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Put It on Nitro! The Science and Methods of Beer Nitrogenation

  • Speaker: Michael Ferrari
  • Track: Beer Styles
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

Cascading bubbles, dense foam, and smooth mouthfeel—join Michael as he teaches you how to achieve the hallmarks of nitro beer in your own homebrew. We’ll go over the history, science, and methods of beer nitrogenation and cover the equipment needed for the perfect nitro pour.

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Relax, Don’t Worry, Have a Homebrew…then, Start a Revolution

  • Speaker: Janel Jackson-Beckham
  • Track: Other/Misc.
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

Brewers Association Diversity Ambassador “Dr. J” Jackson-Beckham shares current trends that are changing the craft brewing landscape, highlighting the important role that diversity and inclusion must play in the future growth and sustainability of the industry. In this seminar, she spotlights the unique role of the homebrewing community as the…

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Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus: The Story of a Contaminant Yeast That Shook the Brewing World

  • Speaker: Seth Clearwater & Katelyn Roberts
  • Track: Yeast & Fermentation
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

Yeast that can referment beer poses a great risk to commercial brewers and homebrewers. Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus is a close relative to brewer’s yeast that can excrete glucoamylase enzymes that metabolize starches. Scientific understanding of this contaminant is lacking, and better identification procedures need to be developed. In light…

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So, You Want to Be a Pro Brewer: Are You Crazy?

  • Speaker: Michael Ferguson
  • Track: Going Pro
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

Come learn all the reasons you shouldn’t, all the reasons you should, and, most of all, what you need to do to be successful with such a crazy idea. With more than 9,500 breweries in the United States, are we reaching a saturation point? In some places we probably have,…

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The Deductive Beer Tasting Method: A Method to the Sensory Madness

  • Speaker: Rich Higgins
  • Track: Sensory Analysis
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

Learn more from tasting the beer you brew! Join Rich Higgins, Master Cicerone and former brewmaster, to learn a method that lets you “look under the hood” and understand every beer you taste. Rich’s Deductive Beer Tasting Method builds upon the framework of aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel, and overall impression…

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The Little Things

  • Speaker: Nicholas McCoy & Jeff Poirot
  • Track: Brewing Process
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

Ninkasi Award winners Nick McCoy and Jeff Poirot share “The Little Things” you can do to take your homebrewing to the next level. This seminar will cover tips and tricks in all areas of brewing and recipe creation.

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The Most Neutral Lager Strain? Effect of Pitching Rate and Fermentation Temperature on Strain Weihenstephan 34/70

  • Speaker: José Pizaro
  • Track: Yeast & Fermentation
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

In this seminar you will virtually enter the R&D department of a yeast manufacturer and learn the steps and methodology of fermentation trials to demonstrate the neutrality in flavors and aromas, under several fermentation conditions, of a lager yeast strain. Attendees will learn what makes this yeast strain so popular…

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Using Raw Ingredients: Cereal Mashing Explained

  • Speaker: Aaron Hyde
  • Track: Ingredients
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

Open a whole new world of brewing opportunity with raw grains! Accessible from your own backyard or the local grocery aisle, unmalted grains have been used in brewing since the beginning of time. From amaranth to wheat, we’ll look at what grains are available to use in the brewing process.

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Using Tannic Acid to Clarify and Stabilize Your Brew

  • Speaker: Joseph Formanek
  • Track: Brewing Process
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

Mentioning the word tannin to a brewer usually brings up negative connotations of haze, astringency, and flawed processes. In fact, the world of tannins is a large and complex one, and certain citizens of this world can deliver positive attributes to your brew. We will discuss how to use tannic…

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Why You Do What You Do: Avoiding Common Off Flavors

  • Speaker: Megan Schwarz
  • Track: Other/Misc.
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

The basics of brewing are well documented and generally understood by homebrewers: proper cleaning and sanitation, a vigorous boil, fast hot and cold break, healthy yeast, and temperature control, to name a few. However, brewers often don’t realize why each step is so crucial for a desired flavor…

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Would I Lie to You? Homebrewing Advice Demystified as Legit or Myth!

  • Speakers: Amanda BurkemperDenny ConnJeff Gladish & Ron MinkoffMartin Brungard
  • Track: Yeast & Fermentation
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

Pro brewers don’t want you to know this. Number 7 will surprise you! You won’t believe what happens next! Forgo the clickbait and join this seminar to get the real story on whether the common (and not-so-common) homebrewing advice you’ve heard is legit or myth. A seasoned panel of experienced…

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Yeast Harvesting, Banking, and Quality Control

  • Speaker: Eric Lowe
  • Track: Yeast & Fermentation
  • Homebrew Con 2019
  • Providence, RI

Years ago, I started a thread on HomebrewTalk.com to share my techniques for banking yeast at home easily and inexpensively using slants. Little did I expect that the thread would go on to become one of the longest and most read threads on the world’s largest homebrew forum. It is…

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All About That Base: Learning More About Malt Through Sensory Analysis

  • Speaker: Jen Blair
  • Track: Sensory Analysis
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

Brewers will learn the basics of sensory analysis, including a brief overview of the hot-steep method, and an overview of malt and the malting process. The presentation highlight will be a guided 30-minute malt sensory tasting session incorporating craft malt from around the United States, wherein participants will have the…

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American Hops: From Soil to Serve

  • Speaker: Nick Zeigler
  • Track: Ingredients
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

In this inside look at how American hops are grown, harvested, processed, and used, Nick Zeigler will share insights on how to use different hop products to deliver the quality you want. You’ll learn to choose the right hop products for different steps in the brewing process and discover varied approaches to achieving your desired results.


