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ASBC Newsletter
VOLUME 61, NUMBER 3 - 2001

“Howdy, Folks!” In downtown Golden, booming metropolis that it is, there is an arch that spans the main street and welcomes visitors to Golden with a bold “howdy, folks.” I would like to extend that same western greeting to all of you. I am very excited and honored to be the ASBC president. Our Society is very strong and doing the “right stuff.” I will do my best to live up to your expectations and continue the great leadership of previous ASBC presidents, most recently Nona Mundy. Nona did a terrific job leading our organization, and I’m looking forward to continuing that journey. With the help of a great Board of Directors, committed committee and subcommittee members, and an excellent St. Paul staff, we will continue to grow and move toward our ASBC vision.

The annual meeting in Victoria was a great success. The city of Victoria was a terrific venue. The setting was beautiful, and the weather was absolutely perfect, not too cold, not too hot—juuuust right. The Fairmont Empress is a classic hotel, and it provided everyone with a wonderful experience, including the opportunity to enjoy high tea. The welcoming reception was at the Royal British Columbia Museum, which gave the meeting attendees an opportunity to share in some Canadian history. To quote Dirk Bendiak, “The Canadian loonie and toonie made it exceptionally cheap for the U.S. folks.” Coool!

I would like to thank and congratulate Karen DeVries on completing her first year as program chair. She and her Program Committee created a great technical program. There were 23 oral presentations and 44 posters! Excellent job, Karen. I’m confident that Karen and her committee will put together another great program in Tucson. Mark your calendars now; the next annual meeting is scheduled for June 8-12 at the El Conquistador resort in Tucson, AZ.

At the 2001 meeting, Tim Kostelecky completed his first year as secretary. Tim, thank you for taking great meeting minutes and for giving me the opportunity to learn more about cool computer gizmos. Rob Stewart also completed his first year as Publications Committee chair. I want to also thank the members of Rob’s committee: Journal Editor-in-Chief Charlie Bamforth, Methods of Analysis Editor Margaret Morrision (resident of the wonderful town of Victoria), Newsletter Editor Suzanne Thompson, and Internet Editor Ken Berg. Nice job!

Dirk Bendiak continues on the Board as the president-elect, and Suzanne Thompson rejoins the Board of Directors as vice president. Joan Raumschuh replaces Suzanne Thompson as Newsletter editor, and Scott Heisel joins the Board as treasurer. Welcome. I’m confident that each of you will add great value to the Board of Directors and the Society. Thank you for volunteering your time, talents, and strengths.

It’s difficult to say goodbye to the members who are leaving the Board. Treasurer Ryszard Dube leaves, as does David Ryder. Even though “Doctor Bubble,” David Ryder, has earned the esteemed stature of past president, the current Board will fondly remember his energy, enthusiasm, passion, and vision. Thank you, Ryszard and David.

During the meeting, a formal agreement was signed between the ASBC and MBAA for the next WBC. WBC 2004 has been born. Brian Williams (MBAA) and I will work together in planning it.

At the president’s banquet, Nona Mundy had the great honor and pleasure to announce and present the Award of Distinction to Dr. Takashi Inoue, Dr. Al Haunold, and Dr. Miyoko Ono and one Honorary Life Membership to Dr. Tony Cutaia. Congratulations to all of the award recipients. Thank you for the dedicated service to the Society.

For those folks who weren’t able to attend this year’s meeting, I would like to reiterate some of the thoughts I articulated in my acceptance speech. As I was preparing for that talk, I tried to remember the acceptance speeches I’d listened to in the past. The image of wise, seasoned presidents came to mind. How would I live up to that image and expectation? As I thought more about those meetings, a number of images came to me. I would like to tell you about some.

Let’s take a trip back in time. Think of it as our version of the movie Back to the Future. In this Michael J. Fox movie, his character goes back in time using a souped-up DeLorean. He sees the history that formed his own reality and future. For me, our ASBC, “Back to the Future” tells a similar tale. Let’s go back a number of years to the BCOA meeting in 1984 and reflect on where ASBC was and see what the future holds. Then let’s talk about our current reality as an organization in 2000/2001, and finally, let’s look into ASBC’s future.

As the smoke clears from time warp in 1984, what do you see? It was a memorable year for ASBC, which celebrated its 50th anniversary. The gold, metallized cover of the Journal boldly commemorated that accomplishment. Replacing the Annual Meeting was the Brewing Congress of the Americas (BCOA), the first joint effort with the MBAA. Approximately 1,500 people attended. The meeting site was St. Louis, home of the Gateway Arch and many firsts in American history: the first Olympiad in America, the first hot dog, and the first ice cream cone. The technical sessions covered a wide range of technical and operational brewing subjects. Forty-seven papers were presented, and various symposia on fermentation, barley, and malt were conducted concurrently. This meeting was a success, but it did have problems. The schedule of events made it difficult to accomplish critical Society business. Even with these problems, the meeting was an example of the joint efforts of two different and distinct organizations. They had individual personalities and focuses, but collectively, the meeting proved to be of value to its participants. Joint meetings with the MBAA were born.

Let’s roll the clock forward to 2000. ASBC and MBAA, with the support of the EBC, AOB, BCOJ, and the newly formed IGB, celebrated the new millennium by coorganizing a world-class brewing event, WBC 2000. The participation of the current presidents of these organizations truly showed the global support for the WBC. More than 1,100 attendees, representing 42 countries, gathered to listen to 60 oral presentations and 60 posters. What made this meeting such a huge success? Was it the venue? Although the Disney property, Coronado Springs, was world class, it served only as a backdrop for the main event. In my opinion, the success of the WBC 2000 was based on ASBC’s vision to bring the WBC attendees technical information from around the world in a professional, friendly, and personal way. Our organization took the risk to bring that vision to life. Working together with the MBAA and the other organizations on this common goal, it created something very valuable for our membership and all of the attendees. ASBC and MBAA temporarily set aside normal society meeting events to focus on a congress that would, like the previous BCOA, provide attendees with activities more valuable for their personal development and the growth of their companies.


President Rob Maruyama accepting the gavel from Past-President Nona Mundy.

Now let’s take a look into the future. After the very successful WBC 2000 and Victoria meetings, where do we go? This ASBC “Back to the Future” story has a very promising ending. Our 2002 annual meeting in Tucson will be the third time we’ve visited the beautiful El Conquistador resort. In 2003, our annual meeting is scheduled for Tamaya resort, which is near Santa Fe, NM. ASBC and MBAA have signed an agreement for WBC 2004, but a location has not yet been identified.

Our collaborative efforts with the MBAA do not represent a movement toward a merger of our two organizations. Each has unique and separate interests and expertise. I see our organizations traveling down separate and distinct paths. Continuing to plan joint meetings is a proactive approach that gives both organizations the opportunity to share different perspectives in a broad and rich fashion, while maintaining their own separate identities.

In addition to our collaborative efforts with the MBAA, ASBC must continue to be proactive in creating its future. To accomplish that task, the current Board of Directors and I are refocusing our efforts on the strategic plan. To make the strategic plan come to life, the planning team must create a clear picture of the future, created from a blend of the Society’s current strengths and future opportunities. Organizations, like people, have specific talents and strengths. We must use ours (e.g., brewing research and methods development, collaboratively proven technical methods, world-class peer-reviewed publications, and dedicated and engaged members) to nurture and grow our future successes. What will our talents or strengths be in the future?

A brief analysis of the ASBC membership was included in the last Newsletter. It showed that 11% of our members have more than 30 years in their field; 25% have 20-29 years; 35% have 10-19 years; 15% have five to nine years, and 14% have less than five years of experience in the field. To help understand our future talents, we must understand the needs of our members in the future, as well as those of our future members. Even though our membership demographics are relatively balanced, I believe our strategic thoughts must pay particular attention to the views and perspectives of our newer members. To accurately plan for the future, we must understand the mindset of these individuals and bridge any gaps between the Society’s current focus and the needs of the new members. Each year, the staff at Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list to give the faculty a sense of the mindset for the year’s incoming freshman. Here are a few of the things on the list for the class of 2004:

People who started college in 2000 were born in 1982.

Black Monday, 1987, is as significant to them as the Great Depression.

Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic.

Atari predates them, as do vinyl albums. The expression, “you sound like a broken record” means nothing to them.

Most have never seen a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black and white TV.

The Titanic was found? They didn’t know it was ever lost.

Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America, and Alabama are places, not rock bands.

We must understand the needs and mindsets of all of our members, even when they challenge our current thinking and reality.

