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Mon, March 6 +
​Tues, March 7, 2023

DoubleTree by Hilton
10 Brickyard Drive
Bloomington, IL 61701

The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild (ICBG, Inc.) in partnership with MBAA, presents the 6th annual Illinois Craft Brewers Convention featuring technical workshops, educational sessions, panel discussions, trade show floor, and networking.

SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE

Monday, March 14, 2022
9:00A-10:00A
Breakfast (Tradeshow Floor)

10:00A-10:45A 
Keynote Speaker (Main Room)

11:00A-12:00P 
Seminar 1 | Room-Brickyard 4
Supply Chain Disruption Panel 
Seminar 2 | Room Brickyard 5&6
Lager Beer-Best Practices for Small to Midsize Brewers

12:00P-2:00P
Lunch | Tradeshow Floor
Tradeshow Floor Opens

2:15P-3:15P
Seminar 3 | Room Brickyard 5&6
Social Media Strategies
Seminar 4 | Room Brickyard 4
Making Necessary Adjustments for the Upcoming Crop

3:30P-4:30P
Seminar 5 (Room Brickyard 5&6)
Making Your Business More Inclusive

4:30P
​Tradeshow Floor Closes

Tuesday March 15, 2022
8:30A-9:30A    
Tradeshow Floor Opens

9:00A-9:30A    
Breakfast | Tradeshow Floor
    
9:45A-10:45A
Seminar 7 | Room Brickyard 5&6
Maintaining Quality Control from Grain to Glass-Lab Setups for Breweries of all sizes
Seminar 8 | Main Room
Cold-Side Hop Techniques/Dry Hop Creep

11:00A-12:00P    
Seminar 9 | Room Brickyard 5&6
Stump the Brewmaster Roundtable-Improving Sustainability in your Brewery!
Seminar 10 | Main Room
Preparing for a Hop Sensory and Sensible Solutions for Consumer Research

12:00P-1:00P  
Lunch | Tradeshow Floor
        
1:30P        
Tradeshow Closes

1:45P-2:15P    
Thank You-Closing Talk | Main Floor

​MEET THE SPEAKERS

FULL CONFERENCE DETAILS

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Monday, March 14

Tuesday, March 15

 9:00A-10:00A
Breakfast | Tradeshow Floor

10:00A-10:45A 
Keynote Speaker | Main Room
John Mallett, Vice President of Operations-Bell’s Brewery

John Mallett has been at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo MI since 2001. As Vice President of Operations, he is responsible for logistics, raw materials, brewing, packaging, safety, quality, sustainability, and brewery capital projects. Mallett began making beer professionally in 1988, first as head brewer of Commonwealth Brewery, next as brewmaster at the Old Dominion Brewing Co., and then as founder and president of SAAZ, a brewing equipment and service provider. Mallett has served the brewing community in a leadership capacity on many boards and committees, including the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, Brewers Association, Hop Quality Group, and American Malting Barley Association. He was a longstanding member of the extended faculty of Siebel Institute of Technology. Mallett received the Brewers Association Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing in 2002 and the Recognition Award in 2021. He is the author of Malt; A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse as well as numerous brewing technical papers and presentations.
 
11:00A-12:00P
Seminar 1
Supply Chain Disruption Panel | Room-Brickyard 4

• Moderator Matt Gallagher, Co-Founder-Half Acre Beer Company
  • Matt Gallagher is co-founder of Half Acre Beer Company, located in Chicago IL. He is also the current president of MBAA District Northern Illinois and active in the Hop Quality Group, an organization of craft brewers advocating for the continued improvement of hops for all breweries.

