Commercial and aspiring brewers, winemakers, hop and grape growers, distillers, and anyone involved in fermented/craft beverage production are invited to the 2012 NC Craft Beverage Regional Exchange Group meeting series.

Join us January 12, 2012 at Catawba Valley Brewing Company, Morganton, NC for a combined presentation on hop production in North Carolina, and enzyme use in commercial beverage fermentation. Speakers include NC State hop specialist Dr. Jeanine Davis and David Maradyn, Staff Scientist in Brewing Solutions for enzyme professionals Novozymes.

Supported by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and organized by Appalachian State University, the mission of this Regional Exchange Group (REG) is to foster collaboration among members of the growing and dynamic fermentation/craft beverage industries of North Carolina. Meetings feature speakers focused on fermentation technologies and scientific practices for use throughout the production process. 

There are no fees for this REG meeting.

Agenda January 12, 2012 at Catawba Valley Brewing Company, Morganton, NC

Hop Production Introduction and Discussion 9am-12pm:

Topics covered include: establishing a hop yard, variety selection, growing, harvesting, drying, packaging, enterprise budgets, marketing, organic options, and scaling production.

Enzyme Use in Craft Beverage Production 1:30-4:30pm:

1:30 - 2:00 Greeting and Introduction to the Craft Beverage REG
2:00 - 2:30 Incentivizing Craft Beverage Businesses in your Community- Alan Clark, Burke County Tourism Development Authority
2:30 - 4:30 Enzyme Use in Beverage Production- David Maradyn, Novozymes; additional speakers, open discussion of industry experiences, and question / answers.

4:30 Craft Beverage Reception, Catawba Valley Brewing Company Tasting Room (light snacks provided)

Mark your calendars January 12, 2012 for this opportunity connect with other industries/industry members, share experiences, concerns, and needs of these industries, and discuss some technical aspects of production that may benefit your business.

These meetings are intended to be casual and input from attendees is highly encouraged.

For more information contact Franya Hutchins, hutchinsfe@appstate.edu, 828-262-8158

This meeting is facilitated by the Enology and Viticulture program at Appalachian State University.

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Thanks to support from the Golden LEAF Foundation, the NC Biotechnology Center, and the Small Business Administration, the Appalachian State University Enology and Viticulture program will be holding 8 workshops in 2012 on science-based, practical production techniques for the craft beverage industries of North Carolina.

Topics to be covered include yeast management, enzyme use, NC grape harvest 2011, filtration, sensory evaluation, and lab techniques; meetings feature industry professionals as well as academic experts. Join us throughout 2012 for these exciting gatherings open to wine/grape, beer/hop, distillate, and other craft beverage producers!

See http://wine.appstate.edu/research/workshops for the schedule outline.