To really make the strategic plan come to life, we must develop concrete, action-oriented plans. Without these, our plan and vision will just sit and look pretty. These plans will include milestones and metrics to measure our progress and we will “course correct” as required. This approach sounds suspiciously like the quality dogma: Plan, Do, Check, and Act. What a concept!

Our version of Back to the Future has a happy ending. Through our time journey, we saw how our current successes were built from ASBC’s strengths and talents. This lesson helps us see what some of our future successes will look like. Proactive, forward-looking strategic planning will enable us to use our strengths and talents to ensure future success. Finally, as the credits roll, we see that all of you are responsible for our current success and the successes in the future. Please continue to support ASBC by presenting posters and papers and by volunteering for subcommittees and society roles. The future is in our hands.

-Rob Maruyama
President

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CONTENTS

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ASBC Corporate Members Go Online

ASBC appreciates the many companies that support the Society through their knowledge, expertise, and professional involvement. Many of them also provide unique and specialized products and services. You can support ASBC corporate members and find out what they might have to offer you by visiting the new online ASBC corporate member listing at: http://www.asbcnet.org/asbc/MEMBERS/Corporate/top.html

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2001 ASBC Student Travel Grant Winners

Six students are the recipients of the 2001 ASBC Student Travel Fund Award. Each student was awarded $250 to assist in travel to the Victoria meeting. The students are Debora Fontanini, University of Wisconsin; Yulai Jin, Dalhousie University; Cheryl Jenkins, Oxford Brookes University BMS; Gregory Kapp, University of California, Davis; Anja Pekkarinen, USDA ARS CCRU; and Robert Ward, University of California, Davis.

The travel grants cover partial expenses for students who are presenting a paper or poster at the Annual Meeting. All ASBC student members, graduate or undergraduate, who are at least 21 years of age are eligible to apply for these awards. Look for instructions and deadlines for the 2002 awards in upcoming issues of the ASBC Newsletter.

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. For information on how to help students by making a tax-deductible donation, contact Linda Schmitt, ASBC, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121 (lschmitt@scisoc.org).

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Board of Directors' Profiles

Rob Maruyama continues on the Board of Directors as president. Maruyama has served on the Board as Publications Committee chairman and most recently as president-elect. He graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1979 with a B.A. degree in molecular, cellular developmental biology and received an M.S. degree in environmental science and engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in 1993. He joined Coors in 1980. During his tenure at Coors, Maruyama was responsible for analytical methods development using gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography, development of laboratory automation applications, and analytical project management. In 1994, he was named laboratory supervisor, where he was responsible for the organic laboratory operations, which supported Environmental Control and Container Manufacturing. Maruyama was promoted to manager of the Research and Quality Assurance Laboratory in 1995, where he was responsible for managing the analytical laboratory that supports Brewing Research and Development and Corporate Quality Assurance. In 1999, Maruyama was promoted to the position of director of product quality in the Golden Brewery Business Unit, where he is responsible for the quality control functions in brewing and packaging operations. In addition to his role in quality, he assumed the responsibilities for Golden’s environmental health and safety and process improvement and training in 2000.

Maruyama is a member of ASBC and ACS and has presented papers and posters to ASBC and AOAC International. He has served ASBC as an active subcommittee participant and has chaired a number of technical subcommittees, including Coordination of New and Alternate Methods of Analysis.

Dirk S. Bendiak remains on the Board of Directors as president-elect. Bendiak received his B.Sc. degree in genetics from the University of Alberta (1975) and his Ph.D. degree in molecular biology from York University (1980). After a year of postdoctoral work at the University of Alberta in yeast mutational research, he began to work at Molson Breweries Canada Ltd. in 1981 as senior microbiologist. He has worked in the quality assurance and research areas, which has included numerous projects in microbial physiology, yeast physiology, yeast identification, fermentation, and yeast handling concerns. In 1995 he began as corporate operation specialist for Molson Canada, delving into areas of brewing and packaging troubleshooting. Since June 1999, he has been back in the brewing department as the microbiology and brewing specialist working on optimization of yeast propagation, yeast management practices, and microbiological issues. In March 2000, he began as corporate brewer responsible for licensee brewing, CIP issues, malt issues, and brewhouse capability studies. Bendiak has served as Program Committee chair for ASBC and as a Technical Committee member. He is also a member of MBAA, the American Society of Microbiologists, and the Canadian Genetics Society and an associate member of the Institute and Guild of Brewing.


Incoming ASBC Board of Directors. Seated (left to right): Nona M. Mundy, past-president; Dirk Bendiak, president-elect; Rob Maruyama, president; Suzanne Y. Thompson, vice-president; and Steven C. Nelson, executive officer. Standing: Scott E. Heisel, treasurer; James M. Murphey, Technical Committee chair; Tim Kostelecky, secretary; Karen DeVries, Program Committee chair; Graham Stewart, international director; and Robert Stewart, Publications Committee chair.

Incoming ASBC Board and their spouses. Seated (left to right): Jill Bendiak, Dirk Bendiak (president-elect), Rob Maruyama (president), Suzanne Y. Thompson (vice-president), and Steve Nelson (executive officer). Standing: Nona M. Mundy (past-president), Scott E. Heisel (treasurer), Brenda Murphey, James M. Murphey (Technical Committee chair), Sandy Kostelecky, Tim Kostelecky (secretary), Al DeVries, Karen DeVries (Program Committee chair), Graham Stewart (international director), Robert Stewart (Publications Committee chair), and Cindy Starkweather-Nelson.

Suzanne Y. Thompson, who joins the board as vice-president, is sensory manager at Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, WI. She has 21 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 in 1980. She has served the ASBC as Newsletter editor (2000-2001) and secretary (1996-1998), has been an active participant on several subcommittees, and chaired the Difference-From-Control Sensory Test Subcommittee in 1999. Thompson has led several taste training sessions at the Annual Meeting. She is also a member of the Institute of Food Technologists and the American Society for Testing and Materials.

Tim Kostelecky remains on the Board as secretary. Kostelecky received a B.Sc. degree in biochemistry from Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO, and joined the Coors Brewing Company in 1976, where he held positions as brewing chemist in quality control, malting/brewing research, and brewing materials quality assurance. He worked with the hop quality program at Coors from 1988 to 1993. From 1994 to 1996, Tim was the founder/director of the Rocky Mountain Brewing Institute in Denver, CO, providing training, education, and consultation to brewers. Tim joined John I. Haas, Inc., in Yakima, WA, in 1996 as technical services manager. He recently was appointed to the position of general manager of Haas Hop Products, Inc., in Washington DC. He has written articles for brewing publications such as Zymurgy and Brewing Techniques on the use of hops and hop products and has presented papers and posters for the ASBC and IoB (now IGB). Tim is a member of MBAA and has been an active member of ASBC since 1978. He has been involved as an ASBC subcommittee collaborator and was chairman of the ASBC Northwest Local Section 7 from 1998 to 2000. Tim and his wife, Sandy, transplanted from Colorado and plucked from eastern Washington state, now enjoy the bustle of northern Virginia.

Scott E. Heisel, new ASBC treasurer, is the vice president and technical director of the American Malting Barley Association, Inc. (AMBA) in Milwaukee, WI. He received B.S. degrees in biochemistry and in agronomy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1982. In 1986, he received his M.S. degree in agronomy. He worked for several years at the USDA/ARS Barley and Malt Laboratory and has published several papers on characterizing various enzymes of germinated barley and the use of biochemical techniques to identify barley varieties. Heisel joined AMBA in April of 1987. He is also a member of the American Association of Cereal Chemists. As a member of ASBC, Mr. Heisel has served as the chairman of ASBC Local Section 4, chaired the Subcommittee on Deoxynivalenol in Barley and Malt, moderated technical sessions, and currently serves as the liaison officer to the AACC.

Nona M. Mundy, remains on the board as past president. She received a B.S. in chemistry from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL, in 1967.

Mundy began employment with Anheuser-Busch in July 1967 as a chemist in the analytical laboratory of the Technical Center. Until 1994, she remained in the same laboratory, assuming various duties and job descriptions, including supervisor, instrument section (1979); laboratory supervisor (1986); and manager, analytical services (1986). Since 1994, she has functioned as manager, technical program administration, for Brewing Technical Services. Since 1996, she has been involved as an instructor (brewmaster) for the Budweiser Mobile Beer School. Mundy served the ASBC on the local level as secretary through past president (1986-1990). Besides serving on technical subcommittees and publishing a paper in the Journal, she served as Newsletter Editor from 1990 through 1994 and as Program Committee chairman from 1995 through 1997.

