The Brewers Association Quality Subcommittee welcomes the addition of two new members to their subcommittee roster, Heather Muzzy Caron and Rick Blankemeier. Committee Chair, Lauren Torres, is both “honored and excited to have an old and new friend” join the subcommittee.

Rick Blankemeier has over 10 years of brewing and quality assurance experience in the craft brewing industry. He spent a number of years as the quality assurance manager at Stone Brewing Co., served as Director of Brewing Operations at Modern Times Beer, and is currently the Director of Quality at Belching Beaver Brewery.

“Rick has always been a great resource for my professional quandaries, and his insight and work ethic will be incredibly valuable to our team,” says Lauren. “Heather has been a tremendous help already developing resources with our subcommittee, and we look forward to her joining us on many more projects to come!”

Heather Muzzy Caron has been a member of the quality team at Allagash Brewing Company since 2013. At the brewery, she applies her background in food science to areas of analytical quality control, quality assurance, and food safety. Outside of Allagash, Heather enjoys getting outside, spending time with family, and traveling. As a new member of the subcommittee, she “hopes to help ensure craft beer drinkers continue to have positive experiences no matter what brewery they reach for.”

The Quality Subcommittee envisions a membership that consistently produces beer of high quality. Quality for this purpose has been defined as: a beer that is responsibly produced using wholesome ingredients, consistent brewing techniques and good manufacturing practices, which exhibits flavor characteristics that are consistently aligned with both the brewer’s and the beer drinker’s expectations. Visit the Resource Hub to see some of the resources developed by the Brewers Association Quality Subcommittee.