Conference registration is now open!
OCBA members: online registration and member discount pricing ends Jan. 27, 2023.
2023 CONFERENCE AGENDA
12 – 7 p.m.: Trade show set-up in Hall A at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, 300 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland OH 44113
OCBA Quarterly Member Meeting
3 – 6 p.m.: Conference check-in at Forest City Brewery, 2135 Columbus Rd., Cleveland, OH 44113
3 – 4 p.m.: Voting Members ONLY Meeting at Forest City Brewery. You must be an owner or employee of an operating, A-1c licensed brewing facility.
4 – 5:30 p.m.: OCBA Member Meeting (all OCBA members invited including breweries-in-planning and allied) at Forest City Brewery, 2135 Columbus Rd., Cleveland, OH 44113
5:30 – 7 p.m.: OCBA reception at Forest City Brewery, 2135 Columbus Rd., Cleveland, OH 44113 (all attendees of the Ohio Craft Brewers Conference invited). Live music by Apostle Jones at 6 p.m. Sponsored by BMI, Hunter Consulting Co., Insignia Display Graphics, LD Carlson, Shade Headwear, Wickens Herzer Panza
Extracurricular Activities
11 a.m. – 10 p.m.: Show your conference badge at Saucy Brew Works to receive any beer for $4 and half off any size of our traditional apizzas (cheese, pepperoni, margherita), dine-in for food specials. (2885 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113)
4 – 10 p.m.: The cellar bar at the Great Lakes Brewing Company brewpub will be open for conference attendees and have an exclusive beer on tap. Show your conference badge to receive $5 off pitchers and a free pretzel with the purchase of an entrée. (2516 Market Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113)
6 – 9 p.m.: Get a special tour of Great Lakes Brewing Company! Attendees can use code “ohiobeer” to get 50% off tickets, which includes four 5 oz. beer samples and a glass to take home. Click here to register for a tour. (1951 W 26th St, Cleveland, OH 44113)
7 – 11 p.m.: Noble Beast Brewing is opening up on a Monday just for conference attendees. BSG collab N-Zed Or Dead west coast IPA brewed with New Zealand Nectaron hops on tap, plus collabs with Missing Mountain and Wolf’s Ridge. Bar only, no kitchen. (1470 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland, OH 44114)
Ohio Craft Brewers Conference 2022 – Day 1
Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, 300 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland OH 44113
7 – 10 a.m.: Trade show set-up in Hall A at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, 300 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland OH 44113
8 – 10 a.m.: Breakfast and registration/badge pickup
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Trade show hours (Hall A)
8:30 – 10 a.m.
Main Room (Atrium Ballroom AB): Welcome address with Mary MacDonald, OCBA Executive Director and Alan Szuter, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, OCBA Board President
Keynote Speaker: Craft’s Changing and Maturing Market with Dr. Bart Watson, Chief Economist of the Brewers Association
10 – 10:45 a.m.:
Main Room (Atrium Ballroom AB): Overcoming Supply Chain Challenges in Craft Beer Packaging, panel discussion moderated by Greg Lovensheimer of Millcraft with Bret Kollman Baker of Urban Artifact, Jamey Ratcliff of Sixth Sense Brewing Co. and Tim Ward of North High Brewing
Fundamentals Room (Room 4): Solid Waste Management & Best Practices at a Brewery with Janae Chaney of Rhinegeist and Chase Legler of Sonder Brewing
Business of Beer Room (Room 3): Valuing Your Brewery. What is my Brewery Worth? with Kayla Emanuelson and Jessie Wright of SSB CPAs and Jason Slater and Michael Chisnell of Ignite Brewing Company
Fermentation Room (Room 1): State of the Malt Industry with Grant McDonough of BSG CraftBrewing
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Trade show time! Hall A
12:45 – 2 p.m.: Lunch in Hall A
2 – 2:45 p.m.:
Main Room (Atrium Ballroom AB): Incorporating DEI Programs in the Industry by Thinking Outside the Box with Breeze Galindo of Other Half Brewing
Fundamentals (Room 4): Building an Army of Brand Ambassadors Through Brand and Beer Education with Michael Williams of Great Lakes Brewing Company
Business of Beer (Room 3): Mastering the COGS Crystal Ball To Chart Your Brewery’s Future with Audra Gaiziunas of Brewed for Her Ledger and current CFO of Crooked Stave
Fermentation (Room 1): Training a Sensory Team with Lindsay Barr of DraughtLab
3 – 3:45 p.m.:
Main Room (Atrium Ballroom AB): Crafting Unique Events for Smaller Spaces panel discussion moderated by Carmone Macfarlane of The Phoenix Brewing Company with Melissa Dallas of Upside Brewing
