2014 Speakers - 36th Annual National Homebrewers Conference | 36th Annual National Homebrewers Conference

Corey Arrick

Philadelphia Homebrew Club

Corey Arrick is a food process engineer from Purdue University who has worked with several large and small breweries during his consulting career. Most notably, More »

Gary Awdey

US Great Lakes Cider & Perry Association

Gary Awdey is president of the Great Lakes Cider & Perry Association. He was also a member of the working group that split the BJCP More »

Bret Baker

Albany Brew Crafters

Bret Kollmann Baker is a chemical engineer currently with Cargill, Inc. He has a history of working with yeast and fermentation R&D for Cargill, has More »

Frank Barickman

SODZ

Frank Barickman is a Grand Master beer judge and serves as exam director for the Beer Judge Certification Program. He also has served the AHA More »

Eric Bean

Columbus Brewing Company

Eric Bean is the owner and brewmaster of Columbus Brewing Company in Columbus, Ohio. His interest in brewing began at a party in college, when More »

Drew Beechum

Maltose Falcons

Drew Beechum is a 15-year veteran of the hobby. He’s survived multiple experiments and forays into wacky brewing misadventures. He even managed to “lead” the More »

Jay Blanchard

Vander Mill Ciders

Jay Blanchard joined Vander Mill as a production manager in late 2013. Jay’s background includes some small batch homebrewing of beer. Educated primarily in engineering and production, More »

Joel Brower

Vander Mill Ciders

Joel Brower has been a homebrewer since 1997. In 2006 he was working as a cement contractor for Paul Vander Heide on Paul’s new cider More »

Matthew Brown

Dunedin Brewers Guild

Matthew Brown has been home brewing for more than 10 years and is also a beer evangelist, food lover and beer traveler. He is always More »

Bruce Buerger

Beer Barons of Milwaukee

Bruce Buerger is a BJCP National and Mead Judge and a member of the BJCP Cider Exam Committee. He has coordinated several competitions of various More »

Jeff Carlson

PrimeTime Brewers

Jeff Carlson is a four-time AHA Cidermaker of the Year, and swept the Standard Cider Category in 2006. Jeff is a lifelong resident of the More »

Denny Conn

Cascade Brewers Society

Denny Conn started homebrewing in 1998 and since then has brewed more than 450 batches. A lot of those have been experiments, even when they More »

Ian Coutts

Greystone Books

Ian Coutts is the author of several books, including Brew North: How Canadians Made Beer and Beer Made Canada. He divides his time between Kingston, More »

David Curtis

Bell's Brewery, Inc.

David Curtis is the General Store manager at Bell’s Brewery. After working as an engineer for 10 years, David got the approval from his wife More »

Ray Daniels

Cicerone Certification Program

While waiting for a burger in 1989, Ray Daniels spied an ad for a homebrew shop located in a distant neighborhood of his adopted hometown, More »

Dave “Diamond” Deschaine

Founders Brewing Company

Dave “Diamond” Deschaine has worked in nearly every department at Founders Brewing Company. He has been an integral part of making their beers unique and More »

Dave Engbers

Founders Brewing Company

Dave Engbers is a co-founder of Founders Brewing Company and the company’s vice president and director of brand and education. Founders is one of the More »

Michael Fairbrother

Moonlight Meadery

Michael Fairbrother is the founder and head mead maker at Moonlight Meadery, where he is the creator of more than 70 different varieties of mead. More »

Jamie Floyd

Ninkasi Brewing Company

Jamie Floyd is founding brewer and part owner of Ninkasi Brewing Company in Eugene, Oregon. Jamie sits on the Brewers Association Technical Committee and is More »

Chris Frey

Ann Arbor Brewers Guild

Chris Frey’s journey as a homebrewer started 20 years ago with the F.O.R.D. homebrewing club. He is treasurer and chief anarchist for the Ann Arbor More »

Douglas Gladue

University of Connecticut

Douglas Gladue is an award winning homebrewer and yeast cultivator. He is a nationally ranked beer judge in the Beer Judge Certification Program, holds a More »

Geoff Groff

Kalamazoo Libation Organization of Brewers (KLOB)

Geoff Groff has been homebrewing for about 12 years and is a member of the Kalamazoo Organization of Brewers (KLOB). He has developed an interest More »

Warren Haskell

Colonial Alesmiths and Keggars (CASK)

Warren Haskell has more than 15 years of homebrewing experience and is a BJCP recognized judge. Warren has served as vice president for Colonial Alesmiths More »

Jennifer Helber

Grain to Glass, LLC

Jennifer Helber established the QA lab at Boulevard Brewing, and was VP and president of ZZ Hops homebrew club for four years. She is both More »