 

• Layne Frost, Supply Chain Manager-Half Acre Beer Company
  • ​Layne Frost is the Senior Supply Chain Manager at Half Acre Beer Co. in Chicago. She joined Half Acre in 2017 as the Production Manager and has spent the last five years leading the streamlining of inventory management, brew/cellar/packaging schedules and logistics. Layne started her career in craft beer back in 2005 as a host at the original Goose Island Brew Pub and worked her way up to Master Scheduler by 2011. She loves an ESB on cask, a fruited sour, and ice cold can of Schlitz.
• Tommy Turiff, President-TLC Ingredients
  • ​Tommy Turriff is the President of TLC Ingredients, a food and beverage ingredients distributor in the Chicago area. Tommy is a self-proclaimed Beer Nerd, Food Safety and Regulatory Geek and Twitter addict, as well as a 30+ year distribution veteran, Scouting fanatic, Spanish-speaker and father of four. TLC Ingredients is a new ICBG Associate member, servicing customers in the Upper Midwest from its newly-expanded warehouse.
• Kyle Stephens, Co-Founder/Operating Partner-Craft Beverage Warehouse
  • ​Kyle Stephens is the Co-founder and operating partner of Craft Beverage Warehouse LLC (CBW), a beverage packaging distributor located at the Century City Business Park in Milwaukee, WI. CBW supplies small to medium-sized beverage producers with aluminum cans and related packaging products. In November 2021, CBW announced a multimillion-dollar machinery investment in digital print-to-can technology which will drive sustainability and cost savings in the aluminum beverage can industry. Kyle Stephens is the Co-founder and operating partner of Craft Beverage Warehouse LLC (CBW), a beverage packaging distributor located at the Century City Business Park in Milwaukee, WI. CBW supplies small to medium-sized beverage producers with aluminum cans and related packaging products. In November 2021, CBW announced a multimillion-dollar machinery investment in digital print-to-can technology which will drive sustainability and cost savings in the aluminum beverage can industry. Prior to founding CBW in April 2020, Kyle was the VP of Finance and Administration at Good City Brewing LLC, where he was responsible for accounting and finance, human resources, facilities, and office administration.
• Amanda Podwinski, Sales Specialist-ABE Equipment
  • ​Amanda Podwinski is a brewery owner, turned equipment salesman, for ABE Equipment in Lincoln, Nebraska. While ABE offers complete solutions for many industries, Amanda specializes in production and packaging equipment for craft beverages. In her eight years at ABE, Amanda has helped equip hundreds of breweries around the world and is credited with growing ABE into one of the top beer equipment manufacturers in North America.

​Seminar 2
Lager Beer-Best Practices for Small to Midsize Brewers | Room Brickyard 5&6

• Moderator Rob Hunter, Brewmaster-Crust Brewing
  • ​Rob is the brewmaster at Crust Brewing, a pizzeria and brewery, in Rosemont, IL. His first batch of commercially brewed beer was a springtime Bock at the Bohannon Brewing Company in Nashville in 1995, and he has been brewing lager beer ever since. In the meantime, he has been the brewmaster for the Prairie Rock Brewing Company, Emmett's Brewing Company, and Hofbrauhaus Chicago. He is a founding member of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, and joined MBAA in 1997. He is a past president of MBAA District Milwaukee and currently serves as the board of governors representative for District Northern Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Arkansas in 1992 and is the proud father of three fine young men.

• Tom Beckmann, Owner and Head Brewer-Goldfinger Brewing Company
  • ​Thomas Beckmann is the Owner and Head Brewer of Goldfinger Brewing Company in Downers Grove, Il. A graduate of the World Brewing Academy Master Brewer's Diploma program through Siebel Institute of Technology and Doemens Akademie in Munich, Germany, Thomas was previously a production brewer at Lagunitas Brewing and a pub brewer at Emmett's Brewing Company. He established Goldfinger Brewing, an exclusively lager beer producer, in the summer of 2020 and has acute experience with lager brewing as well as what it is like to scale up a small, lager-centric, craft brewery.
• Doug Hurst, Co-Founder/Head Brewer-Metropolitan Brewing
  • ​Doug began homebrewing in 1989 as a project for his botany class at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He caught the brew bug and for the next 15 years learned as much as he could about beer and the brewing industry. He earned a Diploma in Brewing Technology from the Seibel Institute in 2004 after which he began working on a business plan for what would become Chicago’s first production brewery in over 10 years. Metropolitan Brewing opened in 2008 in a small facility in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. Doug believes that the best breweries have a specific focus; that limiting the palette encourages greater creativity. During his brewing study in Munich Germany, Doug gained an appreciation for the subtlety and nuance of lager beer. Metropolitan Brewing became a specialist in German inspired lagers. In 2017 Metropolitan moved to a new 30,000 square foot brewery and taproom in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood and continues to explore and promote the complex flavors of craft brewed lager beer.
• Greg Brown, Head Brewer-Art History Brewing
  • ​Greg has been brewing at a number of Chicago breweries since graduating from the Siebel Institute in 1996. Has travelled extensively throughout Europe visiting breweries and drinking the classic beer styles at their source. Has been with Art History Brewing since opening in May 2020 where his focus has been brewing classic styles or what he likes to call “normal beer”. Art History Brewing is currently building a 20bbl production brewery which will focus on lager production.

