ASBC Newsletter
VOLUME 62, NUMBER 4 - 2002

Robert Maruyama, Chair
Coors Brewing Company
PO Box 4030
Mail #BA300
Golden, CO 80401
303/277-6499
Fax 303/277-2675
E-mail rob.maruyama@coors.com

David W. Hysert
John I. Haas Inc.
P.O. Box 1441
Yakima, WA 98907-1441
509/469-4011
Fax 509/469-4080
E-mail: dave.hysert@johnihaas.com

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

Michael Davis
American Malting Barley Assoc.
740 N. Plankinton Ave., Suite 830
Milwaukee, WI 53203
414/272-4640
Fax 414/272-4631
E-mail mpdavis@execpc.com

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Local Section News

Local Section 1—New York

Local Section 1 is in the planning stage for a joint meeting with MBAA or with ASQ this fall.

Dennis Lenahan, Chair

Local Section 2—St. Louis

Local Section 2 is kicking off the year with a preseason Blues game on Oct. 4 versus rival Chicago Blackhawks at the Savvis Center. In late October, the first official meeting will be conducted. The scheduled date is October 23, with the meeting location and speaker to be announced.

Stephanie Judge, Vice Chair

Local Section 3—North Central

No meetings have been scheduled.

Gerri Kustelski, Secretary/Treasurer

Local Section 4—Milwaukee/Chicago

Local Section 4 will hold a joint meeting with the Milwaukee district of the MBAA on Sept. 19. Tours will be given at Gray’s Brewing Co. (2424 W. Court St., Janeville, WI). The entourage then heads to Randy’s Fun Hunters Brewery (841 E. Milwaukee St., Whitewater, WI). A business meeting, brewery tours, and dinner are on the agenda at Randy’s.

Nothing has been scheduled for October as of yet, but another joint meeting with the MBAA will be held on Nov. 21 at the Miller Brewing Company’s Miller Inn (4000 W. State St., Milwaukee, WI).

Mike Scanzello, Secretary

Local Section 6—Canada

A meeting of the local ASBC section was held on Aug. 15 in the Molson Toronto Pub. Robert Stewart, the local section president, arranged the program. The technical session had two presenters. Angelo Tobia from Johnson Diversey discussed “Strategies for the Prevention of Musty Off-Flavors in Beer.” Eighteen members attended, with representation from the national and regional organizations and from microbreweries. The technical program was followed by a barbecue.

This event was well received, even in vacation season. Another event is to be planned for the spring of 2003.

Rob Stewart, Chair

Local Section 7—Northwest

District Northwest will hold its fall meeting a month early. We will be meeting with MBAA as usual, and the meeting will be in Olympia, WA, on Sept. 20 and 21. The first day will be devoted to bonding-golf, hiking, brewery tours, hospitality, and a dinner. The second day will be business meetings and a great technical program, with a lunch thrown in there somewhere.

Our spring meeting will once again be in Hood River, OR. We hope to see some of you at one of them. With a group of over 90 brewers, maltsters, hops people, and the allied industries, the meetings are always informative and fun.

Dan Christopher, Chair

Local Section 8—Wild West

Our next scheduled event is our joint ASBC/MBAA meeting, to be held at Coors Brewing Company on Nov. 18. The speaker and topic are still under consideration.

Patrick Dobolek, Vice Chair and Secretary

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Highlights of the ASBC Board of Directors Meeting

The ASBC Board of Directors met on Saturday, September 7, and Sunday, September 8, in St. Paul, MN.

President Dirk Bendiak opened with an update on planning for the World Brewing Congress 2004 in San Diego. ASBC is working with individuals from MBAA and EBC to develop an excellent technical program. Meetings will take place at the MBAA Convention in October to create a program draft and set the budget.

The Global Beer Alliance (GBA) website is now available for our members to peruse. The website states that the ASBC, MBAA, and EBC have not signed any agreements with the Alliance. The Board of Directors is still monitoring the fledgling organization to determine whether it merits our support. All three societies are scheduled to meet with GBA representatives during the MBAA Convention.

