ASBC Newsletter

In 1992, during the closing banquet of the BCOA, incoming ASBC President Peter Gales suggested that the ASBC and MBAA consider a World Brewing Congress 2000 to commemorate the new millennium. Two years passed, and one would have thought that no one remembered the comments made—that is, until the 1994 ASBC President Jim Munroe and MBAA President Joe Hertrich formed a loose relationship to look into the reality of a WBC 2000. I doubt that either expected at the time that they were it! The rest is history.

Thanks to the "Beer Boys" (Jim and Joe), the "Tech Guys" (Dirk and Finn), and the professional meeting planning staff from St. Paul, we just experienced a world-class event, in a world-class location, attended by brewers, scientists, engineers, and vendors from all over the world, covering all aspects of the brewing, malting, and hops industries. Eight years after the idea was first vocalized, it was rewarding to see ASBC President David Ryder, MBAA President Hugo Patino, EBC President Esko Pajunen, BCOJ President Masahito Nakagawa, and IoB President Adrian Gardner at the head table of the WBC 2000 closing banquet. The meeting, and especially the banquet, made me think of the words of the Disney millennium song: "Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand."

How appropriate as well that Dave Ryder completed his term as ASBC president at this event! Those of us who have known and worked with David all these years in the ASBC remember that when he was program chairman in 1992, everything was "magic." Certainly the WBC 2000 held in the World of Disney fulfilled David’s expectations of "magic." Thank you, David, on behalf of the membership, for your leadership and efforts within the Society, not only this year but for all past and future years.

Yes, the ASBC gavel was passed, quietly, in Ryder’s suite just before the banquet. I’d like to thank the membership for the opportunity to serve. I can only promise to do a good job and have fun. When I realized that I would assume office at the WBC (informally), I figured it was an omen—neither you nor I would be subjected to an acceptance speech, and some member out there would not win any money. So sorry.

We are making plans for the future. The Strategic Plan is in place and is constantly being altered to fit the needs of our industries. Two new committees have been created: the Emerging Industry Issues Committee, with Greg Casey as chairman, and the Professional Development Committee, with Charlie Bamforth as chairman. In the first, we hope to be proactive in identifying and combating issues that can adversely affect our industry, and in the second we hope to partner with the MBAA in offering seminars and courses that would benefit the members of both organizations by demonstrating areas of mutual interest and problem solving. I hope to bring you more information in the next issue.

Many messages were echoed at the WBC 2000. One reoccurring theme centered on the benefits of drinking beer. As pointed out, in one form or another, beer has been part of human culture for over 4,000 years and for all but 50 was considered a healthy drink at that. I’d suggest that each of us adopt the toast "To Your Health" as a reaffirmation of the quality of our products as we "Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand."

Profiles of the Editors

N. Margaret Morrison received a B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of Alberta in Edmonton. She worked as a medical technician for six years before joining Sick’s Lethbridge Brewery as plant chemist. Two years later, the plant was one of five purchased by Molson Breweries. After 14 years at the Lethbridge Brewery, she transferred to Molson’s Central Quality Control and Research Laboratory in Montreal, moving to Mississauga when the Molson Technical Centre opened. During her 19 years in the Central Lab and Technical Centre, she worked in many departments and held several positions. She was manager of Technical Services at the time of her retirement in 1990. Morrison has been a member of ASBC since 1966. She served three years on the Board of Directors as chair of the Editorial Committee (now Publications Committee). She was chair of the Technical Subcommittee on Revised Methods of Diacetyl Analysis and a member of several other subcommittees. As a member of the Program Committee, she coordinated the poster sessions. Morrison played an active part in both BCOA’S, first as ASBC representative on the joint publications committee, then as ASBC cochair of the poster presentations. She is now editor of the ASBC Methods of Analysis.

Charles W. Bamforth, new editor-in chief of the Journal, became the first Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Brewing Science at the University of California, at Davis, in February 1999.

Bamforth joined the brewing industry in 1978 at the Brewing Research Foundation in Nutfield, England. Having progressed to principal scientist, he joined Bass in Burton-on-Trent in 1983 and became their research manager 10 months later. In 1988, he moved to Bass’s Preston Brook Brewery to gain production site experience as the quality assurance manager. He returned to Brewing Research Foundation in 1991 as head of research and was part of the management team that guided BRF into BRF International. In 1997, he took charge of their marketing activity as deputy director-general.

Bamforth is visiting professor of brewing at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. He is a fellow of the Institute of Brewing and of the Institute of Biology. He is one of the very few people in the brewing industry holding the prestigious D.Sc. degree.

Bamforth is a member of the editorial boards of the Technical Quarterly of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, the Journal of the Institute of Brewing, and Biotechnology Letters. Last year he was chair of the ASBC Publications Committee.

In 1998, his most recent book, Beer: Tap into the Art and Science of Brewing, was published. He has written weekly articles on soccer for 15 years.

Suzanne Y. Thompson is the new editor of the Newsletter. She is sensory manager at Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI. She has 20 years of sensory experience in the brewing industry. At Miller, she is responsible for establishing and administering company-wide sensory programs that include descriptive panels, quality assurance panels, and consumer panels. Thompson received a B.S. degree in food science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She served the ASBC as secretary from 1996 to 1998, has been a technical subcommittee chair, and has participated on several sensory subcommittees. In addition to ASBC, Thompson is a member of IFT and ASTM.

Kenneth A. Berg is the new Internet editor. He received a B.A. degree cum laude in biology from Cornell University in 1976 and a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from Brandeis University in 1982. After a two-year postdoctoral appointment at North Carolina State University in the chemistry department, he joined Lee Scientific as a senior biochemist. In 1985, he joined the PQ Corporation, where he is currently a research fellow in the Food and Beverage Group of the Specialty Chemicals Division. His responsibilities include developing new beer chillproofing and processing agents, developing applications for selective adsorbents for other food-processing applications, automating experiments using small computers, and designing production simulations and assays utilizing anaerobic technology. Berg is a member of ASBC, MBAA, and ACS.

