ll consider these questions, talk about the latest scientific research, and vote for the most important hop ever after getting up close and…
Ask the Experts Panel
No homebrewing topic is off limits in this interactive Q&A panel with homebrewing luminaries Brad Smith, John Palmer, and Drew Beechum. Lamenting on lagers? Interested in isinglass? Curious about carbonation? Puzzled about Pediococcus? Overanalyzing alpha acids? Bring your toughest homebrewing riddles and see what advice these experts can give.
Automated Brewing and Electrical Safety for Homebrewers
Many DIY brewers are learning about microcontrollers, advanced temperature control, flow measurement and control, volume sensing, and dissolved oxygen measurement to improve quality and ensure consistency from batch to batch. We will discuss the capabilities and advantages of automation, from simple temperature control to fully automated breweries. The second half…
Beer School: Homebrew Tips from Brewing College and Pro Brewer Experience
In his two-year journey to a brewing science degree, and in his time as a professional brewer, James has had many “Aha!” moments—times when he realized that a specific technique or bit of knowledge could help his homebrew. Join James as he shares (often humorous) stories from school and work,…
Better Bochet
The deep copper color, vanilla aroma, and notes of caramel and burnt marshmallow of bochet have long been of interest to us. But, all too often, a bochet passed to us at a club meeting or sampled at Club Night managed to disappoint. The bochets we tasted lacked body, were…
Brewing Beer-Style Meads
Making beer-style mead involves more than just adding hops. This presentation covers everything that goes into making recipes that truly walk the fine line between these two amazing craft beverages.
Brewing Simple: Great Beer with Less Effort and More Fun
Why do homebrewers seem to want to do things in the most difficult way possible? Why measure your beer’s value in terms of sweat instead of savor? Learn how simplifying your brewing process can give you great beer in less time while you have the most fun with your brew.…
Brewing Sour Beer at Home: Coolships, Wild Strains, and Commercial Sources
This Homebrew Con seminar recording examines all three procedures for souring homebrew and discusses the pros and cons of each method.
Brewing with Fruit
Get the most out of your fruit beers. Bret Kollmann Baker, head brewer at Urban Artifact, covers a wide range of techniques and options for maximizing fruit usage in your beers. We’ll discuss fermentation and brewhouse fruit usage rates, the impacts of different fruit types (whole, fresh, frozen, puree, concentrate,…
Brewing with Oats
What if there were a secret ingredient that could take your beer from good to remarkable? What if this secret could help you make something beery, delicious, and totally unique? The humble oat has been a traditional brewing grain since before recorded beer history. Let’s unlock the secrets of the…
Brewing without Hops: Back to the Future of Botanical Brewing
Folks from around the world have brewed beer for thousands of years, and for most of that time, they didn’t use hops! Join brewer, brewpub owner, and author of Against All Hops Butch Heilshorn for a jaunt down the wonderful wormhole of botanical brewing. Learn its rich history, discover what…
Brut IPA: Birth of a New Style
Brut IPA has emerged from the turbid world of murky IPA haze as a new style that is brilliantly clear, effervescent, full of hop flavor and aroma, low on bitterness, and bone dry. Come learn all about the Champagne-like quality of brut IPA in this session. Topics covered will include…
Building Your Own Brew Stand from A to Z
This seminar will provide homebrewers with many different options for building brew stands. From choosing and planning the system and selecting materials to putting it all together, you’ll learn how to avoid potential pitfalls along the way. Whether you are building a multi-tier gravity system, a brew-in-a-bag system, a single-tier…
Deep Diving into Yeast Starters
Debating whether to make a starter can be confusing. Do I really need to make one? How is it different than just adding more yeast? In this talk we’ll explore what making a starter can do and dive into some data behind different types of starters. We’ll look at cell…
DIY Advanced Technology for Cheapskate and Anarchistic Homebrewers
In this presentation, homebrewers will learn to develop and apply novel technologies to solve common homebrew problems. All these useful projects work well and are inexpensive and practical to build at home. Learn about fun DIY projects like a temperature monitor and controller, pressure monitor, fermentation and keg weight monitor,…
Draft Beer Dispensing for Homebrewers
Tired of seeing delicious beer—the product of several weeks and lots of love—mutilated by your draft beer dispensing system? It takes only seconds for a beer traveling from keg to faucet to leave a bad taste in your mouth if your dispensing system isn’t properly designed, assembled, and maintained. In…
Educational Seminars and Guest Speakers for Your Homebrew Club
Effectively coordinate educational topics and speakers for your homebrew club to promote continued learning, active membership, and club longevity. Homebrew clubs that encourage members to remain up to date and informed are much more successful than so-called “drinking clubs.” This seminar will help you start a regular educational segment at…
Everyone’s Second Favorite Liquid: Basic Water Comprehension for Homebrewing
Brewing water can be an intimidating topic for homebrewers. In this talk, we will cover the water basics every brewer should know and learn how to improve your beer through water treatment. This session will be light on chemistry and big on practical advice.