James Murphey continues on the board as chair of the Technical Committee. He is president of Murphey Analytical Lab Inc., Yakima, WA, which provides independent analytical and consulting services to the brewing industry in the areas of beer and raw materials, including hops, malt, and water. Before forming Murphey Analytical Lab in 1996, he worked for John I. Haas Inc., Yakima, first as chief chemist in 1985-1991 and then as director of research and quality control in 1991-1996. He received his B.S. degree in 1983 and his M.S. degree in 1988, both from Washington State University. Murphey has been a member of ASBC since 1985 and has served on numerous hop and beer-related subcommittees, chairing six of them. He has been a member of the Technical Committee since 1994. As chairman of this committee, Murphey also serves as liaison officer for EBC, IGB, and BCOJ and chair of the International Methods Subcommittee. His other affiliations have included membership in AOAC International, ACS, MBAA, and ASEV.

Robert Stewart remains on the board as chair of the Publications Committee. He earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1993 from the University of Toronto. He joined the Labatt research department in 1993, where he is currently principal scientist in technology development. He has been involved in projects on yeast flocculation, rapid methods for the detection of microorganisms, yeast strain development, and fermentation optimization. Stewart is also an adjunct professor of food science at both Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph and is a member of several professional societies, including the ASBC and the Canadian Institute of Food Science.


Outgoing ASBC Board of Directors. Seated (left to right): Rob Maruyama, president-elect; Nona M. Mundy, president; David S. Ryder, past-president. Standing: Dirk Bendiak, vice-president; Tim Kostelecky, secretary; Robert Stewart, Publications Committee chair; Karen DeVries, Program Committee chair; Graham Stewart, international director; James M. Murphey, Technical Committee chair; and Steven C. Nelson, executive officer.

Outgoing ASBC Board and their spouses. Seated (left to right): Nona M. Mundy (president), Rob Maruyama (president-elect), Vera Ryder, Dave Ryder (past-president), and Cindy Starkweather-Nelson. Standing: Jill Bendiak, Dirk Bendiak (vice-president), Tim Kostelecky (secretary), Sandy Kostelecky, Robert Stewart (Publications Committee chair), Al DeVries, Karen DeVries (Program Committee chair), Graham Stewart (international director), Brenda Murphey, James M. Murphey (Technical Committee chair), and Steve Nelson (executive officer).

Karen DeVries joins the board as chair of the Program Committee. She is manager of the analytical services group in the Technical Center of Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO. She received a B.S. degree in biochemistry from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. After working in the Biochemistry Department of Washington University Medical School and then in the Amino Acid Laboratory at Ralston Purina, she came to Anheuser-Busch. She was with Anheuser-Busch for 15 years in various capacities, including analytical chemist and methods development chemist, before being promoted to her current position. She has published two papers in the ASBC Journal, served as ASBC Newsletter editor from 1997 until 2000, and has participated on the ASBC Program Committee since 1999, when she was poster coordinator.

Graham Stewart continues on the Board as the international director. He is the director and professor of the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland. He received his B.Sc. Hons, microbiology, and B.Sc. Hons, biochemistry, from the University of Wales at Cardiff, and Ph.D. and D.Sc. degrees from Bath University. He was a lecturer in biochemistry in the School of Pharmacy at Portsmouth College of Technology (now Portsmouth University) from 1967 until 1969. From 1969 to 1994, he held a number of technical positions with Labatt’s in Canada and from 1986 to 1994 was director of brewing technical affairs for John Labatt Ltd. He became a member of the Institute of Brewing in 1969, was elected a fellow in 1987, and was the Institute’s president until earlier this year. He is also a member of the MBAA. He holds fellowships in the Institute of Biology and the American Academy of Microbiology. He is a 1983 and 1998 recipient of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas Presidential Award. In addition to coauthoring and editing a number of books, he has published over 170 original papers, patents, and reviews. He is the coeditor (with Dr. Inge Russell) of CRC’s Critical Reviews in Biotechnology and is a member of the editorial board of a number of journals including the Journal of the Institute of Brewing, the Journal of American Society of Brewing Chemists, and the Technical Quarterly of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas.


President Mundy presents plaque to outgoing Past-President David Ryder.

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Highlights of the ASBC Board of Directors Meeting

June 23, 2001

The ASBC Board of Directors met on Saturday, June 23, before the ASBC Annual Meeting in Victoria, British Columbia.

Nona Mundy gave the president’s report and confirmed that she had informed ASBC members Miyoko Ono, Al Hanould and Takashi Inoue of their election to receive Distinguished Member status in the Society. Also, Nona reported that she had informed Tony Cutaia on his election as a Lifetime Honorary Member of the ASBC. The Board wishes to express its congratulations to these members for their achievements and contributions.

President-Elect Rob Maruyama detailed the efforts of the ASBC in coordinating activities with the MBAA in several different ventures. First was the coordination of the ASBC/MBAA packaging seminar in Victoria. Rob mentioned that Karen DeVries and Chuck Carns did a great job of putting this program together and that we would have four speakers discussing a variety of issues. Rob also discussed the tentative arrangements for the ASBC/MBAA joint seminar at the MBAA annual meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico. The proposed name of the seminar is “Origins and Troubleshooting of Beer Flavor Defects.”

Rob is also involved in finalizing an agreement with the MBAA to hold a joint meeting in 2004 similar in design to the WBC 2000 held in Orlando last year. With the help of Brian Williams of the MBAA, Rob will work with the WBC 2000 coordinators, Jim Munroe and Joe Hertrich in planning this event. Because of the continuing joint involvement of the ASBC and MBAA, the Collaborative Steering Team that had been formed for the WBC 2000 meeting has coordinated and will continue to coordinate the ASBC/MBAA Victoria Packaging Seminar, WBC 2004, and joint publications from the two organizations.

David Ryder, past-president, reported on a meeting at the EBC in Budapest on May 15 to discuss the formation of a World Beer Alliance. This was a follow-up to an initial meeting held in London last summer headed by Adrian Gardner of the IGB (International Guild of Brewers) to look at the development of an alliance of the various global brewing technical societies. This alliance will help coordinate and utilize the resources of these organizations to benefit the brewing industry as a whole. The new group will be known as the Global Beer Alliance (GBA), and the organizations that will make up the GBA will be: MBAA (Master Brewers of the Americas), ASBC, EBC (European Brewery Convention), AoB (Association of Brewers), and the IGB (Institute and Guild of Brewing). Strategies and proposals are in development for the successful initiation of the GBA.


Al Haunold speaks after receiving his Award of Distinction at the banquet.

Technical Committee Chairman Jim Murphey reported on the progress of the committee. Of particular note, the Technical Committee approved the adoption of Megazyme for malt alpha-amylase determination in the ASBC Methods of Analysis. The 2000-2001 technical sub-committees are scheduled for continuation for the coming year with the exception of the Subcommittee for Citrate-Buffered Methylene Violet Stain for Yeast Viability, which will terminate due to this method’s lack of improvement over the standard methylene blue test. New subcommittees for the 2001-2002 year are: Protein in Hopped Wort and Beer by Spectrophotometric Method, Sprout Damage in Barley, and an EBC collaborative, HPLC Analysis of Iso-alpha-Acids and Reduced Iso-alpha-Acids.

Graham Stewart, international director, gave an informative report on the status of international brewing. This included a summary of the EBC Congress held in Budapest, which was the first EBC Congress held outside of Western Europe and which was attended by 750 delegates. Also, it was the first EBC Congress that was totally held in the English language. Updates on the IGB activities were presented as well as the status of the Interbrew/Bass merger, which Graham describes as a situation that gets “curiouser and curiouser.”

In an effort to keep the ASBC vital and to ensure the success of the Society in providing value to the industry, the Board has decided to hold strategic planning meetings separate from but in association with the usual Board meetings. The next Board meeting, to be held in September 2001, will devote a full day’s discussion to the future plans and strategies for the ASBC.


Takashi Inoue thanks the Society for giving him the Award of Distinction. The third awardee, Miyoko Ono, was unable to attend the meeting.
Tony Cutaia, after receiving an honorary life membership in the Society.

The meeting was adjourned with great anticipation of a successful meeting in Victoria.

-Tim Kostelecky
Secretary

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Highlights of the ASBC General Business Meeting

June 24, 2001

The general business meeting was called to order by President Nona Mundy at 8:00 a.m. Nona welcomed everyone to the 66th Annual Meeting and discussed many of the highlights of the past two years. An ASBC general business meeting was not held during the year 2000, due to the WBC 2000 in Orlando last summer.

Nona mentioned that the ASBC had a successful and profitable year, with many challenges and achievements. It was an unusual year in that four new Board members were appointed: secretary, Program Committee chair, Publication Committee chair, and Technical Committee chair.