ASBC Committee Reports

TREASURER’S REPORT
For the fiscal year ending Mar. 31, 2000, we had a net operating loss of $43,275 from income of $389,135 and expenses of $432,411.

The audited balance sheet reflects total assets of $585,881 and liabilities of $617,684, less operating reserve of $334,209. Membership equity and operating reserve ended the year at $302,406. Active members increased by 60, and corporate members had a net increase of three (3). The Annual Meeting in Phoenix showed a net loss of $20,825.

For the first quarter, ending June 30, 2000, the net operating loss is $7,628, $2,259 better than budgeted. The balance sheet reflects total assets of $1,017,107, liabilities of $1,056,538, less operating reserve of $346,128. Membership equity and operating reserve ended the period at $306,698, an increase of $4,292.

ASBC Journal
The four issues of the Journal in 2000 comprise seven papers in 58(1), six papers and one research note in 58(2), seven papers in 58(3), and seven papers in 58(4). The first (and, so far, only!) millennium review is among them. Six papers are in the revision stage, and a further eight are out for review.

After almost four years in the role, Dr. Peter Freeman stepped down from the position of editor-in-chief of the Journal in April. We thank him for the outstanding job he has done. His successor is Charlie Bamforth.

Methods of Analysis
A preliminary draft of "Guidelines for the ASBC Editor of the Methods of Analysis" was prepared in February 2000. The final version will have to wait until another supplement has been issued to ensure that nothing of importance has been forgotten. The nine-page (computer printout) guideline covers three areas: Methods of Analysis style, editing journal printing, and editing galleys for a supplement.

Two subcommittee reports were approved in 1999 for inclusion in Methods of Analysis. Because multiple materials were studied in one of the collaborations, these will produce three methods. At this writing, the number of methods approved in 2000 is unknown.

The question of the frequency of supplement publication—i.e., determined by a set number of years or the amount of material available—has not been addressed. Nor has a decision been made as to the enlargement of the Cans section or the review or revision of methods that have not been assessed since the 1970s.

ASBC Newsletter
Since the last report to the Board of Directors in February, one issue of the Newsletter has been published (Vol. 60, No. 2). In that issue, the program for WBC 2000 was included, along with abstracts for both oral and poster presentations and the report of the ASBC Nominating Committee.

Information for the next issue (which includes reports of the various ASBC committees) is due just after WBC, on Aug. 16.

Internet
Journal. Our first priority for the web site is to get the Journal online in full text and searchable. Volumes 57 (1999) and 58 (2000) of the Journal are currently online with full text. We are in the process of putting the 1998 issue articles online and expect to have that completed by the end of July. Years 1995–1997 are expected to be online by the end of the year. As of yet, there is no password protection for the Journal; this also will need to be in place by the end of the year. We will issue a login and password (required to access the Journal) to each member of ASBC. This will be updated weekly as new members join or as members drop out.

E-commerce. Our second priority is e-commerce. This is the ability to accept online credit card purchases of all those things we sell, e.g., starch, malt and hop standards, books, hats, memberships, etc. Once we have Methods of Analysis and the Journal on-line we will also want the ability to sell individual articles and methods. The St. Paul staff is working on this type of commerce for AACC and APS, with an expected completion near the end of 2000. If we wait until then, which the Internet editor recommends, our costs will be significantly lower because the other societies will have paid for the development of the infrastructure.

Methods. No progress was been made on a methods demo. AACC has methods online which the Internet editor will be reviewing, with the idea that they may suffice for a demo.

New Appointments
Now that I have assumed the role of editor-in-chief of the Journal, it is necessary that I step down as chairman of the Publications Committee.

Additionally there is a need for a successor to Karen DeVries as Newsletter editor. We thank her for the excellent work she has put into this role.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT
The committee for this year was represented by David Hysert, chair; David Thomas; Bruce Sebree; Rob McCaig; and Jim Munroe. Nominees for the 2000–2001 Board of Directors are Rob Maruyama for president-elect, Dirk Bendiak for vice-president, and Tim Kostelecky for secretary. Because of the WBC 2000, the usual annual meeting at which we elect our new officers was not held. Therefore, as allowed by the constitution and by-laws, the Board of Directors decided for election by mail ballot. The above slate of officers was elected by the mail ballot.

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS COMMITTEE REPORT
The committee for this year was represented by David Hysert, chair; David Thomas; Bruce Sebree; Rob McCaig; and Sherman Chan. No changes to the constitution and by-laws were recommended.

1999–2000 Technical Committee
The chairs of the Technical Committee and subcommittees met Fri., July 28, 2000, in Orlando (just before the Board meeting) to review the 1999–2000 subcommittee reports. In addition to the three standing subcommittees (Coordination of New and Alternate Methods of Analysis, Soluble Starch, and International Methods), the 1999–2000 program included four continuing subcommittees (Selective Measurement of Acetohydroxy Acid Precursors of Vicinal Diketones, Beer Color Using Tristimulus Analysis, Surface Hygiene Testing Using ATP Bioluminescence, and Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction for Determination of Hop Essential Oils) and three new subcommittees: (Malt Grind by Standard Sieve Test, Determination of DMS Precursors in Malt by Headspace GC with Application of Nitrogen Purging of Extracts, and Citrate-Buffered Methylene Violet Stain for Yeast Viability).

ASBC Check Services
Bahram Grami, analytical services manager for ASBC, provided a detailed report of efforts to improve the Check Service program, including proficiency testing/rating, certificates, and awards. Four beer check samples per year instead of two will be offered. There was also a proposal to offer a water check service, which will be investigated; however, a yeast or microbiological check service would probably prove very difficult to administer. The St. Paul staff is ready to sell all four isomerized hop alpha-acids standards as soon as the standards are ready.