12:00P-2:00P    
Lunch | Tradeshow Floor
Tradeshow Floor Opens | Tradeshow Floor

​2:15P-3:15P 
Seminar 3-Social Media Strategies | Room Brickyard 5&6

• Moderator Michelle Foik, Managing Partner-Eris Brewery and Ciderhouse 
  • ​Michelle Foik brings seasoned, proven, high-profile leadership with comprehensive knowledge of restaurant operations and experience in all aspects of the beer and cider industry. She has specialized in the craft beverage industry in Chicago and Michigan for the last 15 years. She grew up in a family hotel restaurant background, and graduated from University of Wisconsin Stout with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism. Michelle spearheaded both sales and operations at such giants as Virtue Cider, Revolution Brewing, and Goose Island Brewing. Now she’s taken that passion for the industry to another level - the Force of Nature behind ERIS.

• Charlotte Converse, Marketing and Social Media Manager-Mikerphone Brewing 
  • ​Charlotte has worked in Illinois Craft beer for over 6 years, the last 2 ½ years at Mikerphone Brewing in Elk Grove Village. Self-proclaimed pizza connoisseur who spends her free time posting funny memes, going to concerts, and hanging with her dog.
• Tim Whalen, Creative Director-Big Foot Media
  • ​Tim is the Creative Director +Owner/Founder of Big Foot Media. Tim received his degree in graphic design, but that’s not where his creativity ends. Having achieved levels above proficient in Video Storytelling, Animation, Photography and Digital Design - he truly knows how each has a place in communicating a message. A story-forward creative, he strives for authenticity.
• Rachel Rudy, Digital Content Manager-BrewDog USA
  • ​Rachel is the Digital Content Manager at BrewDog USA, located in Columbus, OH. She leads the charge on all things digital including: content creation, social media, influencer programming, email marketing, and more. She grew up in the Cleveland area, but after graduating from Ohio State, couldn’t be torn away from the Buckeye City. Her favorite BrewDog beer is Hazy Jane, but you’ll find her grabbing for a Jackie O's Who Cooks for You most often.

Seminar 4- Making Necessary Adjustments for the Upcoming Crop | Room Brickyard 4

• Moderator Tim Burke, Territory Sales Manager-Country Malt Group
  • Tim Burke of Country Malt Group has 18 years of experience in food and beverage with 9 years in the beer and brewing space. For the past 8 years, I’ve worked with Country Malt Group. During this time, I have had the privilege to work with some of the most creative and passionate people in the industry. I have also been fortunate enough to visit and consult with craft breweries and distilleries in over 25 States and 3 Canadian Provinces, visit hop farms and conduct hop selections in Yakima Valley, walk barley fields in Idaho and the Canadian Prairie and visit malt houses in Canada and the US giving me a unique perspective of the growing craft brewing and distilling industry.