The achievements of the ASBC during the past year include, first, the formation of the Global Beer Alliance, with Past-President David Ryder as the ASBC representative. Second is the approval of the ASBC Foundation, serving as a vehicle for the funding of academic scholarships and other programs to benefit the education of future brewing scientists. This foundation is patterned after the successful AACC program. Ecolab has generously contributed the first donation. Third is the establishment of WBC 2004, a combined effort of the ASBC and MBAA based on the success of WBC 2000. Later in the day, representatives from the ASBC and MBAA are to sign an agreement establishing the concept of WBC 2004. Fourth is the development of the ASBC E-newscapsule, an online publication designed to deliver news and information to ASBC members.

Strategic planning will continue as a priority of the Board of Directors to keep an eye on the future. The ASBC membership remains vital and strong, and the Board continues with a willingness to change the society in response to the changes in the membership and the industry. Nona mentioned that this meeting in Victoria is in a great venue and that the lecture hall is probably the best facility we’ve seen for oral presentations.

The minutes of the 65th Annual Meeting in Phoenix were read by Secretary Tim Kostelecky and approved after a motion by David Thomas and second by Mary Jane Maurice.

In the absence of Treasurer Richard Dube, President Nona Mundy gave the treasurer’s report. As of the end of the fiscal year on March 31, 2001, the balance sheet reflected net assets of $603,081; total liabilities of $513,221 and membership equity of $89,860. The society’s operating reserve fund balance is $311,111 as of June 30, 2001. For the twelve months ending March 31, 2001, the total income was $957,236 and the budget was $821,962. Expenses for that period totaled $835,573 compared to a budget of $808,571. The ASBC is financially sound, and the WBC was a financial success.

A moment of silence was observed in the memory of the deceased members: Hans Baker, Kurt Becker, Roger Briess, George Bredt, Tor-Magnun Enari, Andrew Kardos, Heinrich Pfennigner, William Sherk, Malcolm Stewart, and Joris Van Gheluwe.

Jim Murphey presented the Technical Committee report, noting that three new subcommittees were formed: Protein in Hopped Wort and Beer by Spectrophotometric Method; Sprout Damage in Barley; and HPLC Analysis of Iso-alpha-Acids and Reduced Iso-alpha-Acids (an EBC collaborative).

Rob Stewart gave the Publications Committee report. Eight articles will be appearing in the upcoming issue of the Journal and seven in the following issue. Rob mentioned that Joan Raumschuh would replace Suzanne Thompson as editor of the Newsletter. Suzanne was thanked for her efforts.

President-Elect Rob Maruyama reported on the ASBC local sections and noted that some were doing well while others could be doing better. This is a challenge for the coming years. Rob expressed appreciation for the leaders and participants of the local sections and gave them his thanks.

Graham Stewart, international director, described his role as a “diffuse and nebulous” one. He serves as the ASBC eyes outside North America. Dr. Stewart gave his view of various international brewing organizations, including the merger of the Institute of Brewing with the International Brewers Guild resulting in the formation of the Institute and Guild of Brewing.

The liaison reports followed: AMBA by Mike Davis, BMBRI by Erin Armstrong, HRC by David Hysert, AACC by Scott Heisel, ALAFACE by Rainer Haag, and MBAA by Rob Maruyama.

A motion was made by Dick Pyler to accept all reports as presented. Sherman Chan seconded, and the motion carried.

David Ryder presented the Nominating Committee’s proposed slate for Society officers: Dirk Bendiak, president-elect; Suzanne Thompson, vice-president; and Scott Heisel, treasurer. Nona Mundy asked for nominations from the floor, and none were given. Mike Davis moved to close the nominations, and Mike Barney seconded. The motion carried. Charlie Bamforth moved to accept the nominations and elect them by acclamation as Society officers. David Hysert seconded, and the motion carried.

Nona Mundy congratulated the new officers and made some concluding remarks and announcements. A motion to adjourn was made by Alex Speers, seconded by Dan Christopher, and the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned.

-Tim Kostelecky
Secretary


The three Daves. Dave Hysert, John I. Haas, Inc.; Dave Thomas, Coors Brewing Co.; and Dave Ryder, Miller Brewing Co.
Some of the past-presidents and their spouses. Seated (left to right): Jim Munroe, Miller Brewing Co.; Rob McCaig, Molson Breweries; and Dave Diffor, Yakima Chief. Standing: Paula Munroe; Louise McCaig, Judy and Dick Pyler, Coors Brewing Co.; Sherman and Amy Chan, Rahr Malting Co.; Rita Diffor; and Peter Gales, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

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2001 Annual Meeting Committee Reports

WELCOME AND PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

Good morning and welcome to the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Brewing Chemists in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I can fully appreciate that Victoria has not been the easiest place to get to, but we all know that the best things in life are always more difficult to get. I’m sure that will be the case here in Victoria—you’ll be glad that you came. And I’d like to thank Margaret Morrison for inviting us to her home town.

The ASBC has had a successful and profitable year, as you will hear shortly. There have been some challenges and some achievements. In spite of the fact that we had brand new members on the Board in the form of the Program, Publications, and Technical Committee chairmen, the challenges have been met, as you’ll note throughout this meeting. By way of a “State of the Society” message, I’d like to share with you some of our achievements.

The first is the Global Beer Alliance. In June 2000, a meeting was chaired by Adrian Gardner to establish whether closer liaisons between technical organizations worldwide would contribute to increased efficiencies between these organizations to the benefit of their individual members. A second meeting was held in Orlando and a third at the EBC in Budapest. At each of these meetings, some progress was made in defining the mission of the Alliance. As one of the charter organizations, we’ve been ably represented by David Ryder. The Alliance is still in its fledgling stage. It may be a while before it can fly, but we feel that the concepts are worth our attention and involvement.

Yesterday at the Board of Directors meeting, the Board approved the establishment of the ASBC Foundation. This foundation will solicit funds for and administer academic scholarships. By drawing on the principles already used by the AACC in a very successful program, we hope to use the ASBC to assist in the education of future brewing scientists. Our first donation has come from Ecolab Inc. Last year Jim Watson, vice-president, brewery support, approached then-President David Ryder with the idea of funding a scholarship. A little research on our part has brought us to where we are today. The details of how the ASBC Foundation will work will be provided in future newsletters and on the Web site. We hope that this Ecolab grant will be the first of many to fund this program.

On the heels of the extremely successful WBC 2000, both the ASBC and the MBAA have approved the idea of a WBC 2004, just three years down the road. We plan to use the blueprint provided by Jim Munroe, Joe Hertrich, and their technical program personnel to repeat the performance. Later today, the appropriate documents will be signed establishing the concept of WBC 2004, with Rob Maruyama assuming the ASBC role formerly held by Jim, and Brian Williams assuming the MBAA role formerly held by Joe. Particulars about when and where will be nailed down and will be available to you very soon.

With the help of the staff in St. Paul, we’ve launched the ASBC E-newscapsule, a vehicle to provide you with timely information about your Society. Only ASBC members get this newscapsule. We hope you not only like it but will find a way to contribute to it.

This Annual Meeting has a very full schedule of technical papers (both oral and posters), six workshops, and the exhibit area, plus plenty of hospitality. On Wednesday afternoon at 3:20, we’ve a special visitor. He’s not a scientist and is not going to throw technical terminology at us. His name is Allen Fahden—he’s an international author, speaker, strategic consultant, and corporate trainer on innovation and creativity. I’ve seen his video, and he’s a funny man—he’s from Minnesota where there are a lot of funny men (Garrison Keeler, Jesse Ventura, Steve Nelson?) Make it a point to end this annual meeting with Allen Fahden—you won’t be sorry.

-Nona Mundy

TREASURER’S REPORT

For the fiscal year ended Mar. 31, 2001, the balance sheet reflects net assets of $603,081, total liabilities of $513,221, and membership equity of $89,860. The Society’s operating reserve fund balance is $311,111 as of June 31, 2001. Operating reserve funds are invested as follows: Vanguard index funds (five accounts) totaling $195,111, vanguard money market $90,000, and Dean Witter bond fund $26,000. The Eric Kneen fund and student travel fund balances are $18,378 and $3,421, respectively, and are invested in a vanguard money market account. The auditor is required to adjust investments to market value annually. As the market value of index funds decreased during our fiscal year, the fund balances were adjusted to market value as of Mar. 31, 2001. This adjustment is reflected on the balance sheet and is not reflected on the income and expense statement.

For the 12 months ended Mar. 31, 2001, total income was $957,236 and the budget was $821,962. Expenses for same period totaled $835,573 compared to a budget of $808,571. Membership dues were under budget by $3,687 or 4.3%. The Check Sample Services Program continues to generate a 30% profit margin. Soluble starch sales for the year were $64,840 and generated a gross surplus of $43,526.