President-Elect Sue Thompson has contacted the local sections for updates on their activities and membership. Treasurer Scott Heisel suggested that local sections send their membership forms and meeting schedules to St. Paul for posting on our website. The Board also would like a list of all students who are potential contributors to the Society. Some students are not aware that the Travel Grant Fund is available to assist students who would like to present their work at the Annual Meeting. The Board has authorized the addition of a line to the dues notice that asks for an optional $10 contribution to the Student Travel Grant Fund. Information packets will be sent to individuals in the industry as a part of our ongoing commitment to increase Society membership.

International Director Katherine Smart presented an excellent overview of industry-related news and meetings around the globe. Katherine’s insight provides ASBC with a link to events that our membership generally cannot experience firsthand.

Vice-President Tim Kostelecky has sent procedure manuals to all of the officers and committee chairpersons for review. These manuals are important for consistency, since different individuals fill key roles in the society each year. Local sections will also receive manuals in the coming weeks. The Professional Development Committee is charged with implementing educational activities for the benefit of members. One essential function is the development of seminars and short courses to be offered in conjunction with the Annual Meeting. Members who have ideas for these offerings are encouraged to E-mail any member of the Board of Directors.

The ASBC Foundation has awarded the Ecolab Scholarship for 2002 to Alberto Sun of UC-Davis. It is hoped that, with additional member and corporate support, additional annual scholarships can be awarded. The membership has received a solicitation from the Foundation for this worthwhile cause. An optional foundation contribution of $10 has also been added to 2003 dues notices.

The Technical Committee is moving forward with three standing and 11 method subcommittees. Future activities for the Technical Committee include a review of existing methods for the use of hazardous or obsolete chemicals, polling for interest in a water check service, and the possible development of a beer check service for craft brewers. An invitation to become involved in this valuable function of our society will appear in an early fall news capsule. The committee is also examining the best way to make the transform for the method “Beer Color by Tristimulus Analysis “ available to our members.

Mike Joyce heads up the very active Publications Committee. The initial transformation of the Methods of Analysis to electronic format is proceeding as planned. This transformation will allow the methods to be published in a wider variety of forms. The Journal of the ASBC continues to publish excellent research in the industry. Submissions from presenters in Tucson have been very slow to come in. Presenters are strongly encouraged to have written submissions ready for collection during the Annual Meeting. Timely submission maintains the excitement generated by novel research presented during the meeting. Electronic submission of articles is a cost- and time-effective way for the Journal staff to manage manuscripts and is therefore encouraged. The Newsletter is run very well by Joan Raumschuh and continues to be a great way to disseminate information about ASBC.

Internet Editor Robert Jensen informed the Board that ASBCnet.org is now its own domain, which will allow faster searching and more interaction in months to come. The site averages 7,000-8,000 visitors per month, mostly for journal contents. Pete Gales has done a great job in implementing the Best Practices Manual. Fifty-nine questions have been submitted to individuals in the following areas: beer styles, water, barley, malting, adjuncts, and hops. These are merely the first areas that will be covered, with other facets of the industry to be added as the initial group nears completion.

Karen DeVries and the Program Committee are busy planning the 2003 Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, NM. The deadline for paper titles and authors is December 13, 2002, with abstracts due January 10, 2003. Karen presented ideas for the seminars and workshops that are an integral part of the new meeting format. An opportunity to conduct a hops short course in Park City, UT, next March is also being explored.

ASBC staff and Treasurer Scott Heisel discussed the finances of the Society. ASBC showed a loss of $2,009 in the period from April 1 to June 30, 2002. Membership remained static during the period. Costs involved in the publication of the Methods of Analysis in book and CD-Rom format were presented, as the Board will decide in which format the next edition should be issued. Check Service subscriptions are also level, with Barley Analysis dropping from nine to eight subscribers in the past six months. Members are encouraged to subscribe to this important means of laboratory performance verification.

In conclusion, the Board of Directors reexamined the Strategic Plan to ensure that its activities are aligned with this plan.