• Tyler Schoaks, Malt Specialist-Country Malt Group
  • ​After graduating with an Applied Biomolecular Sciences degree from Lakehead University, Tyler began his malting journey with Canada Malting in Calgary, AB, Canada. Over the course of 15 years, Tyler has continued to develop his skillset, holding positions ranging from of QA Specialist to National Sales Manager (Great Western Malting). Presently, Tyler’s role of Commercial Bulk Sales Manager enables him to interact and support a handful of key accounts and provide valuable malt, brewing and distilling insight.
• Caleb Michalke, Co-Owner/Founder/Head Maltster/QA/Sales-Sugar Creek Malt Co.​
  • ​Caleb Michalke, owner and head maltster of Sugar Creek Malt Company in Lebanon, Indiana, started craft malting in 2014. Since then, Sugar Creek Malt Co. has continued to expand and offer customers anything from raw grains, base malts, and heritage grains to smoked and roasted malts. Michalke has become known in the industry for his innovation and continued work in refining and redefining the trade. His mission is to create grains that not only inspire and push the craft industry but also tell a story and sometimes even resurrect the past! In 2019, he built a traditional Norwegian Såinnhus, the only malthouse of its kind in North America, where historical methods are used to malt grains with remnants of old-world traditions. More recently he has brought back heirloom grains such as Edelweiss malt and Boone County White Corn to the market to bring flavors of the past back into modern beer and whiskey. Every day is a new day--- something Michalke looks forward to as he continues to grow with the craft industry!
• Amy Germershausen, VP of Sales and Marketing-Proximity Malt
  • ​Amy earned her Master’s in Agricultural Economics from University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has over 30 years of experience in the global malt industry, working in various sectors, including export sales and barley procurement, which lead to overall sales and marketing positions and business development functions. She has been working at Proximity since its beginnings five years ago and is in charge of sales and marketing. She is interested in the overall sustainability of the barley to malt to beverage supply chain and is excited to be a part of the team driving malt supply chain efficiency at Proximity. Outside of business hours, she loves her family, playing tennis and reading.

3:30P-4:30P     
Seminar 5- Making Your Business More Inclusive | Room Brickyard 5&6

• Marcus Baskerville, Co-Founder-Weathered Souls Brewing Company
  • ​Marcus is the co-founder of San Antonio's Weathered Souls Brewing Co. and the creative spark behind Black Is Beautiful, a worldwide collaboration by craft brewers to raise funds for racial justice and police reform. Marcus is on the board of directors for The Texas Brewers Guild as well as on the board of directors for the Brewers Association.

Seminar 6- Kettle Boil Over Safety | Room Brickyard 4

• Daryl Hoedtke, Brewer-Goose Island​
  • ​Before making a career out of brewing, Daryl was in the automotive industry for ten years as an engineer. All the while he was avidly homebrewing and digesting brewing literature, experimenting with different styles and techniques. At the start of 2013 he got his International Brewing Diploma from the Siebel Institute of Technology and began working as a brewer at Goose Island.  In his time at Goose, he has worked in the brewhouse, cellar, and as a technical brewer scaling up brands to bigger brew systems for wider distribution throughout North America, before becoming Brewmaster in 2021.
• Gabriel Capan, Senior EHS Manager-Goose Island
  • ​Gabe is a skilled professional in the fields of Environmental Compliance and Occupational Health & Safety. His career started in the public sector with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency in where he helped businesses in the region maintain compliance with federal, state, and local air pollution regulations. Transitioning to private industry, Gabe picked up valuable EHS experience working in the food and beverage space for both Nestlé Waters and Unilever. He is excited to now be a part of the Craft Brewing world and to lead the EHS team at Goose Island Beer Company.
• Bjorn Johnson, Brewer-Goose Island
  • ​Bjorn has been in the brewing industry for over a decade. The majority of this time has been at Goose, working as a shift brewer in the brewhouse until he was promoted to his current role of Lead Brewhouse Manager. There’s never a dull moment working at a 27 year old brewery. Bjorn has learned a lot, sometimes the hard way through unforeseen circumstances, however they have always provided an opportunity to learn. His hope is that the experiences he’s had at Goose can provide insight to the greater brewing community.

