The 2019 Technical Summit was held April 22 – 23 in Boulder, Colo. Twenty Technical Committee members, along with ten Brewers Association (BA) staff (see full participant list below) met over the course of two days during the third occurrence of this biennial event. The purpose of the summit is to align Technical Committee priorities with BA strategic objectives and to develop technical project ideas for 2020 and future years.
Technical Summit attendees polled other BA members to get direct feedback on small brewers’ technical needs. This feedback directly informed the development of project priorities and will be utilized to produce relevant resources. As in previous summits, the group brainstormed ideas 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. One hundred and nineteen project ideas were proposed. Individual project ideas were then rated regarding feasibility and impact, then importance and urgency. The list was culled to sixty projects and, after further examination, to thirty.
In alignment with the BA Board of Directors‘ emphasis on brewery safety, six of the top twelve highest rated projects were focused on safety issues. Included in this list was the number one ranked proposal: to expand the highly effective OSHA alliance model to additional states.
The prioritized projects will go to the BA Professional Division Technical Department for evaluation and consideration for the 2020 annual 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.
2019 Technical Summit Participants
- Justin Ainsworth, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Technical, BIECC
- Chris Bogdanoff, Heroes Restaurant and Brewery, Safety
- Travis Burge, New Belgium Brewing Company, Technical
- Jamie Floyd, Ninkasi Brewing Company, Quality
- Bridget Gauntner, Bell’s Brewery, Draught Beer Quality
- Larry, Horwitz, Soma Brewing, Technical et al
- John Mallett, Bell’s Brewery, Technical et al
- Matt Meadows, New Belgium Brewing Company, Draught Beer Quality
- Matt Moberly, Bell’s Brewery, BIECC, Technical
- Walker Modic, Bell’s Brewery, Sustainability
- Jeremy Moynier, Stone Brewing, Supply Chain
- James Ottolini, Brew Hub, Technical et al
- Jason Perkins, Allagash Brewing Company, Quality
- Brandon Smith, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Engineering
- Mitch Steele, New Realm Brewing Company, Supply Chain
- Matt Stinchfield, Brewers Association Safety Ambassador, Safety
- Kent Taylor, Blackstone Brewing Company, Engineering
- Katie Wallace, New Belgium Brewing Company, Sustainability
- David Wilson, Alaskan Brewing Co. Supply Chain
- Neil Witte, Brewers Association Quality Ambassador, Quality
Brewers Association Staff Participants
- Sarah Billiu, Membership Team Lead
- Ryan Farrell, Vice President of Staff Development
- Paul Gatza, Senior Vice President of Professional Brewing Division
- Ann Obenchain, Marketing Director
- Bob Pease, President & CEO
- Damon Scott, Technical Brewing Projects Coordinator
- Chuck Skypeck, Technical Brewing Projects Manager
- Chris Swersey, Supply Chain Specialist
- Kristi Switzer, Publisher, Brewers Publications
- Bart Watson, Chief Economist
Resource Hub