2026 Master Brewers Conference Brings Brewing Professionals Together in Virginia Beach

The 2026 Master Brewers Conference was held October 21-24 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, bringing together approximately 300 brewing professionals from 41 states and 9 countries for four days of technical education, professional development, and networking.

Under the theme Modern Brewing, Timeless Fundamentals, attendees from MBAA districts across the United States and Canada participated in presentations, discussions, and events focused on brewing science, operations, and industry trends.

Keynote Presentations and Technical Programming

The conference program featured three keynote presentations addressing brewing innovation, industry trends, and leadership:

• Opening Keynote: Jason Perkins (Brewmaster & VP of Brewing Operations, Allagash Brewing Co.)

• State of the Industry: Dr. Bart Watson (President & CEO, Brewers Association)

• Closing Keynote: Barbara Stone (Sales Director, Abstrax Hops)

The conference included 71 speakers across 36 technical presentations, 5 BrewTech demonstrations, and focus sessions covering topics such as post-brewery quality programs, liquid hopping, data analytics, and non-alcoholic beer formulation. Program contributors also included the Brewers Association, which presented a session on Draught Beers and the State of the Industry.

Celebrating Research: Poster Presentation Winners

The poster hall featured 25 peer-reviewed research posters focused on brewing science and operations. People’s Choice for Best Poster awards were presented to:

• Starch Composition, Gelatinization, and Pasting Behavior as Drivers of Extract Yield in Rice Cultivars — Jonas Ahonen (University of Arkansas)

• Optimizing Flow Cytometry for Microbial Monitoring in Beer Fermentation — Tom Mondor & Daniel Gusmer (Gusmer Enterprises)

• Simplifying Brewery Microbiology: Validation of a Portable On-Site qPCR Platform for Beer Spoilage Bacteria and Wild Yeast Detection — Max Derbyshire & Aakaanksha Maddineni (Acorn Genetics)

Honors in Brewing Industry Excellence

The conference celebrated several individuals for their contributions to brewing science, education, and MBAA:

• Doug Hindman – Distinguished Life Service Award, recognizing exceptional lifetime commitment and decades of dedicated service to the Association.

• Doug Wilson – Award of Honor, honored for substantial contributions to brewing science and his influential work within the technical community.

• Dr. Yueshu Li – Award of Merit, posthumously honoring his extraordinary contributions to the global brewing industry and operational leadership.

• Yin Lin – Inge Russell Best Paper Award, honored for his paper on “Tailoring Malt for Brewing and Distilling: Characteristics and Uses of Brewers Malt, High-Diastatic Power Distiller’s Malt, and Pot Still Malt.”

Networking & Social Events

Education and technical programs were balanced with networking opportunities across the Virginia Beach area:

• Welcome Reception & Collaboration Beer Launch: hosted at Aslin Beer Company.

• Wellness & Recreation: included Novonesis Sunrise BrewRun and a goat yoga session at New Realm.

• Tradeshow & Poster Hall: featured 35 exhibitors, 10 sponsors, and 25 poster presenters.

• Bierstubes: provided opportunities for attendees to connect while sampling beers donated by over a dozen breweries.

• Closing Experience: included either a hands-on workshop or a four-stop brewery tour, followed by lunch at New Realm Brewing.

Looking Ahead: Leadership Transition & 2027 Conference

The conference also marked a leadership transition within Master Brewers. MBAA thanks Molly Browning, who concluded her service as Past President, and Brian Faivre for his leadership as President. MBAA also welcomes its new Executive Committee, led by President Steve Bradt (Hopsteiner) as Master Brewers President to lead the new Executive Committee with 1st Vice-President Katrina Bruner, 2nd Vice-President Barabara Stone, Treasurer Benjamin Bailey, and Brian Faivre in his new role as Past President.

MBAA thanks its partners, sponsors, beer donors, exhibitors, presenters, and attendees for their contributions to the 2026 conference. Planning is already underway for the 2027 Master Brewers Conference, scheduled for October 2-4 in Portland, Oregon.

Connect with Master Brewers

For more information about the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA), upcoming events, membership, or educational resources, please visit the Master Brewers website.