4:30P      
Tradeshow Floor Closes

​8:30A-9:30A 
Tradeshow Floor Opens

9:00A-9:30A
Breakfast | Tradeshow Floor

9:45A-10:45A
Seminar 7
Maintaining Quality Control from Grain to Glass-Lab Setups for Breweries of all sizes | Room Brickyard 5&6

• Moderator Brooke Bell, Director of Operations-Goose Island
  • ​Brooke Bell is the Director of Operations at Goose Island Beer Co. She holds her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Colorado State University. She has been working in brewing for more than 10 years, getting started in her hometown of Portland, Oregon at Hopworks Urban Brewery. She joined Anheuser-Busch in 2012 as the Brewing Quality Manager at the Fort Collins, Colorado brewery, then moved to corporate teams, holding a variety of roles in the North America Innovations and Brewers Collective departments. She started at Goose Island in 2016 as the Quality Manager and took the reins as Director of Operations in 2021​
    

• Matt McCarroll, Director of The Fermentation Science Institute-Southern Illinois University
  • ​Matt McCarroll is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and director of the Fermentation Science Institute at Southern Illinois University. He received degrees in chemistry and interdisciplinary studies from Appalachian State University in 1994 and his PhD in analytical chemistry at the University of Idaho in 1998. He led the effort to establish the Fermentation Science Institute and the B.S. degree in fermentation science. Since 2016 he has directed the FSI Service Laboratory, which performs 3rd party testing for over 70 clients the various fermentation related industries. He has held certifications as a chemist with the United States Tax and Trade Bureau for beer, wine and spirits since 2016.
• Paul Lievens, Lead Lab Analyst-Goose Island
  • ​Paul graduated with a BS in Chemistry from Creighton University in 2016 and started in the brewing industry right away. He worked in the Research Pilot Brewery at Anheuser Busch in St. Louis developing new innovations and learning the workings of a brewery. Paul then moved into the quality assurance world with a technician role at Goose Island in 2017. He has been there since and has worked his way up to being the Lead Lab Analyst. In his time at Goose, Paul has gained experience in all areas of quality with some emphasis on packaging quality. He spent 2 years building out Goose’s PQA program, during which Goose began canning for the first time on a Wild Goose line and later had a high speed can line installed. This led to presenting “TPO Gone Wild” at the 2019 Master Brewers Conference alongside Brooke Bell to share experiences around minimizing oxygen ingress in small scale can lines. Paul has also earned his Certified Cicerone® and is HACCP certified.
• Kevin Smolar, Quality Control Manager-SunKing Brewery
  • ​Kevin Smolar works as the Quality Manager for Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis, IN. He has been with the company since 2012 and a part of the lab since earning his master's degree in Forensic Biology in 2014. His job priority is overseeing all aspects of brewing quality and the science required in making great beer. Kevin also regularly assumes educational roles to teach other brewers and the public about off-flavors, beer styles, and beer quality.

Seminar 8
Cold-Side Hop Techniques/Dry Hop Creep | Main Room

• Moderator Tom Korder, Penrose Brewing Company
  • ​Tom Korder is the Co-Founder and Brewer at Penrose Brewing Company located in Geneva, IL. After earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign he entered the brewing world with stints at Anheuser-Busch and Goose Island. In the spare time that he can scrape together while running a business, you can find him hanging out with his family or escaping everything on a road bike. He's been a proud member of the MBAA and ICBG.
• Eric Padilla, Head Brewer-Open Outcry Brewing Company
  • ​After years of homebrewing and traveling to breweries and beer events around the country Eric decided to leave his career in IT to become a brewer. He’s worked as head brewer at several Chicagoland breweries and recently started at Open Outcry Brewing in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood.
• Chris Boggess, Head Brewer-3 Floyds Brewing Co.
  • ​Chris has been in the beer industry for 27yrs, first as a brewer for Rock Bottom from 95 to 2006. I worked for them in Houston TX, Denver, CO, Long Beach, CA, and Lombard, IL. In 2006, I interviewed for the Head Brewer position at 3 Floyds and have been here ever since. I like all beer but generally gravitate towards old school hoppy beers and lagers like most brewers (especially of my generation). I have a wife and a daughter and a am a basset hound enthusiast.
• Jim Cibak, Head Brewer-Revolution Brewing
  • ​Jim Cibak is the Brewmaster for Revolution Brewing, the largest independently owned brewery in Illinois. Over a two-decade-plus career, he’s worked at some of the country’s most well-respected breweries. Jim’s career started at Weinkeller Brew Pubs in Berwyn, IL in 1995, following a series of brewing courses at the Siebel Institute of Technology. He left in 1995 to work as a Lead Brewer at Goose Island, where he focused on brewhouse ops and dialing in dry-hopping procedures. In 2000, he moved to Three Floyds Brewing to focus on brewing and cellar operations. While there, he worked on recipe development and process improvement. From 2006-2008, he worked as a Brewer at Firestone Walker, working on brewhouse, cellar, quality control, and barrel operations.