Julia Herz

Brewers Association

Julia Herz is craft beer program director for the Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association and publisher of CraftBeer.com. She has been featured on the Food Network More »

Jason Heystek

Founders Brewing Company

Jason Heystek has served as the head cellarman for Founders Brewing Compay for the last six years and has put beer in more than 4,000 More »

Stan Hieronymus

Brewers Publications

Stan Hieronymus is the author of Brew Like a Monk, Brewing With Wheat, and the recent Brewers Publications book, For the Love of Hops. During More »

Edward Hoskin

Ann Arbor Brewer's Guild (AABG)

Eddie Hoskin is an engineer and avid homebrewing hobbyist who began brewing with the Ann Arbor Brewers Guild in 2007, where he earned something of More »

David Houseman

BUZZ

David Houseman began brewing in 1991 with extract on his kitchen stove and became a BJCP judge in 1993. David is author of a number More »

Brian Joas

Beer Barons of Milwaukee

Brian Joas started homebrewing in 1997. His brewing knowledge significantly increased as a result of two decisions: to join the Beer Barons of Milwaukee and More »

Colin Kaminski

DOZE

Colin Kaminski started his career as a product designer for MoreBeer!, designing more than 180 products. He has been the master brewer at Downtown Joe’s More »

Mike Karnowski

Green Man Brewery

Mike Karnowski has been homebrewing since 1986, and has owned a homebrew shop for 13 years. He has been the head distiller at a rum More »

Jeremy Kosmicki

Founders Brewing Company

Jeremy Kosmicki, a homebrewer at heart, has developed some of the worlds most sought-after beers. Jeremy brews full-flavored beers with the perfect balance of malts More »

Brett Kosmicki

Founders Brewing Company

Brett Kosmicki has worked in the Founders Brewing Company cellar for almost three years and although he hasn’t yet put beer into 4,000 barrels, he More »

Eric Kramer

Lapeer Area Brewers

Eric Kramer has been a successful beekeeper for many years. He is also an accomplished welder and metalworker, and craft beer lover. Eric has been More »

Paul Langlie

Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP)

Paul Langlie and his wife Jamie joined Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP) in 1992. They met Ron Pattinson in 2001, when he did a More »

John Mallett

Bell's Brewery Inc.

John Mallett has been at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Mich. since 2001. As director of operations he is responsible for logistics, brewing, packaging and brewery More »

Erik May

Pilot Malt House, LLC

Erik May is a co-founder of Pilot Malt House in Jenison, Mich., a producer of several varieties of malted barley and wheat.

Mike “Tasty” McDole

DOZE

Mike “Tasty” McDole is an award-winning homebrewer and beer evangelist in the San Francisco area. He can be heard regularly on the Brewing Network where More »

Jeff Mello

Bootleg Biology

Jeff Mello is the founder and chief yeast wrangler of Bootleg Biology LLC (bootlegbiology.com), an open-source yeast and wild bugs project whose goal is to More »

Adam Mills

Cranker's Brewery

Adam Mills has been homebrewing and an active BJCP judge since 2006. He is a member of the Brewing Network Homebrew Club and a charter More »

Scott Mitchell

Albany Brew Crafters

Scott Mitchell started homebrewing in 2011 and made the jump to all-grain after six months, starting with BIAB and evolving from there. He is an More »

Candace L. Moon

The Craft Beer Attorney, APC

Candace L. Moon is a San Diego-based attorney who has spent the last four years dedicating her law practice to the craft beer industry. She More »

Randy Mosher

5 Rabbit Cerveceria

Randy Mosher has been homebrewing since 1984. Author of several books, including Radical Brewing, Tasting Beer and the soon-to-be-published Mastering Homebrew. Mosher is a creative More »

Michael Mullins

Lapeer Area Brewers

Mike Mullins has been an avid homebrewer for 13 years and started the Lapeer Area Brewers brew club several years ago with some friends, which More »

Barry Mulso

Kuhnhenn Guild of Brewers

Barry Mulso began brewing 10 years ago because he thought it might be fun. He was right about that. He is a current member and More »

Jason Oliver

Devils Backbone Brewing Company

Jason Oliver is the founding brewer of Devils Backbone Brewing Company. Half of his 18 years of professional brewing experience has been dedicated to brewing More »

John Palmer

Crown of the Valley Brewers

John Palmer is the best-selling author and co-author of How To Brew, Brewing Classic Styles, and Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers, and co-host of More »

Mark Pangle

Kalamazoo Libation Organization of Brewers (KLOB)

