2024 Educational Sessions Schedule

Forging Financials from Beskar: Protecting Our Breweries from Financial Distress

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Speaker:

Audra Gaiziunas (Brewed For Her Ledger, LLC)

Description:

In this Star Wars-themed technical financial talk, learn which financial ratios are most applicable to calculate now, where to find the data to calculate each, what each means, and how you can affect those numbers to hit sustainable benchmarks. Take a deeper dive into the debt service coverage ratio and learn how to perform a breakeven analysis for your specific brewery economic model. Gain a greater grasp on what goes into an overhead calculation and how we should utilize that number as a part of our pricing strategy. Learn where to look for possible signs of financial distress before the symptoms are felt.

All attendees of this session will receive an innovation costing Excel workbook to take home to their respective breweries.

Supporting Watershed and Ecosystem Conservation through Brewery/Partner Collaboration

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Speakers:

Levi Wyatt – Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Yakima Chief Hops
Layne Carter – Operations Manager, Aslan Brewing Company
Chris Chappell – Brewshed Alliance Director, Washington Wild
Rachel Verhey-Goicoechea – Director of Relationships, Cold Stream Malt & Grain Brian Muegge – Farm Program Manager, Salmon-Safe

Description:

This panel discussion will explore how breweries can become involved in resource conservation efforts around the PNW. From discussing how breweries can forge new partnerships with nonprofits regionally to support a myriad of conservation initiatives, describing how breweries can be powerful drivers of how hops and grains are stewarded by growers by sourcing conservation-focused materials, to how supporting these efforts may lead to a market advantage with new consumers, this panel will look to foster an educated discussion targeted at breweries. Ideally a Q&A session to follow.

Brewing on the Cold Side

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Speaker:

Kevin Davey, owner & brewer Gold Dot Beer

Description:

Julie Rhodes, Not Your Hobby Marketing

Maura Hardman, Seattle Cider Co

Description:

Say goodbye to the outdated marketing funnel and embrace the power of the flywheel. In this session, you’ll learn how to design a self-sustaining marketing strategy that builds momentum and drives continuous growth for your craft beverage brand. We’ll dive into the principles of the flywheel model, showing you how to reduce friction, enhance customer retention, and keep your growth engine running smoothly. Walk away with actionable strategies to create lasting customer relationships and keep the momentum going strong.

Behind the scenes, Judging Competitions and Insights

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Speakers:

Jesse Brown, Formula Brewing
Barry Chan, Lucky Envelope Brewing
Mark Emiley, Washington Beer Awards

Description:

This talk will describe what goes into professional judging at competitions. Get a sneak peak behind the scenes and what to look for in feedback. The panel will further go over how to present your beers in a competition and why you should get involved in judging.

The World’s Most Relevant Beer Talk

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Speaker:

Julia Herz, American Homebrewers Association Executive Director

Description:

Beer is the world’s most popular fermented beverage. Do you know why? Will it always be that way? Don’t miss this opportunity to discuss and dissect the beverage of beer with Julia Herz, beer educator, brewer, and Executive Director of the American Homebrewers Association based in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Attendees of this session will demystify and intensify our collective appreciation, drill down on why we like and don’t like certain styles, and investigate the beverage’s relevance and future. Herz will also demonstrate how beer’s popularity is interdependent with the art of brewing and how those who ferment establish an authentic affection connection to geography, agriculture, history, science, culture and most important…community.

Navigating the Legal Waters of 2024

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Speaker:

Mike Drumm, Attorney / Founder of BeerAttorney.com

Description:

Michael Perozzo of ZZeppelin, Overthinkr & Vice Beer

Sean Burke of ZZeppelin (formerly The Commons & Von Ebert)

Description:

Social Media strategies that get seen and photography tips to look keen. We’ll present effective strategies to get seen via current trends with tips on how to make content creation easier and more progressional using the phone in your pocket.

DIY HR

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Speaker:

Stacey O’Connor, Adjunct Professor at South Puget Sound Community College’s School of Craft Brewing and Distilling

Description:

You’ve started your own brewery but how do you manage your most important asset…the people. Building an HR program can seem unnecessary and daunting but putting together crucial programs will help you to build the company culture you truly desire.

West Coast Pilsner Panel

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Speakers:

Andrew Pytel, Single Hill Brewing

Steve Luke, Cloudburst Brewing

Matt Hanson, Whistle Punk Brewing

Collin Christianson, Icicle Brewing Company

Description:

Legislation and YOU!

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Speaker:

Daniel Olson, Executive Director Washington Brewers Guild

Description:

Courtney Johnson (PhD, ACS CCP, ACS CCSE), Co-Owner, Street Cheese LLC

Rikki Welz, Sensory Scientist, John I Haas

Description:

Beer and cheese are the best pairing partners, but many customers don’t know it yet. Add interest to your taproom offerings with a guided cheese and beer tasting that transcends grocery-store options to highlight your brews through a focus on sensory evaluation skills and pairing techniques. Learning objectives for will include: 1) sourcing and selecting a pairing menu; 2) tips for leading a tasting, including sensory techniques that apply to beer and cheese; 3) how to market a tasting event; 4) other ways to incorporate cheese into the taproom events schedule to bring in customers and sell more beer.

Increasing Efficiency in the Hop Supply Chain Through Hop Breeding and Virus Free Production

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Speakers:

Ryan Christian – Yakima Chief Ranches
Dominic Wise – Yakima Chief Hops

Description:

The hop and beer industries face headwinds from increasing costs, growing season variability, and stagnating demand, so finding ways to increase efficiency and sustainability are key to staying competitive. Join Yakima Chief Ranches and Yakima Chief Hops in a discussion about the value proposition for new varieties to increase efficiency on the farm and in the brewhouse, and how plant propagation technologies are being applied to breathe new life into classic varieties to maximize their yield and quality. Fresh noses are requested to assess hop samples and perform live data collection.

Crafting Connections: Enhancing Brewery Operations Through Cross-Departmental Collaboration

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Speakers:

Samantha Berggren, Dru Bru, Marketing Coordinator
Sarah Burrington, Dru Bru, Taproom Operations Manager
Taylor Gale, Dru Bru, HR & Operations Manager

Description:

By fostering collaboration among departments, from brewing to marketing, various initiatives seek to streamline processes, boost innovation, and ensure cohesive teamwork. This approach not only improves product quality but also enhances overall operational success, making it a key strategy for breweries aiming to excel in a competitive market.

A State of Barley – 2024 Crop Report & Reflection

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Speakers:

Jon Mendrick/Sales Manager – Country Malt Group
Adam Hieronymus/Sales Manager – Country Malt Group

Description:

Maggie Hammond, Assistant Small Business Liaison, Labor & Industries’ Small Business Office

Description:

Being an employer in Washington comes with many obligations and responsibilities. Join one of the members from L&I’s Small Business Office as she helps guide you through what you need to know about your requirements, how to navigate them, and the many resources that are available to help you along the way.