Fundamentals (Room 4): Written SOPs: Why it’s important and how to write them with Spencer Moore of Lock 27 Brewing
Business of Beer (Room 3): Keeping Your Brand Fresh & Reflective of Your Vision with Adam Benner, Walt Keys and Meredith Miles of Land-Grant Brewing Company
Fermentation (Room 1): Yeast Management Best Practices: Dry Hopped Beers with Laura Burns of Omega Yeast
4 – 5:30 p.m.: Trade Show Time and Happy Hour in Hall A sponsored by Brewker, ColdBreak, Crosby Hops, The Country Malt Group, Graydon-Toole Group, Hunter Consulting Co., Insignia Display Graphics, LD Carlson, Shade Headwear, Wickens Herzer Panza
6:00 – 8 p.m.: Trade Show tear down time
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.: OCBA reception at Masthead Brewing Co. , 1261 Superior Ave., 44114 (all attendees of the Ohio Craft Brewers Conference invited – please wear your badge for entry). Beer tickets are reserved for the first 400 conference attendees to arrive. Sponsored by Brewker, ColdBreak, The Country Malt Group, Crosby Hops, Graydon-Toole Group, Midwest Microbio
Extracurricular Activities
11 a.m. – 10 p.m.: Show your conference badge at Saucy Brew Works to receive any beer for $4 and half off any size of our traditional apizzas (cheese, pepperoni, margherita), dine-in for food specials. (2885 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113)
3 – 10 p.m.: Get 10% off your food order at The Butcher & The Brewer when you show your conference badge. (2043 E 4th St, Cleveland, OH 44115)
4 – 10 p.m.: The cellar bar at the Great Lakes Brewing Company brewpub will be open for conference attendees and have an exclusive beer on tap. Show your conference badge to receive $5 off pitchers and a free pretzel with the purchase of an entrée. (2516 Market Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113)
5 – 9 p.m.: Retro gaming event at North High Brewing; try your hand at bubble air hockey, pinball and Golden Tee. $2 off all beers with conference badge. (2814 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113)
6 – 9 p.m.: Get a special tour of Great Lakes Brewing Company! Attendees can use code “ohiobeer” to get 50% off tickets, which includes four 5 oz. beer samples and a glass to take home. Click here to register for a tour. (1951 W 26th St, Cleveland, OH 44113)
9:30 – 11 p.m.: Beer-themed trivia at Noble Beast Brewing. BSG collab N-Zed Or Dead west coast IPA brewed with New Zealand Nectaron hops on tap, plus collabs with Missing Mountain and Wolf’s Ridge. (1470 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland, OH 44114)
Ohio Craft Brewers Conference 2022 – Day 2
Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, 300 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland OH 44113
7 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Trade show tear down time
9 – 9:45 a.m.:
Main Room: Keynote Speaker: The Burden of Burnout: Where to Start to Combat and Prevent It with Katie Muggli of Infinite Ingredient
10 – 10:45 a.m.:
Main Room (Atrium Ballroom AB): Craft Brewers Compliance Updates & Reminders with Faye Callahan, Compliance Agent Supervisor, Investigative Services, Ohio Division of Liquor Control
Fundamentals (Room 4): Chemical Safety and Hazard Communication in Breweries with Dave Rice of Rubicon EHS
Business of Beer (Room 3): Building Dynamic Teams That Drive Stability & Innovation with Adam Mills of Cartridge Brewing
Fermentation (Room 1): Unlocking Aroma with Beer Soluble Hop Compounds with Ashleigh Hayden and Joe Shanahan of Yakima Chief Hops and Mike Pelechaty of Masthead Brewing Co.
11 – 11:45 a.m.:
Main Room (Atrium Ballroom AB): Tracking Style Trends Via IRI – Past; Present & Future with Griffin Kruse of Urban Artifact and Rob Gerrity of Fintech Data Solutions
Fundamentals (Room 4): Crafting Your Craft Brewery’s Employee Handbook with Jon Hyman of Wickens Herzer Panza
Business of Beer (Room 3): Communicating Your Craft: Resources for Marketing Your (Smaller) Brewery with Carmone Macfarlane of The Phoenix Brewing Company and Shawn White of Nostalgia Brewing
Fermentation (Room 1): CY22 Harvest Review & Hops Industry Update with Nolan Russell and John Warren of Crosby Hops
12 – 12:45 p.m.:
Main Room (Atrium Ballroom AB): Brewing Award-Winning Lagers panel discussion moderated by Victor Pool of Land-Grant Brewing with Rob Camstra of Gemut Biergarten, Josh Hustek of Masthead Brewing Co., Ryan Blevins of MadTree Brewing and Shaun Yasaki of Noble Beast Brewing Co.
