Immerse yourself in a world of brewing exploration with our diverse range of field trips and pre-meeting workshops happening on Saturday, August 17. From the golden fields of barley to the innovative hubs of brewing excellence, there's something for everyone to experience. Join us for an unforgettable journey where tradition meets innovation, and connections are forged through service and exploration.
Farm to Fermentation
Saturday, August 17 • 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. • $109
Join us on an immersive journey from golden fields of barley to a well-known local brewery! Our "Farm to Fermentation" field trip offers a firsthand look at the University of Minnesota's Barley breeding program where researchers are hard at work developing new varieties, overcoming challenges, and improving quality. After the barley fields, attendees will head to Surly Brewing Co. for a tour of their facility that literally changed beer laws in the State of Minnesota.
Manufacturing Excellence
Saturday, August 17 • 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. • $109
Discover the latest innovations in process technologies and solutions while touring Bühler's Minnesota facility. Attendees can expect to learn about new smart technology and how it is being implemented in brewing and distilling. Afterward, attendees will head to Utepils, a local favorite known for its European-style beer, for lunch and a tour. Look forward to connecting with fellow attendees in the beer garden before kicking off WBC 2024!
Budding Brews: A New Brewing Experience
Saturday, August 17 • 9:30 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. • $119
With cannabis legislation rapidly changing across the U.S., the "Budding Brews" field trip showcases how several local Minnesota breweries have developed and produced cannabis-infused beverages to meet new consumer demand. Attendees can expect hands-on tours and samples, as well as a new understanding of THC brewery culture in this fast-growing market.
Pre-Meeting Workshops
ASBC Lab-in-a-Fishbowl
Saturday, August 17 • 9:30 – 11:45 a.m. • $19
The American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) presents Lab-in-a-Fishbowl – a session designed to deliver basic quality methodology to the brewing industry. Join us in this 2 part live demonstration and Q&A session as we explore yeast cell counting and viability measurement and basic microbiology on a budget.
Part 1:
Yeast Cell Counting and Viability Measurement
Fermentation control is fundamental to brewing at any scale. Yeast health and concentration have a profound impact on fermentation performance and flavor profile. This presentation will provide an in-depth explanation and demonstration of the simple and low-cost ASBC methods used to determine cell count and viability with a microscope, hemocytometer, and commercially available dyes.
Part 2:
Basic Microbiology on a Budget
Microbiology is an essential tool for all breweries. In fact, we are all microbiologists when working with yeast and cleaning our breweries. Join us as we explore, demonstrate, and explain low-cost micro options that give you scientific know-how and peace of mind in the brewery. Basic technique will be demonstrated and many tips on how to have a successful micro program in a small brewery will be discussed.
Leave this session ready to build your microbiology toolkit and with the skills to successfully count yeast cells.
Genes and Genomics for Brewers
Saturday, August 17 • 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. • $89
Historically, discoveries in science and fermentation have been interconnected. The field of microbiology began with the observations of single yeast cells in fermenting beers. Genetics has propelled selective breeding in barley and hops, providing tremendous advantages to both growers and brewers. The brewing industry has been both a place of scientific discovery and science in practice. MBAA and ASBC meetings connect brewers to state-of-the-art research. Over the past couple of years, we have seen more and more technical talks covering complex subjects such as full genome sequencing, molecular breeding, and modern gene-editing technologies. This workshop will be a primer in modern genetics and genomics as these topics relate to brewing. We will begin with a foundational 101-level introduction to genes, genomics, and molecular biology. Yeast, hops, and malt scientists will discuss how they apply these concepts to their research. Lastly, we will include a practical exercise applying genetics and molecular biology in the brewery QC lab with an overview of qPCR primer design for custom targets and colony identification by 16S/ITS sequencing.
Design of Experiments for Brewers
Saturday, August 17 • 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. • $89
This course is designed to introduce attendees the concepts of factorial designs that can be used in brewing and packaging to help drive improvements and troubleshoot issues. The concepts of orthogonal arrays and ANOVA will be covered so the attendees will understand how DOEs are executed and analyzed. Furthermore, factorial plots and interpretation will be provided thus allowing attendees to understand how to take the results and use that to drive improvements.