Mary-Jane Maurice
Secretary

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2002-2003 Technical Subcommittee Reports

The Technical Committee and subcommittee chairs met on September 20 in St. Paul, MN, to finalize details for subcommittee work during 2002-2003. There will be a total of 14 technical subcommittees in the upcoming year. Of these, eight are new, having been recommended by the Subcommittee for New and Alternate Methods of Analysis or having arisen from workshops and/or discussions at the Annual Meeting in Tucson.

Three subcommittees are in their second year of testing: Determination of Hop Essential Oils by Capillary Gas Chromatography (chaired by Steve Kenny); Evaluation of Nystatin as an Alternative to Cycloheximide in Selective Culture Media (chaired by Mike Barney); and Methods for the Measurement of Yeast Vitality, formerly called Alternative Stains for Yeast Viability (chaired by Sylvie Van Zandycke). In its first year, Tom Pugh, formerly of Miller Brewing Company, chaired this subcommittee. Recently, Tom left the brewing industry to pursue endeavors at E. & J. Gallo Winery. His contributions to the ASBC are greatly appreciated, and he will be missed!

The three standing subcommittees are New and Alternate Methods of Analysis (chaired by John Engel), Soluble Starch (chaired by Dan Christopher), and International Collaborative Methods (chaired by Cindy-Lou Dull). The Technical Committee wishes to thank Mike Joyce for his exemplary work in chairing the Subcommittee on Soluble Starch for three years. Mike takes on a new challenge as chair of the Publications Committee.

Three subcommittees focus on packaging-related issues and, for the first time, one subcommittee, Grist Analysis by Manual Sieve (chaired by Jennifer Helber), is directed toward the craft brewers’ segment of the ASBC membership. One subcommittee, Selective Measurement of Acetohydroxy Acid Precursors of Vicinal Diketones, will be deferred for this year because a chairman could not be identified to coordinate collaborative study.

The Check Service programs include Beer Analysis (managed by Brian Simdars of the St. Paul staff), Hop Analysis (managed by Steve Kenny), and Malt Analysis and Barley Analysis (both managed by John Barr). In addition, the Technical Committee will pursue the feasibility of two other check services, one for water and one for beer for craft brewers.

As time constraints are greater than ever for all of us, the hard work and dedication demonstrated by the subcommittee chairs in preparation for the fall meeting is greatly appreciated and portends success for the collaborative programs for 2002-2003!

Members of the Technical Committee include Cindy-Lou Dull (chair), John Grigsby (senior advisor), Paul Schwarz, David Maradyn, Chuck Carns, and two new members, Bob Foster and Keith Villa. We look forward to a challenging and successful year ahead in serving the ASBC!

Below are descriptions of the subcommittees and biographical sketches of their chairs. Subcommittee membership had not been finalized before publication of this Newsletter issue, and therefore collaborative members will be listed in a later issue.

Coordination of New and Alternate Methods of Analysis

This a standing subcommittee whose function is to collect, from various sources, new and alternate methods of analysis that may be useful for the industries our society serves. These methods are reviewed to establish their merit and utility, and a recommendation regarding collaborative testing is made to the Technical Committee. The subcommittee is also charged with periodically reviewing existing methods for accuracy and usefulness. John Engel continues in the role of chair for this important subcommittee.

John Engel
Miller Brewing Co.
PO Box 482
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0482
414/931-2099
Fax: 414/931-2506
engel.john@mbco.com

John A. Engel is the corporate quality services manager of product for the Miller Brewing Company. He began his career with Miller Brewing Company in June of 1980. During his 22 years with the company, he has held numerous positions within its quality organization at various locations and is currently responsible for establishing and administering corporate-wide product quality programs. These responsibilities include managing analytical services, process quality, problem solving/troubleshooting and sensory programs for the corporate headquarters, seven domestic breweries, and numerous international licensees. He obtained a B.S. in chemistry from Carroll College in Waukesha, WI. John has been an active member of the ASBC over the years, and this marks his fourth year as chairman of the Subcommittee for New and Alternate Methods of Analysis. He is also a member of the MBAA.

