SCHEDULE

12:00 PM  - Registration and Tradeshow Open
12:30 - 1:30 PM - Session #1 Breakout Sessions
1:30 - 2:00 PM - Break
2:00 - 3:00 PM - Session #2 Breakout Sessions
3:00 - 3:30 PM - Break
3:30 - 4:30 PM - Session #3 Breakout Sessions
4:30 - 5:00 PM - Networking and Beer Tasting

12:30 - 1:30 PM

Sourcing the Best Ingredients During Supply Chain Disruptions
Speakers: Matt Johnson (John Fearless), Barbara Stone (John I. Haas), Jim Wiggins (BSG/Rahr Malting Co.) and Erik Fowler (White Labs)
Room: 308
Track: Technical Brewing

Supply chains are facing many hurdles causing the rising costs and limited availability of common ingredients. From climate change to global shortages, breweries are facing a changing landscape of price adjustments and shortages. This panel will discuss aspects of what brewers and purchasers should be considering moving through these new trends. 

​Opportunities for Employee Education, Retention and Professional Development
Speakers: Mike Stevenson (Culver Beer Co./MiraCosta BrewTech Program), Natasha Nance (SDSU Global Campus), Kyle Wiskerchen (UCSD Brewing), Chris Leguizamon (Pure Project) and Jake Nunes (Burgeon Beer Co.)
Room: 310/312
Track: Craft Beer Culture

It’s become clear that quality employees supported by a quality culture of educational opportunities and professional development act as a major pillar in a successful business. While this is not unique to the beer industry, the opportunities are industry-specific whether it’s technical beer/brewing, sensory refinement, or job-specific education. This panel will introduce and explore practical ways to offer these opportunities at your brewery. 

Navigating Sales Channels
Speakers: Tom Kiely (Thorn Brewing), Phil Macnitt (Scout Distribution), Gene Fielden (Bottlecraft North Park) and Tim Parker (Chula Vista Brewery)
Room: 311
Track: Business & Leadership

Developing and supporting the sales channels that fit your brewery can be challenging. In a self-distribution state where many breweries have multiple taprooms, what does distribution look like? This panel will discuss their experience with each tier of the 3-tier system from the brewery all the way through distro and the account. 

2:00 - 3:00 PM

Water Chemistry: Working with Hard Water
Speakers: Kelsey McNair (North Park Beer Co.), Charlie Arnold (Stone Brewing), Rawley Macias (Rouleur Brewing Co.) and Aaron Justus (East Village Brew)
​Room: 308
Track: Technical Brewing

Reliant on imported water throughout the year, San Diego is known for having a hard and highly chlorinated water supply. For better or worse, this high mineral content plays a critical role in different beer styles requiring brewers to manipulate their water profiles to best suit the style being brewed. While this is not exclusive to San Diego, we will look at how local breweries handle their water and the types of systems they use. We’ll also discuss the impact of wastewater and best practices for working with the local water municipality.

The Art of Inclusive Communication
Speakers: Marc Meyer and Ashley Virtue (National Conflict Resolution Center)
​Room: 310/312
Track: Craft Beer Culture
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This interactive workshop helps participants explore their own personal and cultural identity and learn how it relates to communication style; how these different styles can sometimes be the root of communication breakdown; and, most importantly, how they can learn to recognize when a communication breakdown is happening and do something about it.

Exploring Organizational Structures Outside of Production
Speakers: Doug Constantiner (Societe Brewing Co.), Jill Olesh (Pizza Port Brewing Co.), Brandon Richards (AleSmith Brewing Co.) and Chad Heath (Karl Strauss Brewing Co.)
​Room: 311
Track: Business & Leadership
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​Whatever size or capacity your brewery started at, is currently operating with, or hope to grow into there will be new positions, roles, and job duties. Planning for the future can be difficult and this panel will discuss their own experiences in creating new positions, developing organizational structures and pitfalls to avoid. Growth can present great opportunities which is why it’s important to plan for not only where your brewery or department is now but where you would like it to go!

3:30 - 4:30 PM

Product Development: Setting Trends
Speakers: Tom Kiely (Thorn Brewing), Lindsay Barr (DraughtLab), Gwen Conley (Cutwater Spirits) and Kara Taylor (White Labs)
​Room: 308
Track: Technical Brewing

Developing a process, creating a recipe, or perfecting a newly explored style for a new product line is key to remaining ahead of trends. R&D is critical for a brand to stay relevant, efficient, and cost-effective in this forever-evolving industry. Whether it’s beer, an alternative malt beverage, brewing techniques, ingredients and customer preference should all be taken into account. This panel of experts will look at beer and beyond and the key considerations when developing these products from start to finish. 

Engaging Company Culture to Resonate with Your Fans
Speakers: Mackenzie Kline (Burgeon Beer Co.), Ashley Vevoda (Karl Strauss Brewing Co.), Aidan Kennedy (Coronado Brewing Co.), Jared Lane (Salty Crew), Stacey Oparnica (Dr. Bronner's) and Juliana Brown (Pure Project)
Room: 310/312
​Track: Craft Beer Culture
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There has been increased traction with the customer base for brands that resonate company culture through their branding, products, and/or services. Customers are not only buying a product but, supporting the company culture and lifestyle that comes along with it. This panel will review ways of communicating company personality, purpose and overall culture through using messaging to encourage community and collaboration. 
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Key Benchmarks for Profitability
Speakers: John Goehring (White Labs), Kegan Grayson (Coronado Brewing Co.), Joshua Lance (Lance CPA Group) and Virginia Morrison (Second Chance Beer Co.)
​Room: 311
Track: Business & Leadership

Financial and performance indicators are tools used in every industry to track success, profitability, and how to properly allocate funds and resources and the brewing industry has its own unique set of metrics. What key performance indicators should be in place to understand the financial direction of the business? This panel will review how best to develop, implement and monitor critical benchmarks for financial performance.

Thank You To Our Sponsors

MiraCosta’s 280-hour BrewTech Program is designed to train students to become productive brewers while gaining confidence in the brewhouse, cellar or packaging line. As one of the premiere craft beer programs in the San Diego area with an on-site brewery, this class focuses on ‘grain-to-glass’ hands-on experience and trains students to become turnkey brewery technicians.

San Diego State University's Professional Certificate in the Business of Craft Beer program provides hands-on training for those looking to enter or are already working in the brewing industry on the business side, rather than the brewing side of operations. This includes creating passionately knowledgeable management and staff in the hospitality industry to give customers a first-class experience.