1999-2000 ASBC Subcommittee Reports
A complete set of finalized 1999–2000 ASBC reports will be mailed to the St. Paul office (paper and disk sets) as soon as final corrections are made for inclusion in an upcoming Journal issue.

2000–2001 ASBC Technical Committee
Chuck Cairns has agreed to serve on the Technical Committee, starting this year, in order to emphasize packaging testing. Jim Murphey has agreed to serve as Technical Committee Chair since I have left the brewing industry. David Maradyn has also agreed to join the Technical Committee and serve for the next three years.

At the ASBC Technical Committee meeting (seated, left to right): Steve Nyarady (outgoing chair), Cindy-Lou Dull (who was unable to attend but is represented by her cell phone), and Dirk Bendiak. Standing: Kazutaka Ozaki (BCOJ), Koichi Harayama (BCOJ), Chuck Carns, Paul Schwarz, Claes G. Johansson (EBC), and Jim Murphey (incoming chair).

AACC LIAISON REPORT
The American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) continues efforts to address changes in private and public sectors of the cereal community. Committees are being streamlined through mergers, elimination, and repositioning. Increases in communication venues are being utilized to increase the coordination between committees. For example, the Biotechnology Division worked with the Approved Methods Committee to form a new technical committee to address analytical methodology and other issues related to biotechnology.

The annual meeting often is the highlight for most members of a scientific society. "Innovation" was the theme for the 1999 Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA. New this year were moderated "forums" for selected poster presentations. These hour-long sessions involved brief talks by several poster presenters followed by a discussion involving a moderator, the presenters, and the audience.

The new version of the Approved Methods was released in Mar. 2000. Subscribers now have the option of print, CD-ROM, and online versions of this publication. Electronic technology has also affected the society’s technical journal, Cereal Chemistry. The journal is available online, and the review process for manuscripts is going "electronic" to shorten publication times. By 2005, Cereal Chemistry will be available only electronically.

AACC continues to look for partnerships with other scientific societies regarding activities of mutual benefit. These areas include joint symposia, leadership training, new educational models, electronic journal licensing, and promotion of products and services.

ALAFACE LIAISON REPORT
The 28th Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors was held in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Nov. 29, 1999. The meeting was focused on the topics "Globalization," "Ecology," and "Poverty," with the following subtopics: Competitive Reorientation, More Social Technology for the 21st Century, and ALAFACE—An Association That Knows No Frontier.

In accordance with the publication schedule approved for MEBAK en Español, the translated first volume of MEBAK, dealing specially with the methods of analysis for water, barley, adjuncts, malt, and hops, originally edited in German in Center Europe, was baptized with beer during the meeting. The translated third volume will be presented at the 21st convention of ALAFACE, while the fourth volume will be baptized during the Third Technical Congress of the Association.

The next Annual Convention will be held in Cartagena, Colombia, Sept. 12–16, 2000. The Third Technical Congress is scheduled for April 2001 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

AMBA LIAISON REPORT
The American Malting Barley Association, Inc. (AMBA), a nonprofit trade association, is pleased to report that the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has joined the organization. The following companies are members of AMBA: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; Briess Malting Co.; Froedtert Malt; Great Western Malting Co.; Ladish Malting Co.; Latrobe Brewing Co.; Miller Brewing Co.; Minnesota Malting Co.; Rahr Malting Co.; and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. In a time of increasing international consolidation and cooperation in our industry, AMBA is working to improve its collaborations throughout the world to assist efforts to ensure an adequate supply of high-quality malting barley for the malting and brewing industry. We seek to improve liaison with existing entities that share this mission, as we have done with the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute of Canada, and envision further collaborations, coalitions, or formation of new broad-based entities throughout the Americas and the world to meet this objective. AMBA welcomes the membership of any company that wishes to play a part in helping to develop and maintain a supply of economically available high-quality malting barley that meets each member company’s needs.

The core of AMBA's research program is applied barley breeding and related support programs in disease resistance development and quality evaluation, as well as basic biochemistry and molecular biology research. The basic research program is designed to take advantage of new developments in biotechnology (e.g., gene mapping), so that they can be applied to barley variety development. This year, AMBA made direct grants totaling $650,000 to federal and state institutions involved in malting barley research.

AMBA continues its efforts to help maintain a strong public-sector barley research infrastructure through direct research funding and its leadership of coalition groups, such as the National Barley Improvement Committee. AMBA and its allies have successfully encouraged Congress to substantially increase funding at various USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facilities conducting barley research and in obtaining increased funding for federal research grant programs, including the North American Barley Genome Mapping Project and National Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative. In the last two years, AMBA has helped bring about total federal funding of about $2.8 million to barley researchers collaborating with AMBA.

The goal of AMBA’s variety development program is to find replacements for currently grown varieties in the upper Midwest and West that provide higher yields for growers and desired quality for our industry. Conlon, a two-row developed at North Dakota State University, has completed two years of satisfactory plant-scale malting and brewing evaluations with the 1998 and 1999 crops and has been added to AMBA’s list of recommended malting barley varieties, the first Midwest two-row variety to make the list. Three promising six-row varieties are undergoing plant-scale malting and brewing evaluation. They are Drummond (ND15477), a six-row developed at North Dakota State University; Lacey (M98), a six-row developed at the University of Minnesota; and B2978, a six-row developed by Busch Agricultural Resources, Inc. A two-row variety, Garnett, developed by the USDA-ARS, Aberdeen, ID, and adapted to western production areas, has produced satisfactory results in plant-scale evaluation and has the potential to become an AMBA recommended variety. Visit our Web site at http://www.AMBAinc.org for more information on AMBA and barley.

