MEET YOUR
MALTCON2024 SPEAKERS
Yeah, But How Does it Taste?
Lindsay Barr
Founding Partner & CSO | DraughtLab
Lindsay is the Founding Partner and CSO of DraughtLab and Adjunct Sensory Professor for the UC Davis Master Brewers Program. She has over a decade of experience building sensory training programs and has worked with hundreds of breweries to implement their own. With DraughtLab, she has published multiple industry-standard lexicons like the Beer & Malt Flavor MapsTM and has made Sensory science accessible for companies of all sizes and levels of expertise. Along with her daily work, she is involved in the brewing industry as an international beer judge, instructor for the Siebel Institute, and author of seven ASBC Sensory evaluation methods.
Glycosidic Nitrile: The Quest for Answers
Dr. Harmonie Bettenhausen
Director | Hartwick College Center for Craft Food & Beverage
Dr. Harminie Bettenhausen is the current Director of the Hartwick College Center for Craft Food & Beverage, where she is focused on collaborative research and extensive testing involving grains, malts, beer, spirits, dough, and breads. She completed her Ph.D. in the Heuberger Lab at Colorado State University, where she specialized in omics-based research and biochemistry of small grains. Her publications have covered not only these topics but also areas as broad as peppers, wheat, and chocolate. Harmonie has been involved in the brewing industry since the early 2000s and is now extensively investigating the relationships of grains, malt, and end product metabolome to sensory and quality factors.
Understanding Beer Style Anatomy
Jen Blair
Exam Manager | Cicerone Certification Program
Jen is an Advanced Cicerone and National BJCP beer judge. She is the Exam Manager for the Cicerone Certification Program and co-host of False Bottomed Girls, a podcast about beer and brewing. Jen is a co-collaborator for Brave Noise. She is a judge for the Great American Beer Festival, Festival of Barrel-Aged Beer, and World Beer Cup. Her work in training and empowering people historically excluded from beer judging and other beer spaces has earned her recognition as a Good Beer Hunting 2021 Signifier and well as inclusion on the 2022 VinePair 50, Wine Enthusiast Future 40, and Imbibe's Top 75 lists.
Creating a Safety Culture
Paul Bolin
Director of Midwest Malt Operations | Busch Agricultural Resources
Paul Bolin is the Director of Midwest Malt Operations for Busch Agricultural Resources, where he has responsibility for the Moorhead Malt Plant and four barley elevators located in North Dakota and Montana. He completed an M.S. in Cereal Science at North Dakota State University, concentrating on malt biochemistry. Paul has been in the malting industry for 25 years with responsibilities ranging from North American malt quality to European Malt and Rice Operations, with the last 15 years in malt and rice operations.
Kernza Unleashed:
The Potential of Perennials
Natalie Cilurzo
Co-Owner/President | Russian River Brewing Company
Natalie Cilurzo is the Co-Owner and President of Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa and Windsor, California. She has been in the wine or craft beer industry since the age of 16. In 1997, together with her husband, she moved to Sonoma County, where her husband Vinnie began brewing for Russian River Brewing Company. In 2003, the couple was given the opportunity to acquire the Russian River brand. After 19 years in the wine industry, Natalie made the decision to join Vinnie full-time when they opened their Santa Rosa brewpub in 2004. Natalie recently served nine years on the Board of Directors for the California Craft Brewers Association, two of those years as Board Chair. In 2017, Vinnie and Natalie were awarded the "Brewers Association Recognition Award." In 2019, Natalie was honored to be recognized as a "Distinguished Alumnus" from her alma mater, Sonoma State University (SSU). She currently serves on the Dean's Advisory Board for SSU's School of Business and Economics.
Learning to Make Lambic Style Malts: A sharing of the intricate details of the process
Jason K. Cody
President & CEO | Colorado Malting Co.
