1. Guild Activities

Sensory Training and Educational Experiences at the Florida Brewers Conference

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Neil Witte is a 20 year veteran of the craft beer business. He began his career in the Kansas City brewpub industry, moving to Boulevard Brewing Co. in 1997 as a brewer. In 2001, he took over field quality responsibilities for the brewery, acting as a quality control liaison between the brewery and its distributor and retailer network. He continued that role with the Duvel USA family of beers, including Boulevard and Brewery Ommegang, through the end of 2016. In 2017 he founded Craft Quality Solutions, which draws on his extensive field quality experience, providing field quality services to breweries, distributors and retailers. He is certified through the Beer Judge Certification Program and is currently one of 13 Master Cicerones. He is co-author of the Brewers Association Draught Beer Quality Manual, Draught Beer Quality for Retailers and a contributing author to the MBAA Beer Steward Handbook.

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The Florida Brewers Conference took place on August 6-8 at the Renaissance Sea World in Orlando, Fla. The event was very well-attended with over 500 brewers and industry trade members.

(MORE: Florida Craft Beer Sales & Production)

The conference was an educational experience from start to finish. The first day featured a sold-out sensory training session by Sam Swartz, Senior Lab Tech at Coppertail Brewing Co in Tampa, Fla. Including both aromas and off-flavors, the course explored the origins of 20+ flavors, as well as practical applications for sensory awareness in the brewery.

Kicking off the second day was a keynote from Lew Bryson, a celebrated beer and spirits author and past judge at the Great American Beer Festival®. After the keynote, attendees split into breakout sessions on a variety of topics. Highlights included a panel on mental health in breweries, an instructional talk on keg repair with MicroMatic’s Steve Bradt, a discussion on how to talk about beer with John Holl of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, and a great talk on common mistakes made by brewery startups with consultant Audra Gaiziunas from Brewed for Her Ledger.

Florida Brewers GuildFinally, the third day started with a short address from the Florida Brewers Guild’s executive director Sean Nordquist, president Kent Bailey, and lobbyist/in-house counsel Josh Aubuchon. Following were more breakout sessions, including my own talk on the meaning of quality for today’s brewer and the craft brewing industry as a whole. I especially enjoyed meeting with several attendees afterwards to discuss their questions, mainly about how to have difficult conversations about quality in their breweries. Other seminars included a panel discussion on quality, a presentation on brewery taxes, and a panel on yeast management and barrel aging.

(MORE: Brewers Association Quality Ambassador)

Ample networking time was also on the docket for the event. In between seminars attendees perused a trade show featuring over 60 exhibitors, and on Tuesday evening, attendees were bused to Crooked Can Brewing for a nice event featuring a variety of local beers and food from several local vendors.

Link to author biography

Neil Witte is a 20 year veteran of the craft beer business. He began his career in the Kansas City brewpub industry, moving to Boulevard Brewing Co. in 1997 as a brewer. In 2001, he took over field quality responsibilities for the brewery, acting as a quality control liaison between the brewery and its distributor and retailer network. He continued that role with the Duvel USA family of beers, including Boulevard and Brewery Ommegang, through the end of 2016. In 2017 he founded Craft Quality Solutions, which draws on his extensive field quality experience, providing field quality services to breweries, distributors and retailers. He is certified through the Beer Judge Certification Program and is currently one of 13 Master Cicerones. He is co-author of the Brewers Association Draught Beer Quality Manual, Draught Beer Quality for Retailers and a contributing author to the MBAA Beer Steward Handbook.

See Neil Witte's Articles