2018 Meeting of the Malts – August 23, 2018

The Brewers of Pennsylvania will host their “Meeting of the Malts” on August 23, 2018 at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  This is a fantastic event for homebrewers and craft beer fans!  Check out the press release below – and I hope to see you there!

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The Brewers of Pennsylvania has released its event details and list of panel participants for the 2018 Meeting of the Malts, the association’s popular annual event that gathers the most acclaimed breweries to discuss the state of the craft beer industry. The powerhouse panel includes Pennsylvania’s finest brewers including Bill Covaleski (Victory Brewing Company), Tom Kehoe (Yards Brewing Company), and Wendy Yuengling (D. G. Yuengling & Son).  New panelists include Mike Stevens of Michigan-based Founders Brewing Company and Joey Redner of Florida-based Cigar City Brewing….

Craft Beer Powerhouse Panel Headlines 2018 Meeting of the Malts  

Brewers of Pennsylvania Welcomes First-time Participants Founders and Cigar City

HARRISBURG, PA (6.20.18) – The Brewers of Pennsylvania (BOP), the state’s official brewers guild, has released its event details and list of panel participants for the 2018 Meeting of the Malts, the association’s popular annual event that gathers the most acclaimed breweries to discuss the state of the craft beer industry.

Presented by Gold Sponsor Micro Matic USA, Meeting of the Malts VII will take place Thursday, August 23 from 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. EST at Artsquest Center at SteelStacks, and will feature a powerhouse panel including Bill Covaleski (Victory Brewing Company), Tom Kehoe (Yards Brewing Company), Wendy Yuengling (D. G. Yuengling & Son), Mike Stevens (Michigan-based Founders Brewing Company), and Joey Redner (Florida-based Cigar City Brewing). The panel discussion, which will run from 6-7 p.m., will be emceed by industry icon, Bump Williams. Dick Yuengling and Jim Koch (Samuel Adams) will provide the opening remarks.

“Craft beer is thriving in Pennsylvania, and Meeting of the Malts, now in its seventh year, continues to serve as the state’s primary meeting place to discuss the industry’s important successes and challenges from legislative issues to craft beer trends,” said Dan LaBert, Executive Director of the Brewers of Pennsylvania. “If you are a brewer or simply a fan of the craft beer scene, Meeting of the Malts is a must-attend event. We expect as strong a turnout as last year, which welcomed hundreds of attendees who listened to and learned from our industry’s most successful brewers, as well as promising peers who are in the trenches producing the very best craft beer in the United States.”

Draft Magazine has named Meeting of the Malts as the #12 (out of 101) rated beer experiences on the industry bucket list. While several panelists have participated in previous Meeting of the Malts, new to this year is Mike Stevens, Co-Founder and CEO of Founders and Joey Redner, Founder of Cigar City.

Founders has been ranked in the top breweries in the world by Ratebeer.com for the last five years. The brewery has won six World Beer Cup medals, four European Beer Star medals, and three Great American Beer Festival medals.

“Founders has been a part of the industry now for twenty-one years, and when I first got into the business breweries like Sam Adams and Yuengling inspired me to follow my passion,” said Stevens. “I’m truly honored to be a part of this event and share the stage with such accomplished brewers, and I look forward to a spirited conversation.”

Cigar City has won a Gold Medal for its Humidor Series IPA at the National Beer Championships and a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival for its Minaret ESB.

Following the panel discussion will be a four-course dinner from 7:15 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., each course being paired with a beer from select panelist’s breweries. During the meal, the BOP will host a Beer Silent Auction, an opportunity to bid on unique and collectible items from a variety of breweries including autographed, one-of-a-kind items from the country’s finest breweries.

After the dinner comes the Pennsylvania BrewPub Festival from 9:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.  Participating BOP members include: Barley Creek Brewing Co., Berwick Brewing Co., Boneshire Brew Works, Brewery at Hershey, Collusion Tap Works, Covered Bridge Brewhaus, Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks, Hop Hill Brewing Co., Round Guys Brewing Co., Roy-Pitz Brewing Co., Saucony Creek Brewing Co., and Wolf Brewing Co.

