Understanding the Science of Your Brew and Its Impact on Flavor Quality

Speakers: Dr. Glen Fox, Dr. Gary Spedding

Measuring beer characteristics throughout the brewing process is standard, but understanding the results can be a bit hazy. For instance, what nuances in malt quality will impact the flavor? How do polyphenol precipitants and flocking impact your beer as it’s packaged? What other quality control issues impact beers in cans as we offer more diverse types of brews?

In this sponsored BA Collab Hour webinar, speakers Dr. Glen Patrick Fox—Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at the University of California, Davis—and Dr. Gary Spedding—Owner, Biochemist, Analytical Chemist, and Sensory Specialist at Brewing and Distilling Analytical Services (BDAS)—provide real-life examples of how understanding the science and data behind your brews will lead to a more flavorful and safer product for your customers to enjoy.

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Dr. Glen Fox, Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences

University of California

Dr. Glen Fox's areas of research are malting and brewing quality. His current research focus is on raw material compositional impacts on wort and beer quality. Another research interest is using a number of 'omics platforms to understand the complex biochemical changes during malting and brewing and the final compositional profile of beer. In 2018, he was made a Fellow of the Institute of Brewing. Dr. Fox has also been on organizing committees for a number of national and international conferences. He has numerous book chapters and peer reviewed journal articles, and is senior editor of "Achieving sustainable cultivation of barley" from Burleigh Dodds Science publishing. Dr. Fox is also a co-author of the upcoming book "Scientific Principles of Malting and Brewing Science, 2nd Edition" with Professor Charlie Bamforth.

Dr. Gary Spedding, Owner & Analytical Chemist

Brewing and Distilling Analytical Services

Gary Spedding, Ph.D., is a brewing and distilling analytical chemist and biochemist with special interest in the origins and development of beverage flavor and the sensory evaluation of beer and spirits. His company, Brewing and Distilling Analytical Services (BDAS), a triple TTB certified laboratory, is dedicated to testing alcohol-containing beverages and beverage raw materials. The main facility is in Lexington, Ky. In 2019 BDAS, LLC in Denver commenced operations, where all microbiological testing now takes place along with full chemical analytical work and nutritional testing. An educational division was added to the company in 2017, which draws world class experts to Kentucky to teach about the various classes and styles of beer and distilled spirits. The internal BDAS team also teach—both onsite and at client breweries—sensory aspects of beer and related malt or other fermented beverages. Spedding is also a founding member of the forthcoming Society of Distilling Scientists and Technologists, and is its first appointed lead science editor for the associated Journal of Distilling Science. He is regularly called upon to judge both in major beer and spirits competitions.