As an academic who researches and writes about the brewing industry, I give a lot of presentations at academic conferences. The vast majority of these take place either in a hotel (common in North America) or on a university campus (common in Asia, Europe, and Latin America). Occasionally, however, I give a presentation about the brewing industry in a brewery. Last year was a good one in that respect. I gave a total of four presentations in three different breweries – Quenched and Tempered Brewing Co. in Toledo, OH (two presentations), Hostinec Brewery in Košice, Slovakia, and Dargett Brewpub in Yerevan, Armenia.

Talking about the brewing industry while standing in a brewery has a number of advantages over giving a presentation in a non-brewery setting. For example, it is not uncommon for the fermentation tanks to be in full view, transforming what otherwise might be a fairly standard presentation into an experiential occasion. Also, there is always a member of the brewery staff (often the owner and/or master brewer) on hand to provide his/her insights on the industry, to tell the story of his/her brewery, and/or to lead the audience through a tasting of some of the brewery’s beers.

Those working in the craft brewing industry are amazingly passionate and generous individuals. They love to talk about the industry and to share their own personal journey from home brewer to the proud owner of a commercial brewery. Their passion is most apparent when they are leading the audience through a tasting of their beer. About a week before Christmas, I gave a presentation on the history of Christmas Ales at Quenched and Tempered (Q&T) Brewing Co. in my home city, Toledo. After my presentation, audience members were given a sample of the beer Q&T had brewed for the holiday season – a Belgian Quad, which weighed in at an impressive 11.2% ABV. As the samples were being distributed and enjoyed, brewery owner and brewmaster, Alex Drozdowicz, shared his inspiration for the brew, as well as talk about the brewing process and the beer’s ingredients, which included cinnamon, clove, cardamom, cranberry, and orange peel. There is no question that my presentation was enhanced by the brewery setting , the opportunity to sample the brewery’s beer, and to hear Alex share his passion and knowledge.

In 2024, I also gave presentations at Hostinec Brewery in Košice, Slovakia, and Dargett Brewpub in Yerevan, Armenia. Both of these presentations were given as part of conferences I was attending. The idea was to combine an evening of local beer and food with a short educational program about some aspect of the brewing industry.

At Hostinec Brewery, I spoke about the origins of the craft beer revolution, after which brewery owner Peter Škripko talked about the history of the brewery and led attendees through a tasting of four of his beers. After the tasting, we were given a tour of Hostinec’s production space and the opportunity to sample more beer straight from the fermentation tanks.

At Dargett Brewpub in Yerevan, Armenia I gave a short presentation on the globalization and fragmentation trends that had been sweeping through and changing the face of the global brewing industry since the mid-1980s. After my presentation, Inna Khostikyan, Executive Director of Dargett Brewery spoke about Dargett and its emergence as a major player in the Armenian craft beer market. Inna fielded a number of questions from conference attendees, providing them with a unique insider’s view of the craft brewing industry in Armenia.

Craft breweries are examples of what Conrad Kickert of the School of Architecture and Planning at the State University of New York in Buffalo refers to as “maker ecosystems”, which are characterized by “shared production, education, distribution and sales facilities”. In other words, craft breweries are so much more than just places where beer is produced and where people go to drink beer. They are often multi-functonal community spaces where everything from yoga classes to book clubs, to educational programing takes place. This makes them invaluable assets to the communities within which they are embedded

Next month, I’ll be back at Quenched and Tempered Brewing Co., here in Toledo where I will be talking about St. Patrick and the history of Irish brewing. The brewmaster, Alex, will have his Irish Red Ale on tap and I am sure that folks will enjoy learning about the brewing process and the malts and hops that give it its unique aroma and flavor.