Jason lives on the Colorado family farm and homestead, working alongside his father and brother, farming their 300 acres, malting, and brewing. For the last 15 years, he has served as Colorado Malting Company’s corporate president and CEO. He is also the owner and manager of The Colorado Farm Brewery located on the property. Since he began malting, he has malted over 4,500 batches of barley, wheat, or rye. He has also created over 300 malt recipes and pioneered craft malt as a commercial industry throughout the globe. Together with New Belgium and the Colo. Dept. of Ag, he helped pioneer gluten-free malting in the US and is a founding member of the Craft Maltsters Guild. He holds a certification in Farm Business Management from Trinidad State Junior College, a Bachelor of Science from Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, and a Masters of Divinity Degree from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN.
Barley Breeding and Craft Malting: Developing Mutually Beneficial Relationships for Research, Learning Opportunities, and Variety Release
Isabel Alicia del Blanco
Project Scientist Malting Barley Breeder | UC Davis
Isabel Alicia del Blanco is the malting barley breeder at UC Davis. She started her appointment at UC Davis in February 2012, and since then, four new UCD malting barley varieties have been released. I.A. del Blanco has a Ph.D. in Agronomy/Crop Sciences from Oregon State University in 1999.
Craft Maltsters Guild
Responsible Production Guidelines
Bruce French
Malting Consultant | Craft Maltsters Guild
Bruce obtained a BSC in Agriculture from the University of Guelph, Ontario, and a Management Certificate from the Canadian Institute of Management. He has worked over 40 years in the malting industry, training as a maltster with Canada Malting and learning the craft of making malt while working at various malting plants on process improvement and plant automation projects. During his last 13 years with what was, at the time, GrainCorp Malt North American Operations, he held roles in operations and malting, retiring as Director of Malting and Technical Services. Bruce’s responsibilities within this role included malt production quality and shipment quality for the five GrainCorp North American malt plants, product safety, HACCP, production quality management systems, process support, and worldwide technical support for brewing customers. Prior to completion of full-time work, Bruce joined Schill Malz in Germany for two years as Director of Operations, with key responsibilities for malt quality, optimization, and management of the malting process. Bruce was a member of the new variety malt quality evaluation committees at AMBA and the BMBRI. Bruce volunteers his time with the Craft Malting Guild technical committee. He especially enjoys passing on his extensive malting knowledge to the next generation of maltsters.
Since “retirement, " Bruce has worked as a technical consultant primarily in the craft malting industry, assisting in the design of malthouses, malting training, and process optimization. During this time, he has also taken on other malting and malt-related projects.
Industry Updates
Katie Fromuth
Technical Brewing Projects Manager | Brewers Association
Katie Fromuth is an accomplished leader in the brewing industry, currently serving as the Technical Brewing Projects Manager at the Brewers
Association. With extensive experience in fermentation science and quality management, she previously held roles as the Quality Lab Director at
Colorado State University's Fermentation Science and Technology program and as the Quality Lab Manager at Oskar Blues Brewery. Katie holds a
Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Health (2012) and a Master’s of Science in Horticulture with a concentration in agricultural chemistry (2022),
focusing on beer chemical stability in different packaging types. She possesses a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and
Distilling and has completed the Advanced Class in Craft Malt Production. Additionally, she has been an instructor for the American Society of Brewing
Chemists (ASBC) Deep Dive into Quality course and actively participates in ASBC Technical Committee and Master Brewers Association of the
Americas Rocky Mountain District board activities. Katie is deeply passionate about communicating the science and art of brewing and fermentation to
inspire curiosity and joy in others within the world of fermentation.
Malting: Bringing Out the Best & Worst in Barley
Dr. Patrick Hayes
Barley Project | Oregon State University
Dr. Patrick Hayes is a Professor Emeritus of Barley Breeding and Genetics at Oregon State University. Since 1986 his research team has focused on barley, in its many forms and uses. His research has included the development of winter and facultative habit malting barley varieties; the many facets of winter hardiness; dissection of quantitative disease resistance; characterization and utilization of genetic diversity; stimulating local barley production; development of multi-use naked barley for organic and conventional systems; exploring the contributions of barley genotype to beer flavor; and barley quality assessment.