AOAC INTERNATIONAL LIAISON REPORT
No new ASBC collaboratives were submitted to AOAC International during the past year.

The 17th edition of the Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) was published in June 2000. During the editing of Method 997.09 (Nitrogen in Beer, Wort and Brewing Grains; ASBC-AOAC Method; by Combustion), it was discovered that a source for the check standard "nicotinic acid p-toluene sulfonate (NTS)" was not specified. The NTS "QC check" standard was added at the request of the AOAC Official Methods Board in 1997 as a midpoint check for the EDTA standard. It was not included in the original ASBC methods (Beer-11B, Barley-7C). The source for the NTS is Hach Company.

AOAC International will meet in September 2000 in Philadelphia. At that time, it will be appropriate to submit any new ASBC collaboratives for inclusion in the OMA.

BCOJ LIAISON REPORT
Koichi Harayama began his first year as Analysis Committee chairman of the BCOJ in 2000. His term will extend through 2003.

In 1999–2000, the BCOJ collaboratively tested two methods. The first was Determination of VDK in Beer by Headspace Capillary Gas Chromatography. The subcommittee of nine laboratories repeated the collaborative study on a modified IoB method using a capillary column. Repeatability coefficients of variation and reproducibility coefficients of variation were unacceptable. The collaborative work was completed, with no plans to repeat the collaborative.

The second method was Determination of High Molecular Weight beta-Glucan in Malt by Post-Column Calcofluor Flow Injection Analysis. The collaborative evaluated the post-column Calcofluor flow injection analysis method for the determination of beta-glucan in malt by eight collaborators. Repeatability coefficients of variation and reproducibility coefficients of variation were acceptable. This method was included in Methods of Analysis of BCOJ. The collaborative work was completed.

BMBRI LIAISON REPORT
The Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute (BMBRI) continues to evolve. In March 2000, Erin Armstrong assumed the position of president and CEO of the organization, replacing Peter Freeman, who had been interim managing director since March 1999. The mandate of the BMBRI remains unchanged—to support the development and evaluation of new malting barley varieties in Canada that will meet the needs of the industry. This is accomplished through funding of research projects into end-use quality traits, coordination of evaluation trials of new malting barley varieties by industry members, and participation in the variety registration system. The BMBRI also provides information to breeders, researchers, and producers about quality traits of importance to the industry and contributes to Recommended Malting Barley Varieties, the annual list that is produced by the Malting Barley Industry Group. Interest in the development of Canadian malting barley varieties is increasing, along with their extensive use internationally both as malt and as barley.

While there have been significant changes to the variety registration system in western Canada in recent years, with more change anticipated, the need to evaluate the malting and brewing quality of new varieties remains unchanged. Through its membership, the BMBRI is evaluating a greater number of new lines than ever. With the switch in production several years ago from blue-aleurone to white-aleurone six-row varieties, Canadian breeding programs needed to refocus their selections. The outcome of this effort is now in the pipeline, with more six-row varieties than two-row varieties in the collaborative trials (pilot-scale evaluation) this year for the first time in many years.

Commercial barley production is showing an ever-increasing amount of the new varieties introduced over the past couple of years—AC Metcalfe, CDC Stratus, CDC Kendall, and CDC Sisler. These varieties are gradually gaining acceptance, both domestically and in export markets.

The current membership of the BMBRI includes Canada Malting Co., Ltd.; Dominion Malting Ltd.; Prairie Malt Ltd.; Westcan Malting Ltd.; Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd.; Molson Canada, Moosehead Breweries Ltd.; and Sleeman Breweries Ltd. Anheuser-Busch Inc. is in the process of joining the association.

COBRACEM LIAISON REPORT
The new board of directors was elected on Aug. 21, 1999. They are president, Carlos Ernesto Welsch; vice-president, Norberto J. Roth; financial director, Rui Gil C. Garcia; administrative director, Otto S. Dummer; cultural director, Gustavo H. P. de Miranda; and communications director, Walter Harada. New elections will be held in 2001.

On Mar. 24–26, the Third Regional Technical Symposium was held at the SENAI Institute in Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro. Initially planned for 50 attendees, the event was a success—more than 60 came. In order to facilitate attendance for more people, we decided that future events should last only one day. The result was immediate, and we are expecting 75 attendee for our fourth symposium on Aug. 26 at Brewtech, Rio de Janeiro.

Following global tendencies, BRASIL BRAU 2001 (March 21–23, 2001) is going through significant changes. First, it is returning to the Rio-São Paulo area, which contains the country’s biggest concentration of breweries. Furthermore, the meeting is being set up to be a place for realizing business transactions.

Changes extend to the congress as well. Each day will have a different and specific theme, optimizing attendance for those who cannot participate at all the presentations. This way, the participants will have the option of registering specifically on the day(s) of his or her interest, leaving the afternoon open to visit the trade show and the market novelties shown at it.

Finally, there are big expectations concerning the participation of new segments such as mineral water, soft drinks, wines, and isotonic beverages. All this has one big goal in mind: your business’s success. For further information on this event, please access the site of the organizer at www.espacodeeventos.com.br or call 55 41 3435583 or 55 41 3427900.

Last, but not least, our COBRACEM Internet site will be online soon at www.cobracem.org.br. Check it out!

EBC LIAISON REPORT
Claes-Goran Johannson completed his first year as Analysis Committee chairman of the EBC in 2000. We look forward to continuing the relationship between the two organizations and cooperative harmonization of international methods.

The EBC was actively involved in the ASBC/EBC Joint Committee on ICE-2 evaluation and testing. The AHA continues to monitor the stability of ICE-2. ASBC and EBC were both actively involved with the Hop Standard Subcommittee and the International Subcommittee for Isomerized Hop Iso-alpha-Acids Standards. These standards are almost ready for distribution and sale.