Fundamentals (Room 4): Becoming a Brewery Owner with Matthew Amoss of Craft Kettle
Business of Beer (Room 3): Connect Four: Visibility Across Inventory, Production, Sales & Accounting with Alec Johnson of Ekos and Jason Slater of Ignite Brewing Co.
Fermentation (Room 1): State of the Fruit and Juice Industries with David Winters of Forbes Foods
12:45 – 2 p.m.: Lunch in Hall A
2 – 2:45 p.m.:
Main Room (Atrium Ballroom AB): Do More to Brew More: How Involvement & Ongoing Education Can Lead Personal & Business Development with Chris Davison of Wolf’s Ridge Brewing and Chris Shields of Rhinegeist
Fundamentals (Room 4): Ohio Ingredients Right Under Your Nose, panel discussion moderated by Nick Zachrich of Zachrich Hop Farm with Garret Conley of UnHitched Brewing Company, Matt Cunningham of Rustic Brew Farm and Ron Troyer of Roundhouse Depot Brewing
Business of Beer (Room 3): Licensing Best Practices and Updates with Paul Kulwinski and Emily Redman of the State of Ohio Division of Liquor Control
Fermentation (Room 1): Considerations for Hiring in Production: Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills, panel discussion moderated by Colin Vent of Seventh Son Brewing with Lori Duncan of Nocterra Brewing Co., Brittany Frey of MadTree Brewing, Breeze Galindo of Other Half Brewing, Mark Hunger of Great Lakes Brewing Company
Extracurricular Activities
11 a.m. – 10 p.m.: Show your conference badge at Saucy Brew Works to receive any beer for $4 and half off any size of our traditional apizzas (cheese, pepperoni, margherita), dine-in for food specials. (2885 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113)
3 – 10 p.m.: Get 10% off your food order at The Butcher & The Brewer when you show your conference badge. (2043 E 4th St, Cleveland, OH 44115)
2023 TRADE SHOW EXHIBITORS
3-hab
ABS Commercial
American Canning
American Keg powered by BLEFA
Amoretti
Artex Label
Arthur J. Gallagher
Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient
Blue Label Packaging
Bodine Perry
Boelter [BEER BOOTH]
Brew Movers
Brewker
Brewpub Jerky
Briess Malt & Ingredients [BEER BOOTH]
Brook + Whittle
BSG Craft Brewing
CFT Packaging USA
Chemsafe International [BEER BOOTH]
ChemStation
The Cincinnati Insurance Companies [BEER BOOTH]
Coldbreak [BEER BOOTH]
Country Malt Group
Craft Kettle Brewing Equipment
Crosby Hops
Deutsche Beverage Technology
DuBois Chemicals
Earthly Labs
Eastgate Group
Econse
Encompass Technologies
Enerco
Fast Track Packaging
Flottweg Separation Technology
FOAMit
Frantz Ward
G&D Chillers
G4 Kegs
Grandstand Glassware & Apparel
Great Lakes Publishing / Ohio Magazine
Hankscraft/AJS Tap Handles
Harvest Hosts
Haus Malts
Hopsteiner
Hunter Consulting
Imperial Yeast
Insignia Display Graphics
Iron Heart Canning
Keg ID / KegFleet by Hillebrand
The Kennedy Group
KOST USA
L2 Brands
Label Aid
Lathrop Trotter
LD Carlson Company [BEER BOOTH]
M.G. Newell
Madison Chemical
Mailender / Imperial Dade
Malteurop Malting Company
Mammoth Labels & Packaging
MBI Products Company
Middlestreet Graphics & Display [BEER BOOTH]
Midwest Microbio
Millcraft
MW Control Solutions
Northwestern Extract
O.E. Meyer Co.
OCS Process Systems
Ohio Hop Growers Guild
Ohio Lottery
Ohio Restaurant Association
Ollie
Omega Yeast
OneVision Corporation
Origin Malt [BEER BOOTH]
OSHA Safety Alliance
Petainer Manufacturing USA
Pneumatic Scale Angelus [BEER BOOTH]
POS Innovation
Prairie Malt
Prestige Merchandising
Pro Refrigeration
ProForma Graphic Services
Proximity Malt
Quality Tank Solutions
Red Tail Design
RSS MACLIN
Rustic Brew Farm
Sahm
Sartorius
Schaefer Container Systems
Scioto Sign Company
Shade Headwear
Spartan Chemical
State of Ohio Division of Liquor Control
Stickersandmore.com
Strategic Tax Planning
TagaBrew
Thielmann
Triad Technologies
Tripack
Vantage Brand Co.
W.T. Nickell Label Co.
White Labs
Willamette Valley Hops
Yakima Chief Hops