The Brewers Association (BA) welcomes two new subcommittee members this month as the Technical Committee looks to recruit across its six subcommittees. Eddie Gutierrez and John Blystone will join the Engineering Subcommittee where they will contribute to a growing body of technical resources. Subcommittee members in areas of Draught Beer Quality, Engineering, Quality, Safety, Supply Chain, and Sustainability volunteer their time, share expertise, and connect with their professional networks to provide best practice guidance and practical technical information for members of the Brewers Association.

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“We’re excited to welcome two new members to the Engineering Subcommittee! Eddie Gutierrez and John Blystone bring unique experience and perspectives to our group, helping us better communicate sound engineering principles to our independent brewery members, as well as reinforcing solid brewery safety practices.”

Chris McCombs, Engineering Subcommittee Co-Chair

Eddie Gutierrez is the Brewing Operations Manager and Head Brewer at Saint Arnold Brewing Company in Houston, Texas (since 2014) where he works on brewhouse optimization, yeast propagation and management, equipment design, and process optimization. He received an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico State University in 2011 and worked as a design and efficiency engineer before starting his brewing career. Eddie is excited to contribute to a range of engineering topics and “work with the members of the Technical Committee to have the greatest impact on the craft brewing community.” He hopes to share “knowledge and experience to further the goals of the Engineering Subcommittee and be a productive resource for Brewers Association members.”

John Blystone is the Engineering and Maintenance Manager at the Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to joining GLBC in 2013, he spent eight years as an Electrical Controls Engineer, automating a large variety of industrial equipment. John graduated from The University of Akron with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering in 2005, became a licensed professional engineer in the State of Ohio in 2013, and received his MBA with a concentration in Executive Management from Ohio University in 2017. John has “a passion for sharing information and best practices, specifically regarding safety, automation, and engineering” and says he looks forward to leveraging his abilities and experience towards the benefit of all craft brewers as part of this team.