HOP RESEARCH COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT
The mission of the Hop Research Council (HRC) continues to be to solicit and provide funds for scientific investigation and research related to the agricultural production and quality of hops in the United States. The current HRC membership comprises five brewers, five hop dealers, and three hop commissions representing the hop growers in each of the hop-growing states, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. This HRC membership is down significantly from last year due to consolidation in the brewing and hops industries, and further losses are certain. Efforts are being made to attract new members, particularly major users of U.S. hops in the international brewing community.

The HRC’s on-going research program comprises breeding, including cultivar development, genetics, and physiology; hop chemistry, including analytical services and the chemistry of hop constituents that influence the flavor and physical properties of beer; virus and fungal diseases; control of aphids, mites, and other insects; and plant protection, including coordination of data for registration of pesticides.

On-going research projects include breeding for high yield and high alpha-acid levels; analytical chemistry in support of the hop breeding programs; chemistry of hop polyphenols; studying the potential cancer-chemoprotective activity of hop flavonoids; studying fungal and viral diseases of hops and their control; management of hop powdery mildew; integrated pest management of insects and mites on hops; and registration of safe and effective pesticides for use in hops.

The current HRC officers are president, Leen Verhagen, Heineken NV; vice-president, Gerard Lemmens, Yakima Chief, Inc.; treasurer, Kevin Riel, Washington Hop Commission; and secretary, Dennis Bakos, HopUnion USA.

The 2000 winter meeting of the HRC was held Jan. 17–19 in Las Vegas, NV. The 2000 summer meeting was held July 27 and 28 in Coeur d’Alene, ID.

IoB LIAISON REPORT
Richard Sharpe began his first year as international liaison for the Institute of Brewing (IoB) in 1999.

Brewing Research Institute (BRI) was well represented at the WBC in Orlando Florida; however, Richard was unable to attend. IoB involvement in ASBC collaboratives continues to increase, which is of great benefit to both societies.

LOCAL SECTIONS REPORT
Section 1—New York. Membership is at four, including one national member. Two meetings were held in 1999/2000, both jointly with the MBAA. Plans continue to increase interest in the local section from within the AB-Newark brewery and from at least one local vendor.

Section 2—St. Louis. Membership is at 156, including 53 national members and 12 retired members. Seven meetings and two social events were held in 1999/2000, one as a joint meeting with the MBAA. Three meetings were held at local microbreweries.

Section 3—North Central. Membership is at 52, including 16 national members and 12 retired members. Four meetings were held in 1999/2000, all jointly with the MBAA.

Section 4—Milwaukee/Chicago. Membership is at 41. Four meetings and a family night at the ballgame were held in 1999/2000, two meetings jointly with the MBAA.

Section 7—Northwest. Membership is at 26, including 14 national members and five retired members. Two meetings were held in 1999/2000, both jointly with the MBAA. The local section is committed to increasing membership from within the local district MBAA.

Section 8—Wild West. Membership is at 60, including 25 national members and 0 retired (they’re too young). Three meetings were held in 1999/2000, one as a joint meeting with the MBAA. One meeting was a joint meeting with the Rocky Mountain Micro-Brewing Symposium, a good chance for ASBC exposure. The section admits that some of the momentum has been lost this past year but has hopes of regaining it.

In summary, three of the six reporting local sections hold their meetings with their local MBAA districts and gain from this relationship. None of the local sections expressed any desire to change the way they operate and seem to enjoy their way of doing business. Most seem to have some trouble getting officers, as noted by the lack of change from year to year.

Winners of the Eric Kneen Award
for 2000 Announced

This year’s winners of the Eric Kneen Memorial Award are J. P. Maye, S. Mulqueen, S. Weis, J. Xu, and M. Priest. They received the award for their article, "Preparation of Isomerized alpha-Acid Standards for HPLC Analysis of Iso-alpha-Acids, rho-Iso-alpha-Acids, Tetrahydro-Iso-alpha-Acids, and Hexahydro-Iso-alpha-Acids," which was published in the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, Vol. 57(2):55-59.

John Paul Maye, technical director for Haas Hop Products, Inc., a subsidiary of John I Haas, Inc., received a B.S. degree in chemistry from Northeastern University in 1988 and a Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry from Purdue University in 1994. In 1993, Maye began his hop research experience with Pfizer’s Brewery Ingredients Division, which was acquired by John I Haas, Inc., in 1997. Over the past seven years, Maye has been responsible for managing the research and development activities of Haas Hop Products. Maye has been an ASBC member since 1994. He has been a member of the Editorial Board and a reviewer for the Journal. He is currently a member of the Program Committee.

Susan Mulqueen received an associate degree from Milwaukee Area Technical College in 1978, after which she joined the quality control group of Pfizer’s Food Science Division. She was promoted to the research and development group of the Brewery Ingredients Division in 1980. Over the past 20 years, Mulqueen has devoted her time to methods development and the analysis of hop products. She is now senior laboratory technician for Haas Hop Products, Inc.

Scot Weis, laboratory technician at Haas Hop Products, Inc., received an associate degree from Milwaukee Area Technical College and then began his hop research career with the Brewery Ingredients Division of Pfizer. For 18 years, he has been involved with hop analysis, process improvement, and product development activities. Weis is currently employed at Cedarburg Pharmaceuticals as a research and development chemist.

Jianping Xu, development chemist with Haas Hop Products, earned a B.S. degree in organic chemistry from Nanjing University (Nanjing, P. R. China) in 1982 and an M.S. degree in organic chemistry from Michigan Technological University in 1995. Xu joined Pfizer’s Brewery Ingredients in 1995. His current responsibilities include product development. He is an ACS member.