Mark Pangle is a heavy equipment mechanic and has been homebrewing for about four years. He is a member of the Kalamazoo Organization of Brewers More »

Ron Pattinson

Brewers United for Real Potables

Ronald Pattinson, based in Amsterdam, is a brewing historian, member of the British Guild of Beer Writers, and author of the blog Shut Up about More »

Brian Phad

Plainfield Area Lager Enthusiasts

Brian Phad has brewed more than 40 batches using the BIAB method over the last two years. In the past year, seven of his beers More »

Nick Rodammer

Brewsquitos Homebrewing Club

Nick Rodammer is a Grand Rapids-based homebrewer whose interest in using local ingredients started after winning the 2012 Bell’s Brewery homebrew competition with a beer More »

John Rozborski

Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers

John Rozborski is an avid homebrewer and current Treasurer of Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers (TRASH). He performs public how-to-brew sessions with a personally More »

Jason Salas

New Holland Brewing Co.

Jason Salas had been head brewer at New Holland Brewing Company since 2011. He started with New Holland in 2007 as a tour guide and More »

Tom Schmidlin

Mt Si Homebrewers

Tom Schmidlin is a long-time homebrewer who has gone through several iterations of serving options at home. He also designed and installed the draft systems More »

Ken Schramm

Ann Arbor Brewer's Guild (AABG)

Ken Schramm is the owner and head meadmaker at Schramm’s Mead in Ferndale, Mich. He is author of The Compleat Meadmaker, an avid fruit grower, More »

Rex Slagel

Plainfield Area Lager Enthusiasts

Rex Slagel has been homebrewing for over two years and has completed more than 100 batches. He is the founder of Brew In a Bag More »

Nathan Smith

The Brewing Network

Nathan Smith has been homebrewing in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1998. You may have heard him geek out as a brewcaster on The More »

Brad Smith

BeerSmith

Dr. Brad Smith is the author of BeerSmith software and mobile apps, host of the BeerSmith podcast, radio and newsletter, creator of BeerSmithRecipes.com and book More »

Michael Spears

Kuhnhenn Guild of Brewers

Mike Spears has been homebrewing for 10 years. He is a member and past officer of the Kuhnhenn Guild of Brewers, and he brews for More »

James Spencer

Basic Brewing Radio

James Spencer is producer and host of the Basic Brewing Video and Basic Brewing Radio podcasts, which have been posted regularly since 2005. He’s also More »

Andrea Stanley

Valley Malt

Andrea Stanley wanted to make a truly local beer. After investigating what it would take, she realized that not having a local malthouse was her More »

Mitch Steele

Stone Brewing Co.

Mitch Steele is the brewmaster for Stone Brewing Co. Since graduating from UC Davis in 1984 with a fermentation science degree, he has brewed at More »

Mike Stevens

Founders Brewing Company

Mike Stevens is a co-founder of Founders Brewing Company and the company’s CEO. Founders is one of the fastest-growing craft breweries in the nation, has More »

Gordon Strong

BJCP

Gordon Strong is an award-winning homebrewer, beer judge and author. He is the only three-time winner of the coveted Ninkasi Award. He is the current More »

Kara Taylor

White Labs

Kara Taylor received a B.S. degree in biology from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She joined White Labs in San Diego in 2009 as More »

Brian Tennis

Michigan Hop Alliance

Brian Tennis is the director of marketing for the Michigan Hop Alliance and the owner of New Mission Organics, a 30-acre hop farm in Omena, More »

Michael Tonsmeire

DC Homebrewers

Michael Tonsmeire blogs about sour beers as The Mad Fermentationist and wrote the recently released book American Sour Beers: Innovative Techniques for Mixed Fermentations. He More »

Berniece Van Der Berg

Moonlight Meadery

Berniece Van Der Berg moved from the sales and marketing world for the largest Southern hemisphere news organization in South Africa to software in the More »

John Van Itallie

James River Homebrewers

John Van Itallie is an active member and officer of the James River Homebrewers Club as well as a national ranked BJCP judge. He has More »

Brett Vanderkamp

New Holland Brewing Co.

Brett VanderKamp’s hometown of Holland, Mich. seemed an unlikely place to create some of the most innovative beer and spirits in America, but in 1997 More »

Nathan Williams

Boston Wort Processors

Nathan Williams has been homebrewing for 15 years, ever since his computer hobby turned professional and he needed a new hobby. He enjoys the quantitative More »

Sean Wolfe

Scranton Brewers Guild

Sean Wolfe is a founding member and current president of the Scranton Brewers Guild, where he promotes a philosophy of craft beer appreciation though education. More »