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ASBC Newsletter
VOLUME 61, NUMBER 1 - 2001

Happy 2001 to each and every one of you! This is really the first year of the New Millennium. This is the year to celebrate the healthy aspects of beer. This is the year to volunteer. And this is the year of cooperation: "Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand."

In the spirit of cooperation, the ASBC and the MBAA drafted and signed a "cooperative agreement" several years ago. Efforts to turn this agreement into a more meaningful document are now under way. In 2000, following the initiative of Hugo Patino, a steering committee consisting of members of the governing boards of each organization was formed. During a conference call in June, areas of mutual interest were discussed and explored. From that conference call, there emerged the ASBC/MBAA Collaborative Steering Team, with a vision and a mission.

Vision: To design, sponsor, and conduct joint activities that provide the members of both organizations with greater value for their memberships.

Mission: To recommend to the appropriate governing bodies of the ASBC and MBAA a calendar and scope of jointly sponsored activities at the international and district levels.

The steering team met again in August at the WBC. A resulting proposal, which has now been accepted by both organizations, concerns the presentation of a packaging seminar to be given jointly by the two organizations at our next annual meeting in Victoria. The module will draw from the separate strengths of each organization. The desired outcome of the seminar will be to provide operations personnel and laboratory personnel with a greater understanding of the roles that each group plays in the production of beer and how those roles are interrelated and often dependent upon each other. Ray Klimovitz, Technical Director of the MBAA, and Karen DeVries, Program Chair of the ASBC, are cochairing the team, which will plan the seminar. Assuming that all goes well, the seminar could be presented a second time at the MBAA annual conference in Guadalajara next year.

Another bit of news: the Board of Governors of the MBAA has accepted the ASBC’s proposal to begin planning another joint annual meeting for the year 2004. This meeting may or may not be another WBC, but since the agreement to plan such a meeting follows WBC 2000, we feel that the positive experiences of that meeting will carry forward.

It is the honest opinion of your Board of Directors that increased interaction between the ASBC and the MBAA will provide the most value to the members of each organization. These current initiatives are not to be misconstrued as precursors to merger. We all recognize that each organization fulfills a specific role within the industry. However, in our jobs, on a daily basis, we realize how much we depend upon one another and that there is an area of considerable overlap. It is that overlap that the steering team wishes to explore.

It is not too early to begin planning to attend this year’s annual meeting in Victoria, British Columbia. The site of the meeting is, on the one hand, the historic Empress Hotel and on the other, a new modern convention center attached directly to the hotel. One part of the traveling experience I would highly recommend is the ferry ride to the island. You can get to the island by small aircraft fairly quickly, but if you opt for this mode of travel, you will miss some the most exquisite scenery imaginable. I traveled to Victoria in the dead of winter two years ago. Even during that dreary time of the year, the ferry boat ride was memorable—I can hardly wait to see what it will be like in June. Details about the availability of ferry boats from either Seattle or Vancouver will be included in your annual meeting information packets.

While you are planning—check out the availability of the Alaskan cruise. ASBC staff has found a cruise line that has put together a package for ASBC attendees after the annual meeting. Details regarding this opportunity are in the insert in this issue and also were inserted into the last issue of the Newsletter.

Until the fourth and last of my President’s columns—Celebrate (health), Volunteer, and Cooperate.

—Nona M. Mundy
President

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Local Section News
Planning for the 2001 ASBC Annual Meeting—Solicitation of Ideas
Student Travel Grant Program Fund Solicitation and Participation
Final Call for Nominations
Active ASBC Corporate Members
Kurt Becker, Past President, Dies
Industry News
ASBC Past Presidents
New Active ASBC Members
Upcoming Events

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Local Section News

Local Section 4—Milwaukee/Chicago

ASBC Local Section 4 and MBAA District Milwaukee had a joint meeting on Thursday, Sept. 21. Briess Malting Co. offered an informative tour followed by a hospitality hour. An excellent dinner at Millhome Supper Club made the evening complete. No ASBC business meeting was held.

On Dec. 7, Local Section 4 held a meeting at Miller Brewing Co. in Milwaukee. Chairman Brad Rush called the business meeting to order. Tom Volke read the treasure’s report. Tom also mentioned that he will host a picnic July 15 at the Volke residence; it is open to all ASBC and MBAA members. Chairman Rush called for the discussion of new business. Program Chairman Dave Kuske discussed the possibility of joint meetings with the MBAA to combine attendance and increase the variety of potential speakers. There was general agreement with this suggestion. Dave then discussed the preliminary dates of future meetings and events. February 9 will be a guest night in Milwaukee at the Admirals game (vs. Chicago Blackhawks), Mar. 15 a joint meeting with MBAA in Chicago at the Flosmore Station, Apr. 12 an officers’ meeting at Stoudt Brothers Brewhouse, and Sept. 20 a joint meeting with MBAA in Madison at the Great Dane Brewery.