-Larry Hartmann
Director of Administration

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT

Below are reports from the editors of the ASBC Newsletter and Journal. In addition to the attached, the Society has been approached to have the ASBC methods manual transferred to a compact disc format. The company, ILM Corp., has provided a demonstration disc, but at present the actual cost is unclear. Further discussion with the Board and Publications Committee members would be advised before any further interaction with ILM.

Publications Committee. Front row, seated (left to right): Charlie Bamforth (Journal editor-in-chief), University of California-Davis; Tony Cutaia, Science Source LLC; and Karl Siebert, Cornell University. Second row, seated (left to right): Jean-Pierre Dufour, University of Otago; Margaret Morrison (editor, Methods of Analysis); and Suzanne Thompson (Newsletter editor), Miller Brewing Co. Top row, standing (left to right): Ken Berg (Internet editor) PQ Corp.; Michael Barney, Miller Brewing Co.; John Paul May, Haas Hop Products; David Hysert, John I. Haas, Inc.; Katherine A. Smart, Oxford Brooks University; Alex Speers, Dalhousie University; and Rob Stewart (chair), Labatt Breweries of Canada.

Report from Charles Bamforth, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists

Volume 59(2) has just appeared, containing eight papers. Six papers are slated for issue 59(3). A further eight papers have been accepted for publication. Three manuscripts are with the editor for consideration after modifications made by the authors. Sixteen manuscripts are with authors for consideration of referees’ comments. Six manuscripts are with referees.

An interchange of letters will be published in an upcoming issue. A party has registered concern that their work was not cited in a paper published in the Journal. I have given the authors of that paper the opportunity to reply.

I wish to acknowledge the excellent work of the staff in the St Paul office, Alfonso Navarro for his Spanish translations, and also Diane Bamforth for her invaluable secretarial support.

Report from Suzanne Y. Thompson, Editor, ASBC Newsletter

Since the last Board of Directors meeting in April, Vol. 61, No. 2 has been published. This issue included highlights from the Board of Directors meeting, the Nominating Committee report, local section news, industry news, and the Annual Meeting program. Thanks to everyone at St. Paul for their assistance in putting together this issue.

I have started to turn the Newsletter over to Joan Raumschuh and will work with her on Vol. 61, No. 3. This issue will include highlights of the Annual Meeting, ASBC committee reports, and various liaison reports. The deadline for items for this issue is July 11, 2001.

I have enjoyed serving as Newsletter editor and look forward to being back on the Board.

Report from Kenneth A. Berg, Internet Editor

The society’s Internet service, ASBCnet, continued to develop this year to better serve the membership. Major improvements included bringing the 1997 and 1998 issues of the ASBC Journal on-line, adding current and back issues of the newsletter, and hosting discussion groups on malt, hops, and yeast. Minor improvements included correcting and reorganizing links.

Efforts to make the Web site more useful for corporate members was a new initiative this year. A letter was sent to all corporate members offering to carry a link to the member’s Web site along with an index of company and product information. The responses received to date have been incorporated in a special page accessible from the home page. However, the list of corporate members apparently does not include all the key contact individuals for the companies represented in our society. We are considering how to offer company links to all of our working members.

Updating the membership directory, general site maintenance, and converting back issues of the Journal to on-line format used up the balance of the $15,000 budget for ASBCnet.

Several activities are still in progress. We are working on altering button and layout design to make site navigation more intuitive. ASBCnet will enjoy its own domain address (www.asbcnet.org) in the next few weeks. We are also pondering how to offer advertising opportunities without cluttering the home page with disruptions and distractions like banner ads.

I am thankful for having had the opportunity to serve the Society as Internet editor this year.

-Robert J. Stewart

Technical Session I. Left to right: Mike Davis (moderator), American Malting Barley Association, Milwaukee, WI; Robert E. Ward, Dept. of Food Science and Technology, University of California-Davis; Berne L. Jones, USDA-ARS Cereal Crops Research Unit and Dept. of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison; and Debora Fontanini, University of Madison, WI.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT

The ASBC Nominating Committee, consisting of Chairman David Ryder, Inge Russell, David Hysert, and John Grigsby, conferenced on Fri., Mar. 9, 2001, to discuss nominations for president-elect, vice president, and treasurer. Following active discussion and debate on a number of excellent recommended candidates, the Nominating Committee submitted the following names to the Board of Directors for approval: for president-elect, Dirk Bendiak, Molson Breweries, Etobicoke, ON; for vice-president, Suzanne Thompson, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI; and for treasurer, Scott Heisel, American Malting Barley Assoc., Milwaukee, WI.

-David Ryder

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS COMMITTEE

The committee this year was represented by Chairman David Ryder, David Hysert Rob McCaig and David Thomas. No changes to the constitution and by-laws were recommended.

-David Ryder

Technical Session II. Mike Joyce (moderator), Coors Brewing Co., Golden, CO; and Anja I. Pekkarinen, Dept. of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison and VTT Biotechnology, Espoo, Finland. Missing from photo: Robert Muller, Brewing Research International, Surrey, U.K. Technical Session III. Seated (left to right): Katherine Smart (moderator), Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, England; and Takaomi Yasuhara, Asahi Breweries Ltd., Ibaraki, Japan. Standing: Frank W. Nitzsche, Köenig Brauerei GmbH & Co. KG, Duisburg, Germany; Michael Barney, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI; and Hitoshi Chiba, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Yokohama, Japan.

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPORT

The Technical Committee and the subcommittee chairmen conducted eight collaborative studies during 2000-2001. As a result, one method is recommended for approval by the Board for inclusion in Methods of Analysis. The recommendation comes from the beta-Amylase Subcommittee (chaired by Mike Joyce). The beta-amylase powder from Megazyme was judged acceptable as a replacement for beta-amylase from Boehringer-Ingelheim Chemical Inc. for use in method Malt-7.

Six subcommittees having collaborative programs will be continuing for another year. These include: Determination of Hop Essential Oils by Capillary Gas Chromatography (chaired by Stephen Kenny), Evaluation of Nystatin as an Alternative to Cycloheximide in Selective Culture Media (chaired by Theresa Dowgiert), Selective Measurement of Acetohydroxy Acid Precursors of Vicinal Diketones (chaired by Chantelle McRoberts), Application of Nitrogen-Purging of Malt Extracts to Measure Two Dimethysulfide Precursors by Headspace Gas Chromatography (chaired by Gordon Laycock), Beer Color Using Tristimulus Analysis (chaired by Michael Clements), and Analytical Test Methods for Packaging (chaired by Charles Carns).

One subcommittee, Citrate-Buffered Methylene Violet for Yeast Viability (chaired by Maureen Land), has been terminated.

Outgoing and incoming Technical Committee members. Seated (left to right): Dirk Bendiak, Molson Breweries of Canada Ltd.; Cindy-Lou Dull, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; Charles Carns, Miller Brewing Co. Standing (left to right): Koichi Harayama (BCOJ), Asahi Breweries Ltd.; John Grigsby, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; James M. Murphey (chair), Murphey Analytical Lab Inc.; David Maradyn, Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd.; and Paul Schwarz, North Dakota State University.

The three standing subcommittees are Coordination of New and Alternate Methods of Analysis, International Methods, and Soluble Starch. John Engel has completed his second year as chairman of the Subcommittee for the Coordination of New and Alternate Methods of Analysis. As a result of John’s fine efforts over the past year, three new subcommittees have been initiated for the upcoming year. These are Sprout Damage in Barley, Protein in Hopped Wort and Beer by Spectrophotometric Method, and HPLC Analysis of Iso-alpha-Acids and Reduced Iso-alpha-acids (an EBC collaborative). Jim Murphey, chairman of the International Methods Subcommittee, has been corresponding with Koichi Harayama, BCOJ Analysis Committee chairman, and Claes-Goeran Johansson, EBC Analysis Committee chairman, concerning on-going collaborative trials as well as future opportunities for international method (IM) status. Sincere appreciation goes to Mike Joyce, chairman of the Soluble Starch Subcommittee, for his work over the past year to approve a new lot of soluble starch as well as his successful evaluation of the beta-amylase enzyme from Megazyme for use in Malt-7.

The Check Sample Services has experienced a successful year under the direction of Bahram Grami at the St. Paul office. Special appreciation is also extended to the check service managers, which include Stephen Kenny (Hop Analysis), John Barr (Malt and Barley Analysis), and Bahram Grami (Beer Analysis). The St. Paul staff is currently selling all four isomerized and reduced isomerized alpha-acids calibration standards.

