Jason Perkins of Allagash Brewing Company, recently elected to the Brewers Association (BA) Board of Directors, has been named as the new BA Technical Committee co-chair. Long-time Technical Committee chair and board member John Mallett of Bell’s Brewery, Inc. has reached his term limit of board service. BA governance requires that committee chairs come from the ranks of the Board of Directors, necessitating a change in Technical Committee leadership. Perkins will share the co-chair role with current co-chair Larry Horwitz of Ten20 Butchertown Beer Exchange.

Perkins has served as the chair of the BA Quality Subcommittee since its inception in the fall of 2014. Under his leadership, the Quality Subcommittee has been one the most prolific groups in the Technical Committee’s subcommittee structure. After laying the foundation for their work by defining quality and producing a visual representation of brewing quality with the Quality Pyramid, Perkins has led the subcommittee in producing seminal resources such as Good Manufacturing Practices for Craft Brewers and Food Safety Plan for Craft Brewers.

“As Technical Committee co-chair, one of my priorities will be to cultivate cross-committee communications. By utilizing the skill sets of the seventy-plus individuals that serve in the Technical Committee structure, we can produce effective collaborations, such as engineering solutions that address safety concerns.”

Jason Perkins, Allagash Brewing Company

“As Technical Committee co-chair, one of my priorities will be to cultivate cross-committee communications,” said Perkins. “By utilizing the skill sets of the seventy-plus individuals that serve in the Technical Committee structure, we can produce effective collaborations, such as engineering solutions that address safety concerns.”

Taking Perkins’ place as head of the Quality Subcommittee is Lauren Torres of Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Torres is the lab manager at Bell’s, where she leads a dedicated team involved with chemistry, microbiology, and sensory analysis. She has presented at local and national conferences for the American Society of Brewing Chemists, American Society for Quality, Craft Brewers Conference®, and Master Brewers Association of the Americas. Torres currently serves as the lead instructor for the BA Basics of Beer Quality Workshop and will continue in that role. As a subcommittee chair, Lauren also fills a seat on the Technical Committee.

Other subcommittee members are taking on additional responsibilities by volunteering to serve on the Technical Committee. These additions include Rachel Bell of Kiitos Brewing joining from the Safety Subcommittee, Mandi McKay of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. joining from the Sustainability Subcommittee, and Ken Smith of The Boston Beer Company joining from the Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee. All will join their respective chair in representing their subcommittee on the Technical Committee.

The Brewers Association would like to thank John Mallett for his long tenure as Technical Committee chair. His vision and unique style of leadership helped establish the BA Technical Committee as a leading source of resources for brewers of all sizes and business models. Mallett remains on the committee, where his presence will be welcome during the transition in leadership. The BA would also like to thank former committee members Justin Ainsworth and Brandon Smith, both of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., for their volunteer service on the Technical Committee.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can contribute to the BA Technical Committee or subcommittees, please contact Technical Brewing Projects Manager Chuck Skypeck.