Secretary Jim Goking introduced new members Mark Rieder and Greg Deuhs. Jim also requested that all members update their e-mail addresses to facilitate future meeting notices. Suzanne Thompson discussed her role as the editor of the ASBC Newsletter. She asked that members who have input for the Newsletter contact her directly at her e-mail address, thompson.suzanne@mbco.com. Brad adjourned the meeting. Afterwards, Mary Anne Gruber gave an informative presentation on specialty malts.

—Jim Goking

Mary Anne Gruber of Briess Malting presenting "Specialty Malt Analysis—Beyond the Numbers."

Past Chairman Frank Tanzer, Treasurer Tom Volke, Program Chairman Dave Kuske, Secretary Jim Goking, and Chairman Brad Rush enjoying the social hour at the December meeting of Local Section 4.

Local Section 8—Wild West

The 17th meeting of ASBC local section 8 "Wild West" was held at the Coors Brewing Co. in Golden, CO, on Nov. 9, 2000, in conjunction with the Rocky Mountain MBAA. Twenty ASBC attendees gathered for food, beer, and socializing from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., paying $15 each at the door. The business meeting was called to order by local Chairman Patrick Dobolek at 6:45 p.m. Mike Joyce read the minutes and treasurer’s report, and they were accepted as written. Patrick led the group in a discussion about where our local section was today and what direction we wanted to take. The group as a whole agreed on working together to bring some fun and learning about the American Society of Brewing Chemists to the local brewing community. We concluded with our long over-due elections of new officers. The new chairperson elected is Toby Eppard from Coors. Patrick Dobleck, representing the microbrewers, will be vice chairperson and secretary, and Mike Joyce will continue as treasurer.

The technical presentation was given by Dr. Charlie Bamforth, U.C. Davis, Professor of Brewing and Malting Science. The title of Dr. Bamforth’s presentation was "Quality Counts, Recent Studies in the Appearance of Beer." The presentation was very informative as well as entertaining. The meeting concluded with dinner and door prizes.

The next ASBC local section meeting will be held on Feb. 16, 2001, at the Rocky Mountain Micro-brewing Symposium, in Colorado Springs.

—Mike Joyce

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Planning for the 2001 ASBC Annual Meeting—Solicitation of Ideas

The ASBC Program Committee and the Board of Directors are in the process of planning the 2001 meeting in Victoria. Currently, papers are being solicited for the technical sessions. The deadline to submit titles and authors was Jan. 2, 2001. Abstracts are due by Feb. 1, 2001, preferably via the Internet. More detailed instructions and a submission form for people who do not have access to the Internet were given in the last Newsletter.

In addition, a workshop/seminar jointly sponsored with the MBAA is being planned. This event is still in the preliminary planning stages but promises to be an exciting addition to our program.

In the past, the workshops have been quite successful. They have centered around topics such as malt, hops, yeast, and new analytical technologies. Some ideas for this year’s workshops include packaging, quality, environmental issues, barley and malt, and a workshop for craft brewers. The planners would like input from the membership as to which topics hold the most interest. Please contact either the St. Paul office (Kathy Aro in the Meetings Dept.) or any member of the Program Committee with your ideas and suggestions.

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Student Travel Grant Program Fund Solicitation and Participation

Are you wondering what to do with all of that money you made from your brilliant dot.com investing this year? Is that birthday money burning a hole in your pocket? Does investing in tech stocks give you the willies? Are you wondering if your investments will yield results?

ASBC has an investment opportunity for you—the Student Travel Grant Program. Money you invest in the Student Travel Grant Program will yield rewards for you and the Society long into the future. The Travel Grant Program awards travel funds to students so that they may attend national meetings and participate in the technical programs. Ten students will be awarded grants for the Victoria meeting. The travel grants cover partial expenses for students who are presenting a paper or poster at the annual meeting.

The amount of the grant is determined by the amount of funds raised for the program versus the number of eligible students. All ASBC student members, graduate or undergraduate, who are at least 21 years of age are eligible to apply for these awards. All interested applicants should send a written request (up to 300 words typed) to attend the Victoria meeting, a copy of the abstract that will be submitted to the ASBC, and verification of ASBC student membership.

Funds to support this important program are needed. These dollars are investments for the future. Current student members are the future members and leaders of the ASBC. If you already contribute, thank you. Your support is appreciated. If you haven’t contributed in the past, please consider making a contribution for this year. The Student Travel Grant Program provides all of us with an opportunity to get involved with developing future leaders. It may also provide future benefits to your company. One of these students may be a future member of your team.

Any corporation, ASBC local section, or individual who would like to participate may forward its contribution to Linda Schmitt, ASBC, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121. Checks should be made payable to the ASBC Student Travel Fund.

