The 2017 Technical Summit was held May 24-25 in Boulder, Colo. Twenty-one Technical committee and subcommittee members attended, along with eight Brewers Association (BA) staff members (see participant list below). The purpose of the summit is to align Technical committee priorities with BAÂ strategic objectives and develop technical projects ideas for 2018 and future annual plans.
Technical Summit attendees reached out to local brewers beforehand, to get direct feedback on small brewery needs in the technical realm. This feedback directly informed the development of project priorities, and will be utilized to produce relevant resources. The BA will also work to more effectively promote and communicate the work of the technical committee and subcommittees to membership and the larger craft brewing community.
Attendees also reviewed the technical committee vision and mission, and examined priorities to ensure alignment with BA strategic objectives and current industry conditions. An evaluation of strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats within the industry formed the lens through which project ideas were evaluated. Individual project ideas were then rated in regards to feasibility and impact, then importance and urgency.
The prioritized projects will go into the BA Professional Division Technical Department 2018 Plan proposal, which is reviewed by the BA management team and the Board of Directors. A list of lower priority projects will be maintained for future consideration or inclusion in subsequent annual plan proposals.
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Technical Committee and subcommittee member participants:
Name | Company | Committee |
Justin Ainsworth | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Technical Committee; Beer Industry Electronic Commerce Coalition (BIECC) Liaison |
Travis Burge | New Belgium Brewing Co | Technical Committee |
Cheri Chastain | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Sustainability Subcommittee Co-Chair |
Tom Flores | Brewers Alley | Technical Committee |
Jamie Floyd | Ninkasi Brewing Co. | Technical Committee |
Reva Golden | University Corporation for Atmospheric Research | Safety Subcommittee Co-Chair |
Larry Horwitz | Four String Brewing Co. | Technical Committee |
Geoff Larson | Alaskan Brewing Co. | Technical Committee |
John Mallet | Bell’s Brewery, Inc. | Technical Committee Chair |
Matt Meadows | New Belgium Brewing Co | Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee Chair |
Matt Moberly | Bell’s Brewery, Inc. | Technical Committee; BIECC Liaison |
James “Otto” Ottolini | BrewHub | Technical Committee |
Jason Perkins | Allagash Brewing Co. | Quality Subcommittee Chair |
Brandon Smith | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Engineering Subcommittee Chair |
Ken Smith | Boston Beer Company | Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee |
Kris Spaulding | Brewery Vivant | Sustainability Subcommittee Member |
Matt Stinchfield | Ploughshare Brewing Co. | Safety Subcommittee Co-Chair |
Kent Taylor | Blackstone Brewing Co. | Engineering Subcommittee Vice-Chair |
Katie Wallace | New Belgium Brewing Co | Sustainability Subcommittee Co-Chair |
Dave Wilson | Alaskan Brewing Co. | Technical Committee |
Chad Yakobson | Crooked Stave Brewing Co. | Technical Committee |
Brewers Association staff participants:
Name | Title |
Ryan Farrell | Technical Summit Facilitator; HR Manager |
Paul Gatza | Director |
Bob Pease | President & CEO |
Damon Scott | Technical Brewing Projects Coordinator |
Chuck Skypeck | Technical Brewing Projects Manager |
Chris Swersey | Supply Chain Specialist |
Kristi Switzer | Brewers Publications Publisher |
Bart Watson | Chief Economist |
For a full list of committees and members, visit the Committees section of BrewersAssociation.org