Technical Committee and Subcommittee Chairs. Front row, seated (left to right): James M. Murphey (Technical Committee chair), Murphey Analytical Lab Inc.; David Maradyn, Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd.; and Chantelle McRoberts (Selective Measurement of Acetohydroxy Acid Precursors of Vicinal Diketones Subcommittee chair), Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd. Second row, seated: Dirk Bendiak, Molson Breweries of Canada Ltd.; John Grigsby, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; Charles S. Carns, Miller Brewing Co.; Cindy-Lou Dull, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; and Michael Joyce (Soluble Starch Subcommittee chair), Coors Brewing Co. Top row, standing: Koichi Harayama (BCOJ Analysis Committee chair), Asahi Breweries Ltd.; Paul Schwarz, North Dakota State University; John A. Engel (Coordination of New and Alternate Methods Subcommittee chair), Miller Brewing Co.; Theresa Dowgiert (Evaluation of Nystatin as an Alternative to Cycloheximide Subcommittee chair), Coors Brewing Co.; and Gordon Laycock (DMS Precursors in Malt by Headspace GC with Application of Nitrogen Purging of Extracts Subcommittee chair), Prairie Malt Ltd.

Special recognition goes out to the members of the Technical Committee for their diligent efforts over the past year. Members include Cindy-Lou Dull, Paul Schwarz, David Maradyn, Chuck Carns, Dirk Bendiak, and John Grigsby. John joins the Technical Committee in the capacity of senior advisor. This is a newly created position on the committee as a result of action taken by the Board in March 2001. The committee welcomes John and his valued expertise. Dirk leaves the Technical Committee after four years of excellent service to assume the duties of president-elect. The committee sincerely thanks Dirk for his diligent service.

-Jim Murphey


Technical Session IV. Left to right: Keith Villa (moderator), Coors Brewing Co., Golden, CO; Naoyuki Kobayashi, Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Shazuoka, Japan; David Lynch, University of California-Davis; Hirotaka Kaneda, Sapporo Breweries, Ltd., Shazuoka, Japan; and Mustafa Rehmanji, ISP, Wayne, NJ.

Technical Session V. Left to right: Jean-Pierre Dufour (moderator), University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Karl J. Siebert, Cornell University, Geneva, NY; Chikako Shimizu, Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Shizuoka, Japan; and Christopher D. Boswell, Centre for Bioprocess Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, West Midlands, U.K.

AACC LIAISON REPORT

The AACC continues to explore ways to provide value to its membership. The formulation of a strategic plan a few years ago has allowed the organization to access and react to the needs of its members. It is important that an organization such as the AACC maintain the ability to respond to the fast pace of technological advances and the consolidation within the industry.

While the strategic plan is one means of accomplishing this, it is not the only step taken by the AACC. A number of panels have been organized to study the various activities of the association. These include a Scientific Advisory Panel, a Professional Development Panel, and a Publications Panel.

The AACC published its 10th edition of Approved Methods. The completely revised and expanded Approved Methods is available in traditional hardcopy, an online version, and on CD-ROM. Sales to date have been somewhat disappointing. Similarly other publications (including Eagan Press Handbooks) have had reduced sales. Despite the lower sales, these publications contribute a positive income to the association.

The online presence of the association has been increasing. The addition of Cereal Chemistry articles, searchable meeting abstracts, annual meeting reports and an e-newsletter have increased the speed and ease of communicating with the membership. It is planned that by 2005, the printed version of Cereal Chemistry will be obsolete.

With the current ease of communication and the shared administration of AACC and ASBC, the need for a formal liaison officer has become obsolete. I propose that liaison between these two organizations continue on an informal and “as needed” basis.

-Scott E. Heisel

ALAFACE LIAISON REPORT

The 21st Annual Convention was held in Cartagena, Colombia, Sept. 12-16, 2000.

Besides getting a clear vision of Colombia and her economic perspectives, the participants had the opportunity to consider topics from integration to actualization of processes of fusion and acquisitions in Latin America, as well as virtual globalization and the productive use of cyberspace.

The Third Technical Congress took place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Apr. 18-20, 2001, with a total of 160 participants. All aspects of brewing were presented: microbiology, yeast dosage, malting related aspects, beer recovery from spent yeast, and energy savings. Each presentation was based on examples from the different breweries and made the information really practice-orientated.

During a workshop, the participants tried to answer the question: “What is the role and the range of responsibilities of a brewer in the future?” The opinions of the teams were clear and plain: the future brewmaster is seen as an academic rather than a craftsman, should have a good command of two languages besides his native one, and essentially show management capacities and the ability to motivate employees, as well as handling authority, and have the ability to work on totally different teams. In addition, the brewer should be able to put himself in the role of a consumer to produce a natural, high-quality product that fulfills the requirements of the customer.

In accordance with the publication schedule approved for MEBAK en Español, the translated third volume was presented at the 21st Convention of ALAFACE in September 2000, while the last-translated, fourth volume of MEBAK, dealing especially with the methods of analysis for filter aids, ion exchanger resins, beer and beverage hoses, technical gases, and draft beverages, was baptized with beer during the third Technical Congress.

The next Annual Convention will be held in Panama City on Sept. 6-7, 2001. The fourth Technical Congress is scheduled for April 2003.

-Rainer Haag


Technical Session VI. Left to right: Rebecca Newman (moderator), Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA; David Wilson, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK; Sylvie M. Van Zandycke, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, U.K.; Ilkka Virkajärvi, VTT Biotechnology, Espoo, Finland; and David A. Finn, International Centre for Brewing and Distilling, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Technical Session VII. Left to right: Robert Stewart (moderator), Labatt Breweries of Canada, Toronto, Ont.; Christopher D. Powell, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, U.K.; R. Alex Speers, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S., Canada; and David Liptrot, lvara Corp., Ont., Canada.

AMBA LIAISON REPORT

The American Malting Barley Association, Inc. (AMBA), a nonprofit trade association comprised of 10 major brewing and malting companies, continues its efforts to meet its mission of ensuring an adequate supply of malting barley for our industry. This mission is primarily met through the development of malting barley varieties with improved agronomic and quality characteristics. Since barley development in the U.S. is primarily a public-sector endeavor, an adequate national infrastructure of personnel, facilities, and operating funds, conducting the appropriate research, is necessary to produce an output of malting barley varieties. AMBA continues its direct grant program to federal and state institutions and has provided funding of $2.7 million in the last four years in support of barley research. AMBA has also played a major role in enhancing the national barley research infrastructure through its leadership of coalition efforts by barley, oat, and wheat groups to increase federal funding for “small grains” research. Federal funding of such research has increased dramatically, with $29.5 million in increases cumulatively obtained in the same four-year period for small grains research that includes barley. This increased funding is on top of substantial base budgets for small grains research that already exist at federal and state research locations.

AMBA continues its efforts to improve its capability to screen experimental barley lines for suitable quality. It has developed updated and more effective quality evaluation program procedures and new malting barley breeding guidelines that have two components: a table of ideal commercial malt analytical criteria and a table of varietal comparisons. Garnet, a two-row variety developed by the USDA-ARS in Aberdeen, ID, has completed plant-scale evaluation and has been added to the AMBA list of recommended malting barley varieties. Plant-scale evaluation continues for three promising six-row varieties: Drummond, developed at North Dakota State University; Lacey, developed at the University of Minnesota; and Legacy, developed by Busch Agricultural Resources, Inc.

AMBA hosted a successful 33rd biennial Barley Improvement Conference, Jan. 10-12, 2001, in San Antonio, TX, as part of its information and promotion program, which includes numerous publications, such as its Gleanings Newsletter and an informative Web site (http://www.AMBAinc.org).

-Michael P. Davis


Poster presenters. Seated (left to right): Gregory R. Kapp, University of California-Davis (P-1); Markku Mikola, University of Helsinki, Finland (P-2); and Sonia Collin, Université Catholique de Louvain, Unité de Brasserie et des Industries Alimentaires, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium (P-3). Standing: D. E. Langrell, Grain Research Laboratory, Canadian Grain Commission, Winnipeg, MB (P-6); Suzanne E. Clark, Dept. of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison (P-7); and Mary-Jane Maurice (poster coordinator), Froedtert Malt Corp.

BCOJ LIAISON REPORT

The following were all members of the Analysis Committee in 2000. Chairperson K. Harayama (Asahi Breweries Ltd.), Vice-Chairperson K. Ozaki (Asahi Breweries Ltd), members: M. Hashida (Asahi Breweries Ltd.), A. Taira (Orion Breweries Ltd.), M. Shimabukuro (Orion Breweries Ltd.), T. Miyagi (Orion Breweries Ltd.), S. Furusyo (Sapporo Breweries Ltd.), Y. Nara (Sapporo Breweries Ltd.), K. Oshita (Suntory Ltd.), J. Sawamura (BAJ-official member), M. Komori (BAJ-official member).