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Final Call for Nominations

The ASBC Nominating Committee has begun its assignment of providing qualified Society members to serve on the Board of Directors. Nominations for the offices of treasurer, vice-president, and president-elect are required for voting at the 2001 Annual Meeting.

The term of office for treasurer is two years, from the close of the 2001 Annual Meeting to the close of the 2003 Annual Meeting. The term of office for vice-president is one year, beginning with the close of the 2001 Annual Meeting. However, because the vice-president is the principal candidate for president-elect and subsequently succeeds to the offices of president and past-president, a commitment of four years is expected. Following the same progression, the commitment for president-elect is three years.

The selection of candidates for these offices is critical to the Society. The Nominating Committee needs your help to identify qualified members to fill these leadership positions. Please remember that all nominees must be active members of the Society, be willing to serve, and have the permission and support of their employer management. Nominees for elected offices will be published in Newsletter No. 2 of 2001.

Please direct nominations to any of the members of the Nominating Committee.

Nominating Committee

David S. Ryder,Chairman
Miller Brewing Company
3939 W. Highland Blvd.
Milwaukee, WI 53208-2816
414/931-3062
Fax 414/931-2452
E-mail ryder.david@mbco.com

John Grigsby
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
#1 Busch Place—Bldg 35-5
St. Louis, MO 63118-1849
314/577-3524
Fax 314/577-1055
E-mail john.grigsby@anheuser-busch.com

David W. Hysert
John I. Haas Inc.
31 N 1st Avenue
P.O. Box 1441
Yakima, WA 98902-2663
509/469-4011
Fax 509/469-4080
E-mail dave.hysert@johnihaas.com

Inge Russell
Labatt Breweries of Canada
Research Dept.
150 Simcoe St.
London, ON N6A 4M3
CANADA
519/667-7354
Fax 519/667-7393
E-mail inge.russell@labatt.com

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Active ASBC Corporate Members

A. Gusmer Co., Cranford, NJ
Altek Co., Torrington, CT
Anheuser-Busch Inc., St. Louis, MO
Anton PAAR USA, Ashland, VA
APS Analytical Standards Inc., Redwood City, CA
Asia Pacific Breweries Pte., Ltd., Ibrahim, Singapore
Assn. of Brewers, Boulder, CO
Beer Ind. Assoc. Shandong China, Jinan, Peoples Rep of China
Bio-Chem Lab. Inc., Grand Rapids, MI
Boston Beer Co., Cincinnati, OH
Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Brewing Research Intl., Redhill, Surrey, England
Briess Malting Co., Chilton, WI
Bruker Instruments Inc., Billerica, MA
Brulotte Farms, Inc., Toppenish, WA
Burns Philp R&D, Pty. Ltd., Sydney, NSW Australia
Busch Agricultural Resources, Inc., Fort Collins, CO
Carlsberg Research Center, Valby Copenhagen, Denmark
Casco Inc., Etobicoke, ON, Canada
Cerveceria Polar CA, Caracas, Venezuela
Cerveceria y Malteria Quilmes, Quilmes BA, Argentina
Cervejarias Kaiser Brasil Ltda., Queimados, RJ, Brazil
Coors Brewing Co., Golden, CO
DB Breweries Ltd., Otahuhu, Auckland, NZ
Diversey Lever Inc., Dexter, MI
Empresas Polar, Miami, FL
Fabricas Nacionales de Cerveza, Montevideo, Uruguay
Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Los Olivos, CA
Froedtert Malt, Milwaukee,WI
Genesee Brewing Co., Rochester, NY
Guangzhou Malting Co. Ltd., Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
Heineken, Aalsmeer, Netherlands
INIFAP, Chapingo, Mexico
J Boag & Son Brewing Ltd., Launceston, TAS, Australia
J E Siebel Sons, Division of Quest Intl., Hoffman Estates, IL
John I Haas Inc., Yakima, WA
Kalsec Inc., Kalamazoo, MI
Karl Strauss Breweries, San Diego, CA
Kirin Brewery Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
Kirin Brewery Co. Ltd., Fukuoka, Amagi Fukuoka, Japan
Labatt Breweries of Canada, London, ON
Ladish Malting Co., Jefferson, WI
Lupofresh Inc., Wapato, WA
Millennium Specialty Chemicals, Baltimore, MD
Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Minnesota Malting Co., Cannon Falls, MN
Mitco Inc., Grand Rapids, MI
Molson Breweries, Etobicoke, ON, Canada
Moosehead Breweries Ltd., Saint John, NB, Canada
Morris Hanbury USA Inc., Yakima, WA
NDC Infrared Engineering, Irwindale, CA
Novo Nordisk BioChem Inc., Franklinton, NC
Orbisphere Lab, Buford, GA
Pabst Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Pacific Western Brewing Co., Burnaby, BC, Canada
Peavey Grain Co., Minneapolis, MN
The PQ Corp., Conshohocken, PA
Pure Malt Products Ltd., East Lothian, Scotland
R-Biopharm Inc., Marshall, MI
Rahr Malting Co., Shakopee, MN
Rascher & Betzold, West Paterson, NJ
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Sievers Instruments, Inc., Boulder, CO
Union de Cervecerias Peruanas, Lima, Peru
Vicam LP, Watertown, MA
World Minerals Inc., Lompoc, CA
Yakima Chief Inc., Sunnyside, WA

