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The countdown is officially on for the southern hemisphere’s most significant brewing business focused conference, BrewCon.

Presented by the Independent Brewers Association, BrewCon offers Australian beer professionals the opportunity to further develop their brewing and business education, hear from international and local leaders and interact with industry suppliers at the associated trade expo.

Saccharomyces, cryo pellets, crowdfunding and sustainability are just some of the words delegates can hear more from industry experts who are readily sharing their experience and learnings to help grow and improve the Australian beer community.

From deep diving into hops, malts and yeast with the experts, to understanding more about lab and packaging processes, to hospitality, crowdfunding and legal risk management – BrewCon offers attendees the most comprehensive two days to build on their existing brewing and business management skills.

On the first day of the conference, delegates can learn from Dr Jim Withee of GigaYeast in California at the Microbe Management session. He will show simple and immediate methods to help delegates avoid the costs associated with contaminated products and poor fermentation in their own breweries, for the least cash possible.

If there is one team in Australia that understands hospitality, it’s the Stomping Ground crew. Responsible for the Local Taphouse, Stomping Ground in Collingwood, two further tap rooms in the planning, GABS Beer & Cider Festival and numerous pop-ups around the country, this team has welcomed Australian beer drinkers for years. Hospitality Still Rules will be hosted by Director of Hospitality Operations Justin Joiner, about how they continue to do it.

In the past few years, Sydney’s Wildflower brewery has established itself as one of Australia’s leaders in farmhouse and mixed culture style beers. Topher Boehm will discuss the use of fruit in beer in his Working With Fruit: Selection, Maceration and Refermentation session, a must attendee for any brewery looking to join this increasingly popular beer segment.

In today’s competitive market environment, it is critical for breweries to have and use accurate data about the true cost of the beer they sell. Maria Pearman of Oregon’s Perkins & Co will host the Proper Costing of Beer session, bringing her significant specialised expertise in craft brewing accountancy to Australia for the first time to discuss best practices to determine what should go into the cost of beer and how to leverage technology to get the sharpest data possible.

Awareness and investment in personal health is an important yet sometimes overlooked business consideration. What’s Your Wellbeing Plan? will be a practical introduction to mental health, from managing mental illness to building a fit mind and flourishing workplace and will leave delegates with a practical wellbeing plan for themselves, friends and colleagues.

Day 2 of the conference continues the depth of sessions. A New Qualification for Brewers will see Richard Adamson from the IBA and Young Henry’s introduce the new Certificate IV in Artisan Fermented Products (Brewing) to the independent brewing community. This is the first qualification within the Australian vocational education system that aims to provide people with the skills to become a successful craft brewer and will assist the craft beer industry to be acknowledged as a skilled and professional thriving industry.

There are few breweries in the world as widely respected as Rodenbach. Rudi Ghequire has spent the past 37 years advancing the legacy of the brewery with a combination of both old and new world technologies. Delegates will have the opportunity to hear firsthand from Rudi at the Heritage and Remaining Relevant session and how he has helped this remarkable brewery continue to thrive and stay a darling with beer enthusiasts worldwide.

Being a brewery today is more than just making beer. And The Crowd Goes Wild looks at fan engagement and customer-first thinking through creative and authentic storytelling and personalised experiences. Blair Hughes of TwoBays Brewing tackles the topic from a sports business perspective, joined by a panel including AFL representatives and breweries with sporting partnerships.

Hazy beers are growing in popularity with brewers and consumers alike. Yeast Protein Fraction To Create Stable Haze In Beer is hosted by Ruth Leary of Fermentis who will share a recent study of saccharomyces and the development in fermentation of juicy hop aromas. She will also present information around a novel yeast protein fraction to form a stable haze in beer.

The IBA 2019 BrewCon run from Wednesday 4 September to Thursday 5 September. The 2019 BrewCon Trade Expo runs from Wednesday 4 September to Friday 6 September.

A range of ticket options are available for all or single events. Please see the IBA BrewCon website for all ticketing details.

BrewCon 2019 will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in the city’s CBD. Accommodation suggestions are available via the BrewCon website.

www.brewcon.org.au