A Crafty Conference

March 7, 2012, by Crafty Pint

A Crafty Conference

Brewers from all over the world will be gathering in Melbourne at the end of March for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling’s Asia Pacific Conference. Over six days, the event will combine an educational program with trade exhibitions and industry showcases. Of particular interest to the craft beer world is the Craft Brewers Forum taking place on the opening Sunday. Put together by Brad Rogers, of Stone & Wood, it is a day of presentations, talks and panel discussions aimed specifically at anyone involved in the craft side of the industry.

“With the growing number of craft breweries in Australia, it’s very important to ensure that learning specific to craft brewing continues,” says Brad (pictured above). “"There’s a huge amount of information out there and sometimes it takes a conference to bring everyone together, to focus the minds of craft brewers, and get them talking about quality craft brewing.”

He says the aim is to create an event that is both educational and social. Throughout the day, information relevant to craft brewers will be presented by fellow craft brewers and people directly related to craft brewing. Speakers include representatives from ingredient suppliers Cryer Malt, Bintani and Hop Products Australia, breweries including Murray’s, Feral and Little Creatures, and specialists such as Hugh Dunn from Edith Cowan University in WA, Warren Pawsey from Lion, Peter Aldred from the University of Ballarat, and packaging expert Angelo Pepe.

“It’s very important to pitch the content at a level that craft brewers can relate to and get value out of,” says Brad. “This is a beginning point that I really hope we can expand on in future years with the assistance of the IBD.

“The day will be broad enough to cover many topics relevant to today’s craft brewer, from raw materials, to processes specific to craft brewers, to engineering, to commercial and media aspects. Everyone in the craft brewing industry should get something out of it, as well as the chance to chance to chat with others in the craft brewing industry. What’s more, it’s great value for money at $50 for the whole day.”

It takes place on March 25 from 8.30am to 4.30pm at the Crown Promenade. A full rundown of the Conference program is available here, while details on registering are here. Apparently some guy from a website called The Crafty Pint will be taking part in a panel discussion in the afternoon so it must be worth attending…

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