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Brewing Dreams: Stories about Going Pro

  • Speakers: Beverly Armstrong Chris Spinnelli Jennifer Glanville Tim Thomssen
  • Track: Going Pro
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Join Samuel Adams brewer Jennifer Glanville for a spirited discussion with Tim Thomssen (winner of the 2015 Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew Competition and founder of Boiler Brewing Company), Beverly Armstrong (founder of Brazo Fuerte Artisanal Beer), and Chris Spinelli (co-founder of Roc Brewing Co.). We’ll trace each brewer’s path…

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Brewing When You Have No Time (Getting More out of Your Limited Brewing Time)

  • Speaker: Sachin "Chino" Darji
  • Track: Brewing Process
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

In a busy world, it’s hard to dedicate time to a long, continuous brew day. This seminar challenges the dogma that you need six hours to brew a batch of beer. Let’s explore ways to brew more using less of your limited time. We’ll learn how to brew more quickly…

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Building a Business Plan for Funding and the SBA

  • Speaker: Tim Soczka
  • Track: Going Pro
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Starting a business is hard, especially if you do not have a BA degree. Learn how to build the content and financials that lending institutions look for into your business plan. We’ll go over the necessary documentation and recommendations for a successful meeting with the lenders and the Small Business…

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Building Great Homebrew Clubs

  • Speakers: Drew Beechum Jason Randall Martin Brungard Ron Minkoff
  • Track: Clubs & Competitions
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Join representatives from three former Radegast Award–winning homebrew clubs—the Carolina Brewmasters, Maltose Falcons, and the Hogtown Brewers—for a spirited discussion on what makes great homebrew clubs. Attendees can expect to learn new, exciting ways to engage their memberships and take club events to the next level.

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Compound Interest: The Essentials of Essential Oils

  • Speakers: Matt McCarroll Stan Hieronymus
  • Track: Ingredients
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Why does a beer dry hopped with Centennial smell different than one dry hopped with Saaz? When you can’t get Citra, what other hops should you look for to create similar aromas? Will five parts Cascade and one part Lemondrop really pass for Amarillo? After starting with the basics, we’ll…

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Czech Plz! What I Learned Brewing with the Czech Masters

  • Speaker: Annie Johnson
  • Track: Brewing Process
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Join 2013 Homebrewer of the Year Annie Johnson as she reveals the secrets of brewing authentic Czech Pilsner at home. We will learn about water chemistry, ingredients, decoction mashing, fermentation, and more, all while enjoying delicious Czech Pilsner. Annie has brewed with master brewers Vaclav Berka of the Pilsner Urquell…

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Designing Beer Recipes

  • Speaker: Dr. Brad Smith
  • Track: Recipe Formulation & Improvement
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Recipe design and techniques have evolved rapidly the past few years. Brad shares what he’s learned by brewing and by interviewing the top homebrewers and commercial brewers from around the world. He explains different approaches used by top brewers with a focus on understanding ingredients and applying techniques to drive…

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Dry Hopping Effectively

  • Speaker: Blaze Ruud
  • Track: Brewing Process
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

What is dry hopping? At what stage of fermentation should dry hops be added? At what temperature should you dry hop, and what are the differences in perceived hop aroma and flavor for these temperatures? Learn how to dry hop successfully and what you can do to improve aroma in…

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Embrace Your Inner Nerd: Simple Steps to Setting up a Home Lab

  • Speaker: Zachary Taggart
  • Track: Technical
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

This seminar outlines basic steps homebrewers can take to establish a small lab in their home. We will review equipment and procedures to get you up and running on cell counts, plating yeast samples, setting up a home yeast bank, and utilizing basic spreadsheets to track your experiments and brewing…

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Evaluate Your Beer Like a Master Judge

  • Speaker: Gordon Strong
  • Track: Sensory Analysis
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Learn practical methods for assessing the aroma and flavor of your homebrew, exercises for developing your palate, and the techniques beer judges use to assess beer in amateur and professional competitions. Lean the structured tasting process, how to read and apply style guidelines, and how to evaluate beer for technical…

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Exploring Fruit Ciders

  • Speaker: Chris Smith
  • Track: Alternative Fermentation
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

This seminar offers an overview of the procedures and processes of adding additional fruit to hard cider. Topics include base cider selection, fruit pairing and preparation, yeast selection, nutrients, aeration, and more. From acidity and tannins to stabilizing and back sweetening, you’ll gain a comprehensive overview of what it takes…

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From Harebrained Idea to Mead Medal Winner

  • Speaker: Scot Schaar
  • Track: Alternative Fermentation
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

There are multitudes of great recipe ideas out there if only you know where to look. A night out for dinner or a trip down the grocery store aisle could be the inspiration for your next award-winning mead. Learn where to find these ideas and how to bring them to…

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Going Pro: Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Turn Your Hobby into a Business

  • Speaker: Ryan Krill
  • Track: Going Pro
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

For most of us, becoming a professional surfer, baseball player, or drummer just isn’t in the cards. But becoming a professional brewer? It can happen. This presentation will empower hobby brewers who are considering going pro with the information they need. It will attack the idea from an administrative angle,…

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Hardcore Mild

  • Speaker: Adam Stine
  • Track: Beer Styles
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Mild ale is a style with a long, sometimes confusing history. It’s rare to find commercially brewed milds in the US, so homebrewers who want a pint of mild often need to brew it themselves. Luckily, it’s a relatively quick and inexpensive style to brew at home. Mild ale can…

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Hold My Beer and Watch Me Science!