Matt Priest received his B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 1971. He attended The Johns Hopkins University, where he was awarded a Ph.D. degree in 1976. After a year of postdoctoral study at the University of Pittsburgh, he joined Ash Stevens Inc. as a research chemist. In this position, he worked on process development of experimental drugs and pharmaceutical intermediates. In 1986, Priest joined Pfizer as a senior development chemist in Milwaukee, WI. While at Milwaukee, he worked on process development for hop products. He is currently engaged in development of bulk pharmaceutical products with Pfizer in Groton, CT.

2000 J. P. Maye, S. Mulqueen, S. Weis, J. Xu, and M. Priest. Preparation of Isomerized alpha-Acid Standards for HPLC Analysis of Iso-alpha-Acids, rho-Iso-alpha-Acids, Tetrahydro-Iso-alpha-Acids, and Hexahydro-Iso-alpha-Acids. JASBC Vol. 57, No. 2:55-59.

1999 K. J. Siebert and P. Y. Lynn. Comparison of Polyphenol Interactions with Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone and Haze-Active Protein. JASBC Vol. 56, No. 1:24-31.

1998 K. J. Siebert and P. Y. Lynn. Mechanisms of Beer Colloidal Stabilization, JASBC Vol. 55, No. 2:73-78.

1997 M. Uchida, S. Suga, and M. Ono. Improvement for Oxidative Flavor Stability of Beer—Rapid Prediction Method for Beer Flavor Stability by Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy. JASBC Vol. 54, No. 4:205.

1996 L. Lusk, H. Goldstein, and D. Ryder. Independent Role of Beer Proteins, Melanoidins and Polysaccharides in Foam Formation. JASBC Vol. 53, No. 3:93.

1995 H. Kaneda, N. Kobayashi, Y. Tsuchiya, M. Munekata, and S. Koshino. Some Applications of Chemiluminescence Analysis to Brewing. JASBC Vol. 52, No. 4:163.

1994 S. Gares, M. Whiting, M. Ingledew, and B. Ziola. Detection and Identification of Pentinatus cerevisiiphilus Using Surface-Reactive Monoclonal Antibodies in a Membrane Filter-Based Fluoroimmunoassay. JASBC Vol. 51, No. 4:158.

1993 I. McMurrough, R. Kelly, J. Byrne, and M. O’Brien. Effect of the Removal of Sensitive Proteins and Proanthocyanidins on the Colloidal Stability of Lager Beer. JASBC Vol. 50, No. 2:67.

1992 A. J. Irwin, R. L. Barker, and P. Pipasts. The Role of Copper, Oxygen, and Polyphenols in Beer Flavor Instability. JASBC Vol. 49, No. 3:140.

1991 B. W. Drost, R. van den Berg, F. J. M. Freijee, E. G. van der Velde, and M. Hollemans. Flavor Stability. JASBC Vol. 48, No. 4:124.

1990 B. J. Clarke, R. D. Jones, and T. E. Kavanagh. Determination of Carbaryl Residues in Malt and Beer and Their Impact on Beer Quality. JASBC Vol. 46, No. 2:43.

Call for ASBC Subcommittee Collaborators

Due to the format of the World Brewing Congress, held July 29 through Aug. 2 in Orlando, the ASBC was unable to post subcommittee sign-up rosters for the duration of the convention.

We are currently soliciting technical subcommittee collaborators for 2000–2001. The subcommittees and chairmen are listed below. Please contact the chairperson of the subcommittee(s) on which you intend to participate in by Oct. 16.

Thank you for participating and supporting this significant aspect of our Society in the past and your contributions and participation in the future.

James M. Murphey
ASBC Technical Committee Chair
Murphey Analytical Lab., Inc.
7 W. Mead Ave.
Yakima, WA 98902
509/577-8969
Fax: 509/577-8963
E-mail: jmurphey@ixpnet.com

Coordination of New and Alternate Methods
John A. Engel
Miller Brewing Co.
P. O. Box 482
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0482
414/931-2099
Fax: 414/931-2506
E-mail: engel.john@mbco.com

Soluble Starch
Michael J. Joyce
Coors Brewing Co.
P. O. Box 4030/BC600
Golden, CO 80401
303/277-6222
Fax: 303/277-5736
E-mail: mike.joyce@coors.com

Selective Measurement of Acetohydroxy Acid Precursors
of Vicinal Diketones
Chantelle McRoberts
Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd
P.O. Box 5050, 150 Simcoe St.
London, ON N6A 4M3, Canada
519/667-7345
Fax: 519/667-7350
E-mail: chantelle.mcroberts@labatt.com

Determination of Hop Essential Oil Components by GLC
Stephen T. Kenny
Washington State University
IAREC
24106 N. Bunn Road
Prosser, WA 99350-8694
509/786-9284
Fax: 509/786-9370
E-mail: skenny@tricity.wsu.edu

Beer and Malt Beverage Color Using Tristimulus Analysis
Michael T. Clements
Guinness Ireland Group
Research Centre
St. James Gate
Dublin, 8 IRELAND
E-mail michael.clements@guinness.com

Comparison of Alkaline Methylene Violet Stain for Yeast
Viability to Standard Methods
Lynette Kruger
Siebel Institute of Technology
4055 W. Peterson Ave.
Chicago, IL 60646-6001
773/279-0966
Fax: 773/463-7688
lyn@hotmail.com

DMS Precursors in Malt by Headspace GC with Application
of Nitrogen Purging of Extracts
Gordon S. Laycock
Prairie Malt Limited
P.O. Box 1150
Bigger, SAS S0K 0M0, CANADA
306/948-3525
Fax: 306/948-3969
E-mail: gordon_laycock@cargill.com

Evaluation of Nystatin As an Alternative to Cycloheximide
Theresa L. Karr-Dowgiert
Coors Brewing Co.
P.O. Box 4030/BC 600
303/277-2313
Fax 303/277-6834
E-mail teri.dowgiert@coors.com

Packaging Methods
Charles S. Carns
Miller Brewing Co.
3939 West Highland
Milwaukee, WI 53208
414/931-2861
Fax: 414/931-4873
E-mail: carns.chuck@mbco.com

Industry News

EBC Symposium "Beer in Plastic Bottles"
The European Brewery Convention (EBC) will hold a two-day symposium entitled "Beer in Plastic Bottles." The general chairman is S. E. Kjekshus, Ringnes a.s., Norway. The symposium will take place on November 26–28, 2000 at the Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel Oslo in Oslo, Norway.