Supporting Adoption of Superior Spring Barley Varieties in Michigan
Christian Kapp
Manager/Research Assistant | Michigan State University
Christian Kapp is a dedicated research technician at MSU’s Quality Labs, based in UPREC and East Lansing. With a passion for enhancing the quality of grains, Christian plays a pivotal role in the lab's operations. His expertise lies in meticulously analyzing private and commercial grains, ensuring they meet the highest standards in terms of crude protein, germination, assortment, pre-harvest sprouts, and mycotoxins. Under Christian's guidance, the program has expanded its horizons, delving into the diverse realms of barley, including both spring and winter varieties, as well as extending its expertise to other small grains like rye and oats. His commitment to excellence and open-minded approach have not only elevated the quality of grains but have also fostered a unique atmosphere of collaboration and knowledge sharing among small
grain researchers, maltsters, and growers.
Barley Breeding and Craft Malting: Developing Mutually Beneficial Relationships for Research, Learning Opportunities, and Variety Release
Brent Manning
Co-Founder | Riverbend Malt House
Mr. Manning is one of the co-founders of Riverbend Malt House, which has been producing craft malt since 2011. He currently serves as Director of Sales and Marketing for Riverbend. He is also one of the founding members of the North American Craft Malsters Guild, serving as President from 2017-2022. He is a Certified Cicerone and Certified Specialist of Spirits.
From The Malthouse
To The Rickhouse
Mary-Jane (MJ) Maurice
Technical Advisor | Black Frost Distilling
Mary-Jane Maurice (MJ) is a long-term veteran of the malting industry. In 31 years with Malteurop, she progressed from Bench Chemist to Director of Technical Services. Mary-Jane’s proudest achievement was being the first American to be awarded the Master Maltster designation from the Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain in 2004, a title held by very few people in the world. She has taught for many different groups, including the MBAA, Siebel Institute, Northern Crops Institute, UC Davis, and breweries in Mexico, South Korea, and South Africa. Teaching has been one of the favorite parts of her career. She also has held multiple leadership roles in the American Malting Barley Association as well as the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute in Canada. MJ is currently serving as the Technical Advisor to the new Black Frost Distilling Company in New Ulm, MN.
Building a Safe & Healthy Facility for Employees & Customers
Gary McIver Jr.
CSP, Senior Safety Engineer | Cal/OSHA Consultation
Gary has 30+ years in Health and Safety: 8 years in private industry (manufacturing), 9 years as Associate Safety Engineer for Cal/OSHA –Sacramento
District Office, 6 years Cal/OSHA Region 2 Enforcement
Senior Safety Engineer, Over 1100 Cal/OSHA inspections, 300 serious accidents, and over 100 fatalities, been a Cal/OSHA Internal Trainer, 8+ years
as a Senior Safety Engineer Cal/OSHA Consultation, Public Outreach, VPPC Projects, SHARP Projects, and Technical Resources (Construction, Agriculture, and General Industry).
Industry Updates
Ashley McFarland
Vice-President and Technical Director, American Malting Barley Association; Executive Secretary, National Barley Improvement Committee
Ashley McFarland serves as the vice president and technical director for the American Malting Barley Association, a trade organization representing maltsters, brewers, and distillers working towards the betterment of the U.S. malting barley crop and associated industries. In her role, she supports communications and membership efforts, along with management of the Quality Evaluation Program, which seeks to bring improved malting barley varieties into the supply chain. She also serves as the executive secretary for the National Barley Improvement Committee that supports barley growers, researchers, and industry representatives to secure sustained funding for barley research and policies that support domestic malting barley production. Previous to AMBA, McFarland held various roles in University extension programs across four states and has worked in nonprofit executive leadership. She has a B.A. in Political Science and Environmental Studies from Central College (Pella, IA) and an M.S. in Environmental Science from Iowa State University. McFarland, along with her husband and two children, reside in Duluth, MN.
Malting and Brewing with Naked Barley
Brigid Meints
Assistant Professor (Senior Research) | Oregon State University
Brigid is an Assistant Professor (Senior Research) whose research focuses on organic barley and dry bean breeding at Oregon State University. She also spends 20% of her time with the OSU Center for Small Farms and Community Foods Systems as an Organic Grains & Pulses Extension specialist. She grew up in Corvallis, OR, and developed a love for plants at a young age. She earned a BA from Scripps College in Anthropology and Gender & Women’s Studies.