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Kurt Becker, Past President, Dies

Kurt Becker, 102, of Shell Point Village, Ft. Myers, FL, passed away November 6, 2000. He was born June 20, 1898, in Tubenhausen, Germany. His wife, Sabine, their son, Otto, of North Carolina, seven grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren, survive him.

Mr. Becker came to the United States in 1913, finished high school in Oneonta, NY; attended Columbia University; and then moved to Havana, Cuba, where he became a designer for American Steel Co. in their work to build the capitol building. After marrying Sabine in 1930, he began a career in brewing with the J. E. Siebel Sons’ Co. of Chicago. He retired from Siebel’s in 1969 as executive vice president and dean of the Brewing Institute. He was president of the American Society of Brewing Chemists in 1954–1955 and received the Society’s lifetime achievement award.

A major interest of Mr. Becker’s since 1930 was The Prairie Club, a conservation and nature club headquartered in Chicago. His deep love of nature was kindled during his membership in the Wandervogel, an early 20th century German youth group much like the Explorer Scouts. Over his almost 70 years of membership in The Prairie Club, Mr. Becker, among his many leadership roles, was chairman of his beloved Camp Hazelhurst in Michigan and an ardent advocate for the preservation of our natural world long before such advocacy became popular. In 1977, Kurt and Sabine moved to Shell Point Village and enjoyed Florida for over 20 years.

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Industry News

Miller Symposium "Cognition and Chemical Senses: Associations, Expectations and Interactions"

Miller Brewing Co. is sponsoring a two-day symposium entitled "Cognition and Chemical Senses: Associations, Expectations and Interactions." The symposium will take place on June 13–15, 2001, at the Marriott Lincolnshire Hotel in Lincolnshire, IL. Seventeen world-renowned experts in the area of chemical senses and consumer science will present their latest research. The symposium will begin Wed. evening, June 13, with an opening reception and keynote speaker. Susan Schiffman will present "Effect of Aging and Medications on Cognition and Product Acceptance." The next two days will feature presentations in the areas of: 1) Cognition and Chemical Senses: What Is It and How Is It Quantified?; 2) Associative Factors, Learned Preference and Satiety, 3) Higher Cognitive Effects on the Chemical Senses: Roles of Expectations and Interactions, and 4) Cognitive Effects and Product Acceptance: Consumer Expectations and Manipulations. On Thursday evening, all attendees will be invited to a dinner highlighted by a presentation by Paul Rozin of the University of Pennsylvania. Rozin will present "Cultural Aspects of Food Acceptance."

Anyone wishing to attend this symposium can register on-line from March 1 through May 1, 2001 at www.meetings-incentives.com/miller/
beer/symp.htm. For further information, contact Subba C. Rao, Miller Brewing Co., 3939 W. Highland Blvd., Milwaukee, WI 53201; phone: 414-931-4970, E-mail: rao.subba@mbco.com.

Call for Papers and Posters: MBAA

The MBAA Technical Committee solicits your contribution for papers and posters to be presented at the MBAA Anniversary Convention 2001, scheduled to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, Nov. 4–6, 2001.

The technical program calls for technical submissions with contents having a specific focus on the topic of beer flavors’ impact from raw materials, production, processing, packaging, and distribution of beer.

In addition, the committee will accept and consider submissions of specific value and importance to the brewing industry even if outside the above theme.

Subject matter for both oral presentations and posters must be original research and development, advances or progress in brewing and/or packaging technology, or of a technical review format that summarizes existing problems and proposes future solutions.

Abstract forms will be available on the MBAA Web site www.mbaa.com or you may contact any member of the MBAA Technical Committee. To ensure the highest technical quality for this convention, the number of oral and poster presentations will be limited. All oral and poster submissions will be reviewed by the Technical Committee for acceptance into the program. Complimentary registrations will be provided to the speakers and poster presenters.

The committee encourages you to submit your paper or poster via the Web site as early as possible. However, the deadline for the abstract form submission is Feb. 16, 2001.

The committee encourages your participation and welcomes contributions for consideration. Please accept this invitation and extend it to your colleagues. Any questions or correspondence may be directed to any member of the MBAA Technical Committee. The chair of the committee is Finn B. Knudsen (phone 303/674-2251, fax 303/727-6555, e-mail ebcii@attglobal.net).

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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. Dickso
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