The main themes of the symposium will address market environments, including technical and marketing specifications for plastic bottles, and consumer acceptance, technical status and experience with one-way bottles, technical status and experiences with refillable bottles, closures and liners for plastic bottles, technical equipment, recycling, and analyses in connection with plastic bottles.

The program will include 15–17 papers (20–30 minutes in duration). All papers will be presented in English. Contributions will be published in the EBC monograph series. The symposium will be open for debaters and other interested participants, up to a total of 100 persons.

Call for Posters: 28th Congress of the
European Brewery Convention
The Scientific Program Committee is currently soliciting posters for presentation at the 28th EBC Congress, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, May 12–17, 2001. (The deadline for papers will be past when this issue of the ASBC Newsletter comes out.) Contributions to the scientific program should deal with new topics and/or new visions of existing topics, based on original data. Contributions of all kinds are welcomed, i.e., topics of general as well as scientific and technological nature. Relevant topics include scientific development in the supply chain from raw materials to finished packaged products. In addition, there will be four special interest areas: beer and health, environmental issues, risk management, and packaging strategies. Anyone wishing to contribute to this symposium is invited to inform the Secretariat General of EBC, P. O. Box 510, 2380 BB Zoeterwoude, The Netherlands; phone: +31 71 5456047/5456614, fax: +31 71 5410013, E-mail: secretariat@ebc-nl.com, Web site: www.ebc-nl.com. Interested individuals should provide title, presenter, and abstract (maximum one page) of the proposed poster. Submitted posters will be accepted only if they contain new material; a statement of "what is new" must be part of the submission. Posters may not have been published or presented elsewhere before the EBC Congress. The deadline for submission of posters is December 1, 2000.

Rather than writing the abstract in essay style, it is requested to structure it using the following headings: description of theme/problem, analytical methods (if any), results, discussion, practical or scientific relevance of the results with regard to practicability, possible applications, future perspectives, limitations, economics. This information should be provided in English exclusively. English will be the only congress language; simultaneous interpretation will no longer be provided. Poster presenters, however, may add summaries in French or German to their poster.

Romania New Member of EBC
The Council of the European Brewery Convention, at its May 25, 2000, meeting, accepted Romania as a new member as of June 1, 2000. EBC now has 22 members, the national brewing organizations of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

EBC Barley and Malt Committee Reports 1999
Field-Trial Results
For many years, the EBC Barley and Malt Committee has organized a trials system for the evaluation of potential new malting barley varieties. The trials are conducted on the basis of four regions: North, West, Central, and South, and include both winter and spring varieties. Varieties accepted into the trials system are judged over two years against standard varieties, varieties that are grown on a large scale and are also widely used by the malting and brewing industry.

For the harvest 1999 trials, the standard varieties were Esterel (six-row), Angora, Clarine, Regina (winter varieties), and Alexis, and Scarlet (spring varieties).

The results of the trial were published in the spring of 2000 as "Results Field Trials Harvest 1999." The results of both barley and malt analysis are listed on both a national and a regional basis. Traditionally, the results have been published without interpretation. In May 2000, the EBC Barley and Malt Committee was granted approval by the EBC Council to produce a critique of the results. The four chairmen of the regional trials groups were asked to comment on varieties in their trials that appear to have properties that may be of future interest to the malting and brewing industry, particularly where varieties show improvement on the standards. Note that the comments may be based on only one year’s data and are no more than an informed judgment. Further data on the highlighted varieties can be obtained from the report.

Winter Varieties. The same six varieties were trialed in all regions in both year 2 and year 1 trials. From those varieties completing their second year of trials, Tiffany is considered to be an improvement in both grain and malt quality compared with the standards. A lack of dormancy, high extracts, and good diastatic power (DP) were noted. Sprit and Tulip had quality equal to that of the standard variety Regina. None of the varieties in year 1 trials is considered to be an improvement on the standard varieties, but Lambic, Opal, and Pearl are all varieties of comparable quality to the standards, all with good DP.

Spring Varieties. The varieties trialed in both years varied from region to region and therefore any comments reflect the relative performance of each variety in the specific region.

In Region North, Lux is highlighted from the varieties that have completed two years of trials, as being an improvement in both grain and malt quality, specifically high grain yield, no dormancy, high extract, and high DP. Lux is suitable for southern Scandinavia. Saana is considered an acceptable malting variety for northern Scandinavia. Of the year 1 varieties, Saloon is also considered to be an improvement on the standard varieties. Good soluble nitrogen, Kolbach, and DP are noted.

In Region West, Aspen is highlighted from the two-year trials. It has good all-around grain and malt quality, in particular with very good modification, viscosity, and DP. Decanter also has good all-around quality but was shown to have some dormancy in the United Kingdom. Of the year 1 varieties, Hanka, Saloon, and Jersey show promising quality in both grain and malt.

In Region Central, Ricarda is highlighted from the two year trials for its high extract and good friability, although yield is only comparable with the standards. Pasadena is an improvement in terms of yield, but its malting quality is similar to that of the standards. Of the year 1 varieties, Annabella and Viskosa both show improvements in yield, while Aspen shows the good grain and malt characteristics noted in Region West.

In Region South, Barke (malting quality) and Pyramid are highlighted, although neither is an improvement on the standard Scarlet in year 2 trials. Of the year 1 varieties, Ormalt and Gima show promising malting quality.

