Each year, the Virginia Craft Beer Conference (VCBC) focuses on topics that help brewers in the Commonwealth produce world-class craft beer. In 2021, the Conference was held virtually and featured guest speakers and peers sharing information and best-practices on quality, technology, good manufacturing practices, safety, workforce training, marketing, yeast management, and other topics. View the recorded topics from this year’s VCBC:
Virginia’s Guilded Age: Examining Growth of Craft Beer Through the Years (9:30am-10:30am) – contact Kaitlyn Crow for the link [Members Only]
Speakers: Janell Zurschmeide, Dirt Farm Brewing, Eric McKay, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Mike Killelea, Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. & Brett Vassey, Virginia Craft Brewers Guild
Kick off this year’s Virginia Craft Beer Conference with VCBG President & CEO Brett Vassey, current VCBG Chair Janell Zurschmeide, and some former VCBG Chairs as they reflect on the growth of the craft beer industry over the past decade. This session also includes the Chair and CEO Report.
The Use of Tanal A for Haze Formation in Beer, presented by Fausto Yu-Shan, Wyeast Laboratories – view recording
Join us for a Technical Brewing Session to learn about Tanal A, its chemical composition, the natural sources from where it is extracted, and how it can contribute to produce haze in certain beer styles such as German Hefeweizen, Belgian Wit and New England IPAs in which the presence of a haze is expected.
Combatting the Labor Shortage and Elevating Your Service, presented by Maggie Read, Arryved – view recording
As we make our way out of the pandemic, we have to contend with a completely different world than the one we used to live, work, and play in. Small business owners are struggling to rebuild their post-pandemic teams while still suffering from limited capacity and lower margins. So how do you and your team come back stronger than before? Take what you’ve always done right (great service) and blend it with some helpful tech tools. We’ll talk all about incorporating tech to enhance your service model and help your team excel.
Virginia Craft Beer Growth Regulatory Issues – view recording
Speakers: Nicole Harrell, Esq., CIPP/US, Kaufman & Canoles PC, Porter Hardy, Smartmouth Brewing Co., Eric McKay, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery & Brett Vassey, Virginia Craft Brewers Guild
This session will focus on select regulatory issues that will help the Virginia Craft Beer Industry continue to grow and profit: Temporary Distribution Agreements w/VA Beer Franchise Act Waivers, Distributor Performance Regulation, Expedited Distribution Agreement Termination Process @ ABC; and CBD-infused Craft Beer.
10th Anniversary Collaboration Beer Introduction – view recording
Speakers: David St. Clair, Swover Creek Farms Brewery, & Tiffany Meyers, Ballad Brewing
Learn all about the collaboration Farmhouse Ale launching this fall to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Guild. Breweries on the Collaboration Beer Panel include: Swover Creek Farms Brewery, Mountain Valley Brewing, Starr Hill Brewery, St. George Brewing Company, Old Ox Brewery & Ballad Brewing.
Creative Yeast Ideas for Utilizing R&D and Pilot Systems, presented by Erik Fowler, White Labs, Inc. – view recording
Join Erik Fowler of White Labs in discussing Creative Ideas for Utilizing R&D and Pilot Systems. This lecture will cover using new yeast strains for trending styles, yeast nutrition in beer, and adjusting fermentation profile for creating complexity. Along with determining a target profile and consumer preferences, it’s critical to understand new yeast strains and process considerations to ensure your beer is created as intended, scalable, and reproducible.
Developing Your Own Talent: University of Richmond Brewing Certification Program – view recording
Speakers: Bobby Faithful, University of Richmond; Robyn Smyth, Virginia Tech
Learn all about the University of Richmond Brewing Certification Program and how you can use it to elevate your team.
Hard Seltzer Fermentation Analysis and Optimization, presented by Ben Koppenhaver – view recording
Hard seltzer has risen in popularity tremendously. Since 2016, the market share of hard seltzer has annually increased by ~130%. From small brewpubs to large international brewery conglomerates, all have put effort towards producing hard seltzer. Although primarily made of essentially simple ingredients, its fermentation can be quite challenging. Hard Seltzer production routinely demands intense downstream polishing to create a palatable and clean product, often unattainable without specialized equipment and techniques. Here we report on our efforts to streamline the fermentation process, so breweries can minimize downstream processing, and even forego it altogether, as well as share detailed results we obtained during our analysis.