Do you have questions about draught beer? Need help troubleshooting your existing draught system? Are you planning a new taproom and need draught system design advice? Members of the Brewers Association Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee join together in this panel to answer questions!
Learning Objectives
- Hear answers to live audience questions directly from draught beer experts
- Gain a better understanding of the provenance of your draught problems, such as foaming
- Attain the knowledge to solve your draught system issues to ensure your beer pours with minimal problems
- Gain skills to share and teach the basics of draught system troubleshooting with your team
About the Speakers
Annette May, Faculty, Brewing Technology Program
Schoolcraft College
Annette May is an Advanced Cicerone, Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judge, Certified Saké Professional (CSP), and faculty member in the Schoolcraft College Brewing Program in Detroit, Michigan. Annette, a 28-year veteran of the craft beer industry, has worked extensively in the areas of bar management and beer procurement, retail beer sales, draught system management, sales and distribution of imported and U.S. craft beer and saké, and beer and saké education.
Since 2015, Annette has been an instructor in Schoolcraft College's Brewing & Distillation Technology Program, where she teaches sensory evaluation and off flavors, beer styles, beer history, beer service, pairing beer with food, and draught management and line cleaning. She is an exam grader, regional instructor, and exam proctor for the Cicerone Certification Program.
Annette is a founding member and Scholarship Director for Fermenta: A Women's Craft Beverage Collective, a 501(c)(3) that educates and gives scholarships to women in the fermented beverages industry. She serves on the Brewers Association (BA) Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee and the Mentorship and Professional Development Subcommittee of the BA's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. She is a also mentor in the BA Mentorship Program.
Annette and her husband are currently working on opening Full Measure Brewing in Detroit.
Matt Meadows, Director of Field Quality
New Belgium Brewing
Matt Meadows (he/him) started with New Belgium Brewing in 2002. In 2006, he became the director of field quality at New Belgium, and in 2022 the director of field quality for both Bell's Brewery and New Belgium Brewing. Today, he oversees a national team that manages all facets of post-brewery quality throughout the New Belgium and Bell's distribution footprint in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Matt is co-author of the Brewers Association's (BA) Draught Beer Quality Manual and Draught Beer Quality for Retailers resources. Matt has also done extensive work with the BA, including serving on the Technical Committee, chairing the Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee, serving as the Draught Beer Quality Ambassador, and co-instructing the Draught Line Training course.
Jack Van Paepeghem, Quality Manager
Von Trapp Brewing
Jack Van Paepeghem (he/him) is the quality manager at von Trapp Brewing. He received an International Diploma in Brewing Technology from the Siebel Institute and Doemens Academy, and currently has an Advanced certification from the Cicerone Certification Program.
Ben Geisthardt, Sales & Field Quality Specialist
New Glarus Brewing Company
Ben Geisthardt has been a sales team member and field quality specialist for New Glarus Brewing Company since 2010. His role focuses primarily on sales through draught quality best practices, as well as training distributor sales teams, retail accounts, and line cleaning companies throughout Wisconsin. Prior to joining New Glarus Brewing Company, Ben owned and operated his own line cleaning company. He is a United States Marine Corps Veteran (1999-2007) and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003). Ben currently serves on the Brewers Association's (BA) Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee and contributed to the BA's Draught Beer Quality Manual and Draught Beer Quality for Retailers resources.
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