The committee held five meetings from April 2000 to March 2001 to publish Sensory Evaluation Methods of BCOJ.

Following the publication of BCOJ Microbiology Methods in 1999, BCOJ has initiated and will publish Sensory Evaluation Methods of BCOJ. As with other BCOJ official methods, this book is composed of the translated versions of EBC and ASBC methods.

Some representatives of the BCOJ Analysis Committee attended the ASBC Technical Committee meetings in July 2000 as part of WBC (World Brewing Congress) 2000 activities. Two of our representatives also attended EBC Sensory Analysis Subcommittee meetings in May and November 2000. In addition, two of our representatives attended two meetings of the International Subcommittee for Isomerized Hop alpha-Acid Standards in 2000. The BCOJ Analysis Committee participated in an HPLC analysis study on stability of the standards. At the annual meeting of BCOJ in October 2000, the activities of the BCOJ Analysis Committee were represented by oral and poster sessions.

In 2001, the BCOJ participated in four ASBC collaboratives as follows: 1) Selective Measurement of Acetohydroxy Acid Precursors of Vicinal Diketones (Chantelle McRoberts, Labatt Brewing Co Ltd, chair), 2) Beer Color using Tristimulus Analysis (T. Clements, Guinness Ireland Group Research Centre, chair), 3) Citrate-Buffered Methylene Violet Stain for Yeast Viability (Maureen Land, Siebel Institute of Technology, chair), and 4) Evaluation of Nystatin as an Alternative to Cycloheximide (Theresa L. Dowgiert, Coors Brewing, chair).

-Jim Murphey


Poster presenters. Seated (left to right): Richard D. Horsley, Dept. of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo (P-8); Paul Bolin, Busch Agricultural Resources, Inc., Manitowoc, WI (P-9); and A. D. Budde, USDA-ARS Cereal Crops Research Unit, Madison, WI (P-10). Standing: Laurie Marinac, USDA-ARS Cereal Crops Research Unit, Madison WI (P-11); Kevin Smith, Dept. of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul (P-12); Patricia Stanley, Dept. of Cereal and Food Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo (P-13); and Mary-Jane Maurice (poster coordinator), Froedtert Malt Corp.

BMBRI LIAISON REPORT

Over the past year, the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute (BMBRI) has continued activities in support of its mandate, which is to support the development and evaluation of new malting barley varieties in Canada that meet the needs of its member companies. Current members are Canada Malting Co. Ltd., Dominion Malting Ltd., Prairie Malt Ltd., Westcan Malting Ltd., Labatt Brewing Company Ltd., Molson Canada, Moosehead Breweries Ltd., Sleeman Breweries Ltd., and Anheuser-Busch Inc., the first member company based outside of Canada.

Research grants were given to five projects for 2001-2002, increased from three in 2000-2001. Three of the currently funded projects are continuing projects previously funded, and two are new projects funded for the first time.

Variety trials remain the primary activity of the BMBRI, with an increase in the number of lines being evaluated at all stages. The cooperative and collaborative trials are part of the evaluation system required for variety registration, which in turn is required for commercial production of a variety. Entries into these trials come from all four of the malting barley breeding programs in western Canada, along with entries from eastern Canada and from U.S. programs that are sponsored by Canadian grain and seed companies. The BMBRI and its member companies are involved in the evaluation of lines in the cooperative trials, which is the first stage during which malting quality is evaluated. There are currently 27 two-row malting entries and 14 six-row malting entries, along with their respective check varieties. The collaborative trials, which constitute the next stage, are organized by the BMBRI. In the 2001 two-row collaborative trial, there are four first-year entries, five second-year entries, and one third-year entry, along with three check varieties. In the six-row collaborative trial, there are four first-year entries, three second-year entries, and one check variety. With the changes in the Canadian registration system over the past several years, many more malting barley varieties are being recommended for full registration each year and are therefore available for commercial-scale trials. While the industry is interested in evaluating as many promising new varieties as possible, not all will undergo commercial-scale evaluation. In 2001, CDC Copeland, a new two-row malting barley variety from the Crop Development Centre in Saskatoon, will undergo extensive plant-scale trials for the first time. Other new varieties may undergo limited commercial-scale trials if enough barley is available from planned seed increases.

The BMBRI is in the process of updating its “List of Desirable Quality Traits in Malting Barley.” This list is targeted primarily at breeders and researchers as an indication of the quality traits of greatest importance to the industry, for both general information and research purposes. Once finalized, the revised list will be generally available.

The 18th Triennial Barley Improvement Meeting was hosted by the BMBRI in Winnipeg, June 14-15, 2001. It was attended by approximately 70 barley workers from Canada, the United States, and Australia. The program included updates from the programs supplying new lines to the malting barley pipeline in Canada, overviews of the evaluation systems in Canada and the United States, and reports from three of the research projects funded by the BMBRI.

In October of 2000, after more than 50 years at the same location, the BMBRI moved its office. Our new address is 303-161 Portage Ave. E., Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2L6; phone: 204/927-1407; fax: 204/947-5960.

-Erin Armstrong


Poster presenters. Seated (left to right): Cynthia A. Henson, Dept. of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison and USDA-ARS Cereal Crops Research Unit, Madison, WI (P-18); Jorgen Hansen, Carlsberg Laboratory, Dept. of Physiology (P-19); and Jeffery A. Hodgson, Scottish Courage Brewing Ltd., Edinburgh, Scotland (P-21, -23). Standing: K. Fukudome, Brewing Research Laboratories, Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Shizuoka, Japan (P-22); Jean-Pierre Dufour, Food Science Dept., University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand (P-24); James I. McLaren, World Brewing Academy, Chicago, IL/Lectoure, France (P-25); Frank Nitzsche, Köenig Brauerei GmbH & Co. KG, Duisburg, Germany (P-26); Declan L. Goode, Dept. of Food Science, Food Technology and Nutrition, National University of Ireland, Cork (P-4, -5, -14, -27); Philippe Perpete, Unité de Brasserie et des Industries Alimentaires, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium (P-29); and Sarah E. Bushnell, Dept. of Food Science and Technology, University of California-Davis (P-30).

EBC LIAISON REPORT

Claes-Goeran Johansson completed his second year as EBC Analysis Committee Chairman. We look forward to strengthening the relationship between the EBC and ASBC in our efforts for the harmonization of international methods.

The EBC Analysis Committee conducted eight interlab collaboratives during the past year. These include: 1) Hop Oil Content of Hop/Hop Products (Dr. M. Biendl, chair), 2) Aluminum in Beer (Dr. S. Bech Sorensen, chair), 3) Calcium in Wort (Dr. W. Hagen, chair), 4) beta-Glucan in Barley, Malt, Wort and Beer by FIA (Mr. K. Erdal, chair), 5) Friability (Dr. A. Douma, chair), 6) Foam Stability by NIBEM (Dr. A. Ferreira, chair), 7) Iso-alpha-acids in Wort/Beer by HPLC (Prof. R. Sharpe, chair), and 8) Sulphur Dioxide in Beer (Mr. L. Melotte, chair).

Additional activities undertaken by the EBC Analysis Committee include the formation of a Packaging Section, an EBC-IOB Flavor Group, and a Friability Calibration Network (FCN).

Future work under consideration by the EBC Analysis Committee includes Ring Analyses on Reduced Iso-alpha-Acids in Hop Extract, Iso-alpha-acids in Beer, Sensitive Protein/Chill Haze, beta-Glucan in Malt, and Aluminum in Beer.

-Jim Murphey


Poster presenters. Seated (left to right): Shuichi Segawa, Brewing Research Laboratories, Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Shazuoka, Japan (P-33); Jean-Pierre Dufour, Food Science Dept., University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand (P-34); and Jon W. Brown, Scottish Courage Brewing Ltd., Edinburgh, Scotland (P-35). Standing: Jim Larson and Joe Power, Alltech, Inc., Nicholasville, KY (P-36); Frank Nitzsche, Köenig Brauerei GmbH & Co. KG, Duisburg, Germany (P-37); Minoru Kobayashi, Asahi Breweries, Ltd., Ibaraki, Japan (P-38); and Richard H. J. Wilson (on behalf of the International Subcommittee for Isomerized Hop alpha-Acids Standards), Steiner Hops Ltd., Yakima, WA (P-39).

