Learning how to brew can be hard.

For our February 4th Virtual Meetup we were joined by Jake TeSelle, the farmer behind Crooked Yard Hops Farm in Bozeman, Montana. Jake talked about the hops production process with a plant to pint overview of what goes into getting the myriad of hops flavors into your favorite beers!

During our December meeting, we were joined by Jen Blair, Beer Program Director at New Realm Brewing Co. in Atlanta, GA. Blair spoke to our group on the topic of basic all-grain recipe formulation for homebrewing. Learning the hows behind the whys of all-grain brewing gives brewers a deeper understanding and appreciation of their raw ingredients as well as their finished beers. Jen walks brewers through basic grain bill and hop calculations as well as share some of her favorite resources for building beer recipes.

The club was joined by Hannah Turner, Director of Montana State University’s Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab for our November virtual club meetup. Turner’s talk took us on a deep dive into the origins of malt flavor outside of the well-known contributions of kilning. She also discussed variety, biochemistry and modification, and terroir with a review of current research into these areas.

During our September 3rd Virtual Club Meetup, we heard from American Homebrewers Association Governing Committee member Elmer "Goose" Steingass (photo attached). A long-time homebrewer, Steingass shared his experience in designing and troubleshooting draught brew systems.

Erik Fowler, Education & Engagement Manager at White Labs, was our guest speaker for a webinar on yeast metabolism on July 23. In this webinar, Fowler reviews the major metabolites produced by yeast-like diacetyl, esters, and phenols. He discusses how these compounds are formed, when they’re desired in beer, and when they’re not, how to control them.