Unveiling the Role of Air Psychometrics: A Comprehensive Exploration of Moist Air's Impact on the Malting Process
Wayne Moore
Owner/Founder | Malters Advantage
Wayne is the owner and founder of Malters Advantage. As a licensed professional mechanical engineer, he brings over 35 years of manufacturing, production, and design engineering to this product line. Wayne hails from a line of Western Kansas farmers and brings this practical background into all the equipment designs. He also knows what an evil thing a grain scoop is!
Barley Breeding and Craft Malting: Developing Mutually Beneficial Relationships for Research, Learning Opportunities, and Variety Release
Campbell Morrissy
Director of Brewery Operations | pFriem Family Brewers
Campbell Morrissy has been in the brewing and distilling industry since 2011, working in facilities ranging from a small mountain town brewpub to a nationally distributed craft whiskey distillery, and currently as the Director of Brewery Operations at pFriem Family Brewers in Hood River, Oregon. Campbell received his Ph.D. from Oregon State University, where he worked under Dr. Pat Hayes in the Barley World lab. His research focused on barley genotype contribution to malt quality and malt, beer, and spirits flavor. He is passionate about continuing education and is active in various capacities with the Brewers Association and the MBAA.
Investigating the malting suitability and brewing quality of different rice cultivars
Bernardo Pontes Guimaraes
PhD Student | University of Arkansas
Bernardo Pontes Guimaraes is a graduate research assistant with a background in Chemistry. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Brasilia, focusing on the study of Brazilian hops, and worked in a Brazilian microbrewery for two years as a lab technician. Currently, he's a first-year PhD student in Food Science at the University of Arkansas under the guidance of Dr. Scott Lafontaine. His current research explores the use of rice in brewing, with a particular emphasis on flavor and aromas.
Micro-malting method within industrial batches as a simple,
non-expensive alternative
Neus Prieto-Diez Ph.D.
Production Manager/Maltería La Moravia | Damm Group
During my degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics I realized that I was passionate about food science and technology, both research and innovation. After completing a master's degree in research, I was offered the opportunity to do an industrial doctorate to study the influence of the barley variety and crop year on malt, wort, and beer properties. At that time, I knew absolutely nothing about the subject, and I still had a lot to learn. For almost three years now, I have been production and environment manager and deputy plant manager at Maltería La Moravia, Damm Group.
Using Machine Learning to Combat Climate Change in Malting Barley
Maany Ramanan
PhD candidate at UC Davis - COE/Founder | Thinai
Maany is the founder and CEO of Thinai, an ML-based quality prediction platform aimed at maltsters and brewers. She is currently researching how climate change impacts the quality of malting barley at UC Davis. She is passionate about helping the malting industry to diversify sourcing and proactively tackle climate change in the years to come. Maany’s drive for founding Thinai comes from her Indian farming roots, her 7-year Aussie food industry experience, and her vision to use technology to solve for low quality in specialty crops. She is a firm believer of AMBA’s catchphrase ‘No barley no beer’.
Barley Breeding and Craft Malting: Developing Mutually Beneficial Relationships for Research, Learning Opportunities, and Variety Release
Nicholas Santantonio
Lead of the small grains breeding & genetics program | Virginia Tech
Nicholas Santantonio is the lead of the small grains breeding and genetics program at Virginia Tech. His research team focuses on integrating the latest genotyping and phenotyping technologies to accelerate genetic improvement for new and changing environments. The breeding program aims to develop high-yielding, disease-resistant barley cultivars adapted to the mid-Atlantic and southeastern US region and with qualities designed for malt, feed, and food. Recently retired barley breeder, Mr. Wynse Brooks, initiated development of two and six-row winter malt barley cultivars adapted to the Eastern U.S. in 2010. We are currently expanding malting barley development through collaborations in the U.S. and Europe. Our first winter malt barley variety, ‘Avalon’, was released in 2020, and is slated to be added to the AMBA approved reccommended malt barley variety list in 2024. The fully populated breeding pipeline is now able to deliver new malt barley seed products adapted to the Eastern US growing conditions on a regular basis.