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Beasts and Bugs: Using the Science of Kombucha in Brewing Beer

  • Speaker: James Czar
  • Track: Alternative Fermentation
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

At the center of kombucha brewing is an evolved symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). Learn how the microbiology and chemistry of kombucha connects to beer brewing methods of the past and how understanding it can help you brew better beer. We’ll also cover basic kombucha brewing (so you…

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Beer and Food Pairing Principles

  • Speaker: Jay DeLong
  • Track: Sensory Analysis
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

Join Jay DeLong to examine the versatility of beer as it pairs with food. This talk discusses the primary beer-pairing factors as well as some general pairing guidelines. Primary emphasis will be on finding balance in both the beer and the food and how they can enhance each other. Pairing…

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Better Brewing Through Data Science and Machine Learning

  • Speaker: Justin Revelstoke
  • Track: Recipe Formulation & Improvement
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

Join Justin Revelstoke as we analyze hundreds of thousands of homebrew recipes and uncover hidden trends. Create, modify, and refine recipes with a live artificial intelligence (AI) brewing assistant and taste the results. Discuss the data science challenges inherent to the brewing industry as we explore the exciting new ways…

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Better Hopping Through Science: Tales from the Master Brewers Association of America

  • Speakers: Chris HotzDoug Brown
  • Track: Brewing Process
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

Brewing science is constantly evolving and improving. To bring homebrewers up to date on the latest scientific developments in the world of hopping, this seminar introduces attendees to four recent studies conducted by members of the Master Brewers Association of America. For each study, we explain how to incorporate the…

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Biggest Mistakes in Sour Beer Making

  • Speaker: Jay Goodwin
  • Track: Beer Styles
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

Perhaps the most difficult style of beer to execute well, sour beer is becoming increasingly popular for both home- and pro brewers. In this seminar, Jay Goodwin shares a few pitfalls of sour beer making from some of the best brewers in the world. From Cantillon and Rodenbach to Russian…

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Boil Pro: What Homebrewers Can Learn from Pros on Wort Boiling

  • Speaker: Martin Brungard
  • Track: Brewing Process
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

Boiling sterilizes wort, drives off unpleasant compounds, coagulates proteins, and isomerizes hop acids, all of which are critical for producing great beer. While homebrewers have been told for years that a vigorous boil is desirable, long and vigorous boils are neither necessary nor desirable for producing high-quality beer. This presentation…

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Bringing a Brewery Quality Control Lab into Your Home

  • Speaker: Dr. Kevin McCabe
  • Track: Technical
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

The laboratory at Full Sail Brewing takes advantage of the latest technology and instrumentation to ensure beer consistency and quality, but many of the most important, high-impact techniques can be easily and inexpensively adapted for the homebrewer. From cell counts to sensory analysis, Dr. McCabe will walk the audience through…

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Burton Ale

  • Speaker: Bill Schneller
  • Track: Beer Styles
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

Burton ale is the parent style of barleywine and old ale. It was a staple of British brewing from the 1820s through the 1950s and 1960s, when it died out. Like most beers, it changed over the course of time. We’ll explore the history of Burton ale and learn how…

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Coffee Beer: How Much Buzz Is in Your Brew?

  • Speaker: Kara Taylor
  • Track: Ingredients
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

Have you ever brewed with coffee and wondered how much caffeine was in your beer? In this presentation, we’ll discuss caffeine levels of different commercial beers and how different extraction techniques can affect the caffeine in your beer. The presentation will show how caffeine is extracted from beans and explain…

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Crash Course in the Business of Brewing

  • Speakers: Dustin FordJennifer GlanvilleMegan BakerMegan Parisi
  • Track: Going Pro
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

Do you know you have the drive, passion, and talent it takes to quit your day job and open up shop? The road to entrepreneurship can twist more than your tubing, but fear not! Samuel Adams has assembled a team of brewing and business pros to help you navigate the…

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Cultivating Diversity and Inclusion in Homebrewing

  • Speakers: Annie JohnsonAnthony SalazarDebbie CerdaDiane GriffinKiley Gwynn
  • Track: Other/Misc.
  • Homebrew Con 2018
  • Portland, OR

This diverse panel of homebrewers will provide a forum in which to discuss the challenges, successes, and opportunities for diversity and inclusion in our homebrew community. We’ll discuss how homebrew clubs and beer appreciation groups and the craft beer industry can foster a greater appreciation and involvement in craft beer…

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