Conclusion. The results of the 1999 trials have highlighted several varieties that may be of interest to maltsters and brewers. Further information and trial data can be obtained from the EBC Secretariat: P. O. Box 510, 2380 BB Zoeterwoude, The Netherlands; phone: +31 71 5456047/5456614, fax: +31 71 5410013, E-mail: secretariat@ebc-nl.com, Web site: www.ebc-nl.com

Local Section News

Local Section 1—New York
The New York Section is currently working on building up new membership. We have three people who have expressed interest in being members, and a meeting is being set up for Sept. 20, to discuss membership with these individuals. A joint meeting with MBAA is being planned for November. —Dennis Lenahan

Local Section 2—St. Louis
Local Section 2 is pleased to announce its 2000–2001 calendar of events: Sept. 27, Grants Trail Lodge; Sept. 29, ASBC/MBAA golf outing at Pevely Farms; Jan. 25, Anheuser-Busch corporate cafeteria or theater; Feb. 28, TBD; April, ASBC/MBA joint meeting; and May 30, Anheuser-Busch Brewhouse Courtyard.

Our section was well represented at the Orlando brewing conference. A special thanks to Nona Mundy and Alister Pringle, who presented at the technical sessions, and to the 35 members from Local Section 2 who were in attendance. We look forward to an exciting and informative year with record participation at our St. Louis Section. —Ron Tomasella

Local Section 3—North Central
The next meeting for the North Central Section will be Sept. 12 at the Vine Park Brewing Company. This is St. Paul’s newest brewpub. The brewpub has just been added to an existing facility that allowed people to come in and produce a brew of their own. A presentation on Vine Park Brewing will be given by owner David Thompson. On Nov. 8, a meeting will be held at the Summit Brewing Company. The technical program will be a presentation on this years’ malting barley report. Both scheduled meetings are joint meetings with MBAA. —Gerri Kustelski

Local Section 4—Milwaukee/Chicago
Local Section 4 had four meetings and a family night event during the 1999–2000 year. The meetings included a tour of Briess Malting Company in Waterloo, WI, on Sept. 4, 1999, a tour of Leinenkugel 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee, WI, on December 2, a joint meeting with MBAA at Mickey Finn’s Brewery in Libertyville, IL, on Mar. 16, 2000, and a meeting at the Miller Inn hosted by Miller Brewing Company on May 14. The family night gathering was at the Milwaukee Admirals game on Feb. 13. The next Local Section 4 meeting will be a bus trip to Briess Malting Company in Chilton, WI, on Sept. 21, 2000.
—David Kuske

Local Section 8—Wild West
The 16th meeting of ASBC Local Section 8 "Wild West" was held during the Rocky Mountain Microbrewing Symposium on Feb. 18, 2000, in Colorado Springs, CO. The meeting deviated from the normal protocol followed for our typical meetings. People who attended the symposium were invited to attend our meeting. We had between 15 and 20 people of whom close to five were actual local members. Patrick Dobleck and Mike Joyce held a roundtable discussion on handling raw materials.

The next ASBC local meeting will be a joint meeting with the local Rocky Mountain MBAA on Nov. 9 at the Coors Brewing Company.
—Mike Joyce

ASBC Past Presidents

1934-35   Max Henius *
1935-36   F.M. DuPont *
1936-38   Robert Schwartz *
1938-40   George S. Bratton *
1940-42   Leo Wallerstein *
1942-44   Fred P. Siebel, Jr. *
1944-46   Bryn H. Nisson *
1946-48   Christian Rask *
1948-50   Philip P. Gray *
1950-52   Carroll A. Dayharsh
1952-53   Stephen Laufer *
1953-54   Lawrence E. Ehrnst *
1954-55   Kurt Becker
1955-56   Ulysses C. Gramsch *
1956-57   Fred C. Baselt *
1957-58   William C. McFarlane *
1958-59   Eric Kneen *
1959-60   Mortimer W. Brenner *
1960-61   George E. Bredt *
1961-62   Allan D. Dickson*
1962-63   Irwin Stone *
1963-64   John B. Bockelmann
1964-65   Robert W. Rummele *
1965-66   Dwight B. West
1966-67   Philip E. Dakin
1967-68   Robert I. Tenney
1968-69   J. Robert Piening
1969-70   William J. Olson *
1970-71   Leonard T. Saletan *
1971-72   G. Calvin Dyson, Jr.
1972-73   Vincent S. Bavisotto
1973-74   F. Lloyd Rigby
1974-75   Michael R. Sfat
1975-76   David J. Lubert *
1976-77   Donald D. Brumsted *
1977-78   Harold H. Geller
1978-79   Paul K. Steinke *
1979-80   Ronald A. Latimer
1980-81   Arthur J. Rehberger
1981-82   Roger A. Carroll
1982-83   Kurt C. Duecker *
1983-84   William A. Hardwick, Jr.
1984-85   James McDougall
1985-86   Phillip D. Israel
1986-88   Charles W. Baker
1988-89   Richard L. Berndt
1989-90   David W. Diffor
1990-91   Inge Russell
1991-92   Richard E. Pyler
1992-93   Peter W. Gales
1993-94   Sherman H. Chan
1994-95   James H. Munroe
1995-96   Rob McCaig
1996-97   Bruce Sebree
1997-98   Dave Thomas
1998-99   David Hysert
1999-00   David Ryder
(*) Deceased

Test Kit Workshop

ASBC presented a new workshop at WBC on test kits. The morning began with speaker presentations on microbiological analyses, DON detection, GMO screening, water quality, amylase activity, and flavor quality evaluation. The afternoon session featured demonstrations on new test kits and products from the following companies: Neogen Corporation, White Labs, FlavorActiv Ltd., Megazyme International, GenPrime Inc., Ecolab Inc., Romer Labs, Inc., BioteCon Diagnostics Inc., and Diagnostix Ltd.