  • Speakers: Denny Conn Drew Beechum Malcolm Frazer Marshall Schott
  • Track: Other/Misc.
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Join Denny Conn and Drew Beechum from Experimental Brewing, along with Marshall Schott and Malcolm Frazer from Brülosophy, for this panel discussion. Learn how citizen science can improve your brewing and help you discover what works and what doesn’t. Questions will be taken and are encouraged!

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Homebrew Disrupts American Beer: A Live Interview with Charlie Papazian

  • Speakers: Charlie Papazian Chip Walton Tom Dalldorf
  • Track: Historical
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Join Charlie Papazian as he reveals the events and ideas in his life that helped immerse millions of homebrewers in the disruptive revolution of homebrewing. Homebrewing changed how the world views beer and will continue to be the leading edge of beer's evolution. Tom Dalldorf and Chip Walton will join…

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Homebrew Worldwide: An International Panel

  • Speakers: Brian Condron Chip Walton Gaston Rivera Lai I Jie & Miguel Loza Peter Symons
  • Track: Other/Misc.
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Join moderator Chip Walton of Chop & Brew and a panel of international homebrewers to discuss our hobby and the global homebrewing culture from many different perspectives. Learn how homebrewers from other countries overcome challenges related to supplies and equipment, work with indigenous and popular styles, and brew beer on…

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Ice Cider

  • Speaker: Jeremy Olsen
  • Track: Alternative Fermentation
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Ice cider is a delicious but uncommon cider style. This seminar reviews the history and origins of ice cider and discusses tips and techniques for making it at home. Learn about apple juice selection, the freezing process, fermentation, and post-fermentation adjustments to make your own ice cider.

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In It to Win It: Tips, Tricks, and Strategies for Competing Your Way to Better Beer

  • Speakers: Derrick Flippin Dexter Garner
  • Track: Clubs & Competitions
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

With great beer comes great awards! Learn how homebrew competitions can improve your beer and ultimately make you a better brewer. Find out how to maximize your chances at winning gold from two highly successful competition brewers who have a history of going against each other, tooth and nail, to…

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Lager Yeast Strain Selection for Style, Flavor, and Aroma

  • Speaker: Kevin Lane
  • Track: Yeast & Fermentation
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

There are many lager strains available on the market and a number of diverse lager styles. Selecting the correct right lager strain for your goals is the first step towards brewing your best lager ever. This seminar analyzes different lager styles and helps homebrewers learn the yeast selection criteria needed…

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Lagers to Lambic: Hard Stuff the Easy Way

  • Speakers: Brian Hall Derek Springer
  • Track: Brewing Process
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Lager, lambic, high-gravity, low-gravity, fruity, and funky—it’s enough to make your head spin! Many brewers might believe that certain styles are out of reach, requiring techniques accessible only to the brewing elite. But these “challenge” styles are within your grasp and easier than you think! Join bloggers Brian Hall of…

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Liquid Time Capsules

  • Speakers: Dr. Patrick McGovern Ken Schramm
  • Track: Historical
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

In this two-part seminar, Patrick McGovern and Ken Schramm take us on a fascinating, fermented journey through time. Dr. McGovern brings the past alive with spicy, fruity, and malty aromas and flavors unearthed in his new book, Ancient Brews: Rediscovered and Re-created. Then Ken explains why we are living in…

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Maintaining Quality after the Brew Day

  • Speaker: Warren Haskell
  • Track: Technical
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

This presentation focuses on quality from keg to glass. With all the time and effort we spend making our beer, let’s make sure we serve it with equal care! Kegerators, keezers, jockey boxes, and party taps are common equipment, and its important to know how to properly clean and maintain…

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Mastering Mead

  • Speakers: Curt Stock Matthew Weide Steve Fletty Steve Piatz Thomas Eibner
  • Track: Alternative Fermentation
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Minnesota is home to seven of the last 12 AHA Meadmakers of the Year: Curt Stock (2005), Steve Fletty (2007 and 2016), Steve Piatz (2008), Thomas Eibner (2009 and 2012), and Matthew Weide (2014). Join a panel discussion with these award-winning meadmakers and learn about their signature meads. Meads from…

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My Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard: Brewing New England IPAs

  • Speakers: Brian Hall Malcolm Frazer
  • Track: Beer Styles
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

New England Style IPA (NEIPA) showcases some of the best hop flavors and aromas to be found in beer, and it’s growing in popularity. Ed and Brian will shed light on this hazy, sometimes-controversial style and discuss the recipe formation and brewing techniques you need to create the crushable hop…

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Oaking Levels in Traditional Mead

  • Speaker: Susan Ruud
  • Track: Alternative Fermentation
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

This seminar demonstrates how aging Traditional Mead on oak can drastically change its flavor and perceived sweetness. Four Traditional Meads will be served: one that hasn’t been oaked at all, along with three that have been aged on the same kind of oak for different lengths of time.

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Origins and Evolution of Australian Sparkling Ale

  • Speaker: Peter Symons
  • Track: Beer Styles
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Australian sparkling ale is in the 2015 BJCP Guidelines as Category 12.B., and now is a great time to explore this style in depth. This seminar includes details of brewing techniques across different eras and how these techniques might have influenced the flavors and development of Australian sparkling ale. Recreations…

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Pairing Beer: How Does Your Palate Approach, Taste, and Pair Beer?

  • Speaker: Adam Dulye
  • Track: Sensory Analysis
  • Homebrew Con 2017
  • Minneapolis, MN

Taking a sip of beer might seem as common as a blue sky, but what is the first thing you think about when you taste it? In this seminar, we will dive into the two main palate approaches to tasting beer, discover how each defines a pairing, and learn how…

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