For the second consecutive year, Meeting of the Malts will also include the Legislative Growler Awards, an honor that recognizes a person or organization the BOP considers a partner in the industry, one who continually strives to promote and protect Pennsylvania’s craft beer industry. Honorees will be announced at a later date.

Artsquest Center at SteelStacks is located at 711 First St., Bethlehem, PA.  Accommodations deadline for the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem is August 9.

About the Brewers of Pennsylvania – The Brewers of Pennsylvania is a 501c6 trade association that brings together leaders of Pa.-based breweries in order to promote and protect the brewing industry in the state.  The Brewers of Pennsylvania, a strong and influential organization, serves the consuming public of Pa. by encouraging brand diversity in the market. BOP members employ an estimated 10,000 employees earning $296 million in wages and generating $1.1 billion in direct economic benefits to communities throughout the state.  Its signature annual event is the popular Meeting of the Malts. #supportPAbeer

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Cheers!

The Brewholder

Copyright 2018 – all rights reserved

Book Review:  The Brew Your Own Big Book of Clone Recipes

The Brew Your Own Big Book of Clone Recipes – and a homebrew, of course!

Have you ever tried a beer from one of your favorite breweries and said to yourself, “I’d love to try to brew this beer at home?”  If so, The Brew Your Own Big Book of Clone Recipes may be exactly what you are looking for.  Released on May 1, 2018, this book is a compilation of 20 years of recipes from Brew Your Own Magazine, featuring over 300 homebrew recipes of well-known beers, including favorites such as Lawson’s Finest Liquids’ “Double Sunshine IPA,” Trillium Brewing Company’s “Fort Point Pale Ale,” Founder’s Brewing Company’s “Breakfast Stout,” and New Holland Brewing Company’s “Dragon’s Milk Stout.”

This book is a fantastic reference for both all-grain and extract homebrewers; each recipe includes both versions.  The selection of breweries is also impressive – as a native of Pennsylvania, I was excited to find recipes for Troegs Brewing Company’s “Nugget Nectar,” Victory Brewing Company’s “Storm King Imperial Stout,” Round Guys Brewing Company’s “Russian Messenger Stout,” Weyebacher Brewing Company’s “Fifteen,” and even a recipe for good old 33, “Rolling Rock Extra Pale.” 

I would strongly recommend this recipe book for homebrewers who have ironed out their processes and are ready to try their hands at taking their brewing to the next level.  The recipes are written in a concise yet easily understandable manner for intermediate to advanced homebrewers.  After reading it I was left with the immediate urge to place an order with my favorite homebrew supply store!  The Brew Your Own Big Book of Clone Recipes is published by Voyageur Press and is available online on Amazon for around $25. 

Cheers – and happy brewing!

The Brewholder

Copyright 2018 – all rights reserved 

Philly Beer Week 2018 Begins (with a whisper?)

 

Did you realize that today is the beginning of Philly Beer Week?   It is – and I’m looking forward to checking out Beer Under the Big Top at the Navy Yard tomorrow and other events throughout the next week.

While I’m as excited as always to try new beer and talk about it with other beer fans, I feel like I haven’t seen much buzz or news generated about this year’s PBW.   The HOG relay has been running through the city today, and Opening Tap is about to happen at the Fillmore…but I wouldn’t know that except for being on the Philly Beer Week email list.  In past years, I’ve seen a lot more collaborative media pushed out by breweries, so, to be honest, PBW 2018 kind of snuck up on me.

I’m trying not to read too much into it – but it does make me wonder…has the craft beer industry become complacent about reaching out to the general public?  Is it satisfied with the 12.7% overall market share in 2017, as reported by the Brewers Association? https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics/national-beer-sales-production-data/  Has it given up on the battle cry of 20% by 2020?

Maybe the Philly Beer Week organization simply decided to try something new this year, or maybe I just missed “the buzz.”  Whatever the case, I’m heading into Philadelphia to celebrate beer in the City of Brotherly Love during Philly Beer Week 2018 – and I hope to see the same passion and excitement about beer from everyone there as I did five years ago!

Cheers!

The Brewholder

Copyright 2018 – all rights reserved