Kernza Unleashed:
The Potential of Perennials
Brandon Schlautman
Co-Founder | Sustain-A-Grain
Brandon Schlautman, a farmer and trained plant scientist, co-founded Sustain-A-Grain in 2018 alongside a fellow farmer friend, Brandon Kaufman. Together, they identified Kernza® perennial grain as a simple and practical opportunity to achieve their economic and productivity goals while simultaneously addressing soil conservation with the same crop - a compelling alternative to needing to plant both income-producing cash crops and non-income-producing cover crops to achieve the same goals.
Barley Breeding and Craft Malting: Developing Mutually Beneficial Relationships for Research, Learning Opportunities, and Variety Release
Ron Silberstein
Co-Founder | Admiral Maltings
Ron Silberstein co-founded Admiral Maltings in June 2017. Admiral Maltings produces freshly kilned malt using traditional floor-malting methods and sustainably grown (organic or no-till), California-sourced grain. Prior to Admiral Maltings, Ron opened ThirstyBear Organic Brewery In 1996 as its founding brew-master. During his almost three-decade stint operating ThirstyBear, Ron co-created the San Francisco Brewers Guild and sat on its board of directors for many years. Before his career in brewing and malting, Ron was a practicing immigration attorney in San Francisco.
From Lot Number to a Food Safety Plan
Andrea Stanley
Co-Owner | Valley Malt
Andrea Stanley is the co-owner of Valley Malt, a Craft Malthouse in Western Mass, supplying Craft Brewers, Distillers, and Bakers with locally grown malts and grain since 2009. Valley Malt's mission has been to 'bring the malthouse back, allowing for a regional supply chain to form and grow for over 14 years. This mission has led to the development of Northeast varieties that are providing a "taste of place" and provide Northeast Farms with a stable market to grow cover crops such as barley, wheat, rye, and oats. In 2013, Andrea was a founding member of the Craft Malt Guild and served as their first Board Chair.
Tasked with Terroir
Hannah Turner
Director Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab | Montana State University
Hannah Turner is the Director of the Montana State University Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab, which services the MSU Barley Breeding Program and industry through research, outreach, and education. Her lab provides thousands of barley, malt, and beverage data points each year for MSU and craft maltsters worldwide. She has degrees in Environmental Horticulture and Plant Science, with her M.S. focusing on the genetic control of starch production in cereals. Hannah works closely with the Guild via the Educational Committee, as well as serving on the ASBC Technical Committee, chairing the ASBC’s Malt Subcommittee, and serving on the board for the Montana Brewers Association.
Industry Updates
Michael Walker
Policy Advisor | American Craft Spirits Association
Michael Walker brings over 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors. Michael currently serves as Founding Principal at the Walker Group helping organizations navigate the dynamic beverage alcohol policy landscape at all levels of government.
Prior to launching The Walker Group in 2022, Michael was Vice President for External Affairs at Constellation Brands based in San Francisco. He supported the wine and spirits division, but also worked across the business to help the beer division address policy issues that arose in key state markets. In this role, Michael advised company leadership on proposed legislation and regulations that could impact the business as well as initiated action plans to drive policy agendas to help the company realize its goals and objectives.
Prior to his work at Constellation, Michael served 8 years with US Senator Dianne Feinstein, advising her on various policy issues throughout the state, making recommendations for action as well as serving as primary contact for policymakers, community leaders, and industry representatives in Northern California.
Michael worked in the United States Department of Health and Human Services while going to graduate school. He received a Masters in Public Policy from American University in Washington, DC in 1999.
Michael has served on boards and committees of various national industry associations including Wine Institute, WineAmerica, the Distilled Spirits Council, the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance as well as regional associations and other organizations focusing on local land-use issues.
Sustainable Malting
Dr. Xiang Yin
Corporate Quality & Innovation | Boortmalt
Xiang S. Yin is Vice President for Corporate Quality and Innovation at the Rahr Corporation in Minnesota, where he plans, implements, and leads applied research and development activities and quality and technical services for malting operations.
Yin has more than 20 years of strategic development and working experience worldwide, including Canada, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He is a Fellow of IBD and a Past President of ASBC. He recently authored Malt, the first book in the new ASBC series Practical Brewing Science, which is an initiative to provide readers with updated understanding and knowledge in various disciplines associated with the science of beer.
