Field Trip: 2017 Craft Brewers Conference [Part 1]

As you may recall from my interview with Dean Myers a few weeks back, during the discussion it was mentioned that the annual Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) will be held in DC from April 10 - April 13th at the Washington Convention Center. I'm not surprised that CBC exists; each industry has a conference - for example, the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Tobacco Retailers has a yearly trade show in Las Vegas (a show which this author so desperately would like to attend) and the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America does something similar - and these conferences serve to provide a space for industry professionals to get together, discuss pressing issues, and exchange ideas. But they are also usually NOT open to the public - in this case, it gives brewers the chance at some much-needed time away from customers to "talk shop" and to enjoy the products of their industry.

But that doesn't mean it's a secret beer version of the Illuminati. I was perusing the CBC website a few weeks ago, and noticed there was a spot to apply for media credentials. I decided - what the heck - I'll go for it. I provided all sorts of information about the blog, its history, the audience, and the proposed coverage, and submitted my application. A few days later, and I must admit slightly to my surprise, I was confirmed! All access pass, here I come.

The conference schedule posted online has simply too many events for me to attend. There's seminars, meetings, roundtables, technical demonstrations, a trade show, various hospitality suites, and of course afterparties every day (some held at venerable DC institutions like Port City Brewing, Brasserie Beck, and Churchkey.)

I'll try to make it to as many as I reasonably can and report back over the next couple of blog posts, with particular focus on the relevance of each event. Just an idea of the various events and meetings going on:

The first day of the conference was pretty much out for me; my day job had me out on Capitol Hill all day doing student meetings. But the beer industry wasn't far behind - many of the brewers were spending Monday afternoon in a "Hill climb", meeting with House and Senate legislative staff to advocate for the interests of the craft brewing industry. It's an important aspect of the advocacy world and having meaningful discussions with constituents is super helpful for legislative staff, too. Interesting note - as I was passing by Rep. Dave Reichert's office in the Longworth building, I bumped into a gaggle of people with CBC credentials. We got talking, and one of them turned out to be the genius behind Fremont Brewing, Dr. Sarah Nelson! Glad to see Seattle's finest brewer is out and about on the Hill.

After a few more meetings, I finally made it to the conference and picked up my credentials:

Of particular interest on Day 1 was a demonstration sponsored by German hop growing collective HVG Hopfenwertungsgenossenschaft e.G. I can see why they just go by "HVG."

The demonstration was actually a sensory display - they had over 40 hop variants out for participations to touch and smell. On each placard was various chemical information of the strains - important when brewers are considering using a certain hop in their beer. Although the taste profile and various chemical attributes of hops (and their behavior in beer) are known, there's no substitute for tasting and smelling the hops in person. That's why this kind of exhibit is important for brewers.

But as I learned very quickly, pretty much no demonstration at CBC is without endless, free beer. The beer stations at this demonstration were serving various beers made from the hops on the tables. Naturally, a lot of German styles, but some more basic session ales as well. 

I ended up going with both the "Mandarina" and the "Callista." Below is pictured the Callista - it was light and crisp with a definite resin quality to it. I found the Callista hops in one of the display tables and rubbed it between my fingers - felt like sap. So it's easy to see in a side-by-side comparison of beer and hops how the hop flowers impart flavor and texture to the beer.

That's enough for now - up next is my coverage of the Welcome Reception, held at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Lots of beer reviews to come!