Fair to Middlings: Using Flour Milling By-Products to Boost Grain Flavor in Any Beer
It can be difficult to brew low-ABV beers that have great grain character. One can compensate by using more specialty malts, but this is not feasible for some styles. Wheat (or rye) middlings are by-products of flour production that contain the outer layers of the grain and a bit of…
Ferment THAT!
Fermented foods have a long history and are currently a hot commodity. This seminar will build on some of the basics of fermentation and types of microbes involved in fermented foods like kimchi, kombucha, vinegar, sausage, sauerkraut, hot sauces, cheese, and many more! In this sequel to Ferment THIS from…
Flavor Impacts of Brett Fermentation under Pressure
It is a popular belief that fermenting with Brettanomyces under pressure yields a funkier outcome. Let's put it to the test!
Gluten-Free Brewing: Choosing the Best Grains for Taste, Texture, and Color
Robert Keifer has been gluten-free since 2010 and became tired of never having any beer to drink. After discovering gluten-free beer, he immersed himself in learning everything there is to know about brewing. He aspires to put his beers on the map at the Great American Beer Festival® Pro-Am Competition…
Hexes, Hops, and Herstory: A Call to Action
“Hexes, Hops, and Herstory” is a brewing project and a call to action! Inspired by history, this movement engages women beer lovers to become beer brewers in the modern day. Learn more about the history of women in beer and their association with the iconography of witches, as well as…
Homebrewing Microcomputers and Microbrewing Homebrew: Smithsonian Research on Homebrewing and Craft Beer History
Smithsonian Curator Curator Theresa McCulla, Ph.D., presents new research on early homebrew clubs, computing clubs, and the entrepreneurial and intellectual “ferment” of northern California in the 1970s.
How to Facilitate a Club Barrel-Aging Program and Produce Quality Beer
The Nordeast Brewers Alliance has been running a barrel-aging program since 2012. Our French oak barrel project was featured on Chop & Brew episode 7, “Roll Out the Barrels.” In this presentation, we will outline ways to facilitate a club barrel program and produce a successful experience for the club…
How to Survive Your Local Homebrew Competition
Want to host a homebrew competition? Ever coordinated a competition before? If so, then you know how fortunate you are to be alive right now. Join our team of battle-hardened competition coordinators for tactical insights on how to survive and conquer your competition. You will hear our war stories, learn…
Imperial Stout: 300 Years in the Making
Join this duo of time-traveling homebrewer historians as they explore the evolution, near-death, and rebirth of Imperial Stout!
Improving the Quality of Your Sour Beer through Blending
Rarely is one carboy free of off flavors while also expressing the right balance of acidity and funk. Blending is one way to make consistently good sour beer most of the time. Brewers will learn how to blend to achieve a better, more consistent flavor in their beers.
In Gourd We Trust: An In-Depth Look at the Style, History, and Brewing Techniques for Pumpkin Beer
It’s time to shut down the pumpkin beer haters! This presentation will take a detailed look at the history of pumpkin beer, cover the rise of “pumpkin spice” culture and its effect on the style, get into the nitty-gritty of fruit flavor and selection, and look at recipes and techniques…
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