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 HRC membership has changed significantly since the last report (1999), primarily because of consolidation of the hop industry and two new brewer members. The current membership comprises six brewers (Busch Agricultural Resources, Inc.; Coors Brewing Company; Heineken, NV; Miller Brewing Company; Molson Brewing Company; and Suntory Ltd.), four hop dealers (John I. Haas, Inc.; Lupofresh; S.S. Steiner; and Yakima Chief, Inc.), and three hop commissions (Idaho Hop Commission, Oregon Hop Commission, and Washington Hop Commission). The HRC is pleased that two brewers have joined since the last report, namely Miller Brewing Company and Molson Brewing Company. 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 Robert Foster, Coors Brewing Company.

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, especially hop polyphenols; pathology, including virus and fungal diseases and control of aphids, mites, and other insects; and plant protection, including coordination of data for registration of pesticides. The HRC is currently reviewing its five-year strategic plan.

The 2001 winter meeting of the HRC was held Jan. 22-26 in Seattle, WA. The next meeting will be held July 31 and Aug. 1, 2001, in Yakima, WA.

-David Hysert

IGB LIAISON REPORT

F. R. Sharpe, chairman of the Institute and Guild of Brewing (IGB) Analysis Committee, has reported on the change of structure of the U.K. Brewing organizations. The International Brewers Guild and the Institute of Brewing amalgamated to become the Institute and Guild of Brewing. The focus of the IGB is training and education.

An effort is currently underway to incorporate all IoB methods within the EBC Analytica as soon as possible.

-Jim Murphey


Poster presenters. Left to right: Jeffery Cornell, Coors Brewing Co., Golden, CO (P-40); Hitoshi Chiba, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Yokohama, Japan (P-41); Frank Nitzsche, Köenig Brauerei GmbH & Co. KG, Duisburg, Germany (P-42); Stephen L. McCarthy, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO (P-43); and Barry Ziola, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada (P-28).

MBAA LIAISON REPORT

Most of my efforts have been focused on four areas: the MBAA/ASBC sponsored workshop at ASBC’s Victoria meeting, the MBAA’s annual meeting in Guadalajara, WBC 2004, and the ASBC/MBAA Collaborative Steering Team.

ASBC/MBAA Packaging Seminar in Victoria

Karen DeVries and Chuck Carns have done a wonderful job of putting the first packaging seminar together. Nice work! The seminar will be cofacilitated by Chuck Carns and Ray Klimovitz. The topics of discussion and facilitators are corrosion protection for malt coolers (Jack Powers, Ball Corporation), barrier protection and measurement (Philip Bourgeois, Owens Illinois), plastic beer bottles: a brewer’s perspective (Don Hutchinson, Anheuser-Busch), and packaging trends and innovation (Jim Fisher, Ball Corporation).

ASBC/MBAA Joint Symposium in Guadalajara

At our last Board meeting, we did not have clarity on the role that ASBC was to play at the MBAA Guadalajara convention. I contacted Greg Casey (MBAA Education Committee chair) about the symposium planning process. The MBAA Education Committee had initiated the planning process for the symposium and welcomed ASBC participation. The tentative arrangements for the workshop, “Origins and Troubleshooting of Beer Flavor Defects,” are that it will be from 1:00-5:00 p.m. on Sun., Nov. 4, 2001. Topics and some of the facilitators include a flavor defects tasting session and beer flavor defects (Flavor Activ/CARA technology), beer flavor and sensory science (Roy Desrochers), gauging beer flavor—trained tasters (Roy Desrochers), gauging beer flavor and analytical chemistry (Charlie Bamforth), 10 common off-flavors and taints, process origins of favor defects, trouble shooting, and case studies.

As noted, Charlie Bamforth has agreed to represent ASBC in this symposium. Charlie’s experience and in-depth knowledge of this subject are a perfect match for this symposium. He will be working with the MBAA Education Committee to finalize the plans for this session. Charlie, thank you!

WBC 2004 Planning.

After our winter Board meeting, Brian Williams (MBAA representative for WBC 2004) and I have talked a number of times about the WBC 2004 planning process. We reviewed the WBC template agreement. A meeting has been scheduled during the Victoria meeting to sign the WBC 2004 agreement and to continue planning for the next WBC. It is our goal to develop a “procedure/process map” for planning joint ASBC/MBAA meeting like the WBC. This procedure will help others in the future plan successful joint meetings. Using the template Jim Munroe and Joe Hertrich developed will speed our planning process. Both Jim and Joe have extended offers to support us. We will certainly use their experience during our procedure development and meeting planning.


WBC 2004 Co-chairmen. Rob Maruyama (left), Coors Brewing Co., representing ASBC, and Brian Williams (right), Pabst Brewing Co., representing MBAA.

ASBC/MBAA Collaborative Steering Team

Kathy Kinton (MBAA president-elect) and I have remained in contact throughout the year. The work the Collaborative Steering Team did in 2000 generated three initiatives: the packaging seminar in 2001, WBC 2004, and joint publications. Kathy and I will coordinate another meeting for the steering team after the Victoria meeting to generate ideas and discussions on the next steps for the joint publications initiative.

-Rob Maruyama
President-Elect

LOCAL SECTIONS REPORT

Section 1—New York

The section has five members, including one national member. It does not charge dues. In March 2001, it had a joint meeting with the local MBAA.

Section 2—St. Louis

There are 154 members, of whom 54 are national members and 13 are retired members. Dues are $15. Nine meetings were held in 2000/2001, one of them a joint meeting with the MBAA. The meetings were held at restaurants and microbreweries, with a fall outing to a Blues hockey game.

Section 3—North Central

The section has 54 members, with 15 national members and 22 retired members. No dues are charged. Four meetings were held in 2000/2001, all of them joint meetings with the MBAA. They were held at brewpubs and wineries.

Section 4—Milwaukee/Chicago

The 54 members pay $15 in dues. Six meetings held in 2000/2001; three were joint meetings with the MBAA. The meetings were held at member companies, microbreweries, and an Admirals hockey game.

Section 6—Canada

No meetings were held in 2001

Section 7—Northwest

The section has about 20 members, including 10 national members and six retired members. The dues are $10. Three meetings were held in 2000/2001, all in conjunction with the MBAA. This section is refocusing its efforts and will be reaching out to the micro- and craft brewers in the northwest.

At the Local Sections Breakfast. Seated (left to right): Dan Christopher (Section 7, Northwest), Busch Agricultural Services; Rich Ogle (Section 2, St. Louis), Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; David Kuske (Section 4, Milwaukee/Chicago), Breiss Industries Inc.; and Toby Eppard (Section 8,Wild Wild West), Coors Brewing Co. Standing: Dave Ryder (ASBC past-president); Tamora Pruneda (Section 7, Northwest), John I. Haas, Inc.; Joyce Carr (Section 7, Northwest), Hops Extract Corp.; and Rob Maruyama (ASBC president-elect).

Section 8—Wild West.

The section has about 60 members, about 25 of whom are national members. It has zero retired members (still too young!). There are no dues; the system is pay as you go. Two meetings were held in 2000/2001. The one joint meeting with the MBAA is considered a big event and has been planned annually.

This was the fourth year that one meeting was part of the Rocky Mountain Micro-Brewing Symposium. The local section had an ASBC booth at this year’s symposium. The focus for 2001 will be on surveying members on specific lab needs and then developing workshops covering the respective ASBC methods or identifying new craft method needs.

General assessment

All of the active local sections have at least one joint meeting a year with the MBAA. In one section, the joint MBAA meeting is a big event. Joint meetings appear successful in all of the local sections. Participation in two of the sections is limited. The business environment, without Stroh’s, also affected some of the ASBC local sections. Some sections are also reaching out to the local micro- and craft brewers for new members.

Student Section

I’m not aware of any activity this year. Areas of focus continue to be on the current situation and on what more can be done.

Currently, ASBC provides a network that allows students to explore potential employment opportunities, a venue for students to present their research, a monetary grant to presenting students to assist in their expenses at an annual meeting, and a reception designed to welcome the students and introduce them to the Society and to each other.

Additional things that can be done are to establish a scholarship fund, administered by the past presidents and endowed by the membership-at-large; add a student section icon to the Web site to encourage questions and answers (chat) among interested students; and identify the Student Advisory Board and supply them with material designed to promote participation from within the members of the section.

-Rob Maruyama
President-Elect

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President's Thank You

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ASBC Members Honored with Award of Distinction and Honorary Life Membership

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Call for Nominations for ASBC Awards

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Proposed Addition to the ASBC By-Laws

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2001 Winners of the Eric Kneen Award Announced

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ASBC Says Thank You to

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Editor Profiles

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Industry News

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Local Section News

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New Active Members

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Cruising the Inside Passage

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ASBC Unclaimed Minutes

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Active ASBC Corporate Members

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ASBC Past Presidents

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Upcoming Events

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