11:00A-12:00P    
Seminar 9-Stump the Brewmaster Roundtable-Improving Sustainability in your Brewery! | Room Brickyard 5&6

• ModeratorEmily Slayton, Co-Owner-Skeleton Key Brewery
  • Emily Slayton co-owns and operates Skeleton Key Brewery in Woodridge, IL. She has served on the ICBG Board of Directors since 2018, joined the Executive Committee in 2020, and was elected Board President last year. Emily also taught classes for the College of Dupage's Business of Craft Beer program for 6 years before stepping down last month to focus on her brewery's rebuild. Her non-SKB go-to is Half Acre's Fader, but she'll never pass up a schwarzbier.

• Matt Young, Director of Brewing Operations-Half Acre Beer Company
  • ​Matt is a molecular biologist-turned brewer. He has been with Half Acre Beer Co. for 11 years and is currently the Director of Brewing Operations. In this role, Matt oversees brewing, cellaring, packaging, innovation, and quality for the brewery.
• Glenn Allen, Head Brewer-Pilot Project
  • ​Glenn Allen is currently the Head Brewer of the brewery incubator, Pilot Project Brewing, and Co-Chair of the District Northern Illinois MBAA Technical Committee. He entered the brewing industry in 2007 at Goose Island Wrigleyville as a doorman at the age of 21. Over the course of a couple years, he managed to work just about every position at the pub then transitioned to Goose Island Fulton. Here he developed a true passion for brewing and received his first position as a brewer. In 2014, he was hired at Revolution Brewing where he acted as Brewery Manager during several years of expansion and rapid growth. At Pilot Project, he now helps budding brewers and beverage makers develop and scale their products to reach their goals and ambitions. He enjoys cycling, cooking, and lagers!
• Wil Turner, Head Brewer-Hailstorm Brewing
  • ​Wil began his professional brewing career in 1992 at Seabright Brewery in Santa Cruz after a number of years of homebrewing and working beer retail in Michigan and California. In 2002 he moved to Chicago to brew for Goose Island Brewpubs and production facility, followed by second decade of Chicago brewing at Revolution and Open Outcry-officially making him an IL brewer, which he intends to retire as. During this time he also served numerous terms on the Board of Directors for the ICBG. He is currently the new Head Brewer at Hailstorm Brewing Company in Tinley Park, IL.

Seminar 10- Preparing for a Hop Sensory and Sensible Solutions for Consumer Research | Main Room

• Lindsey Barr, CSO/Founding Partner-DraughtLab Sensory Software
  • ​Lindsay is the CSO and Founding Partner of DraughtLab Sensory Software where she works with food and beverage companies to apply tasting data to inform Product Development and Quality Control. Lindsay got her start at New Belgium Brewing Company as the Sensory and Consumer Research Specialist. For five years she served as the chair of the American Society of Brewing Chemists Sensory Committee where she co-authored seven new globally adopted sensory evaluation techniques. She holds a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of New Mexico, and a Masters in Food Science and Technology from the University of California, Davis. With DraughtLab, she’s published numerous industry-standard lexicons, including the Beer Flavor Map™, and is continuing to develop tools that make the world a more delicious place.

12:00P-1:00P    
Lunch | Tradeshow Floor
1:30P        
Tradeshow Closes
1:45P-2:15P    
Thank You-Closing Talk | Main Floor

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