Determination of Hop Essential Oils by Capillary Gas Chromatography

In the first year, the repeatability and reproducibility coefficients of variation for the 11 essential oil components and the two essential oil component ratios studied were evaluated and judged acceptable. The subcommittee recommended that the collaborative be repeated with more varied hop essential oil samples and a larger number of collaborators. During the second year of the subcommittee's evaluation of hop essential oil analysis by capillary gas chromatography, the collaborative study focused on whether reproducible separation, identification, and quantification of selected hop essential oil components could be achieved across multiple laboratories without using a stipulated capillary gas chromatographic procedure. Although repeatability was judged acceptable for all of the hop essential oils evaluated, reproducibility for some hop oils was judged unacceptable. In its third year of collaboration, the subcommittee will repeat the study with some of the hop essential oil samples spiked to enrich selected minor components to determine whether reproducibility can be improved. Steve Kenny chairs the subcommittee.

Stephen Kenny
Washington State University
IAREC
24106 N. Bunn Rd.
Prosser, WA 99350-8694
509/786-9284
Fax: 509/786-9370
skenny@tricity.wsu.edu

Steve is a research scientist in hop genetics and breeding at Washington State University. He received a B.S. degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from Frostburg State University in 1974. After completing an M.S. degree in genetics from North Carolina State University in 1976, he began a journey to the drier, western states. He graduated with a Ph.D. in plant genetics from Colorado State University in 1981 and ended his westward journey at Washington State University shortly thereafter. He is responsible for developing new hop cultivars and hop germ plasm with improved resistance to hop pests. Working with the Hop Research Council, he released several hop cultivars, with Glacier being the most recent. He has been a member of several ASBC subcommittees for hop analytical methods, has collaborated with others to standardize ICE-2 for HPLC analysis of hop acids, and has chaired a subcommittee using headspace solid phase micro extraction. to evaluate hop essential oil components. Hops aside, Steve keeps busy with the activities of three teenage boys and remodeling his house.

Determination of Viability by Fluorescent Staining

This subcommittee is a result of discussions at the Yeast Workshop at the Annual Meeting in Tucson and is intended to complement the work being conducted by the Subcommittee on Methods for the Measurement of Yeast Vitality. The objective of this study is to evaluate fluorescent stains for viability determination of brewing yeast. Katherine Smart and Chris Powell will share chairmanship responsibilities.

Katherine Smart
Oxford Brookes University
Gipsy Lane
Headington
Oxford OX3 0BP
UNITED KINGDOM
44-1865-483248
Fax: 44-1737-822747
kasmart@brookes.ac.uk

Chris Powell
School of Biol & Molec Sciences
Gipsy Lane
Headington
Oxford OX3 0BP
UNITED KINGDOM
44-1865-484413
Fax: 44-1865-484410
cdpowell@brookes.ac.uk

Katherine Smart completed a B.Sc. in biological sciences at Nottingham University and was awarded the Rainbow Research Scholarship to complete a Ph.D. in brewing yeast physiology at Bass Brewers, Burton-on-Trent. She then moved to Cambridge University to take up an appointment as research fellow in the Department of Plant Sciences, where she worked on bioactive surfaces, biofouling, and bacterial contamination of beverages. In 1992, at the age of 25, Katherine became a lecturer and then senior lecturer in microbiology and fermentation at Oxford Brookes University. Now the Scottish Courage Reader in Brewing Science, and a fellow of the Institute and Guild of Brewing, Katherine has recently commenced a Royal Society Industrial Fellowship. She is also chief executive officer of Smart Brewing Services.

Katherine is the chair of the International Section of the Institute and Guild of Brewing and is a member of the Products and Services and Section Representatives committees and Editorial Board. She serves on the Board of the American Society of Brewing Chemists as international director and is also a member of the Society’s Program Committee and Editorial Board.

Chris Powell graduated from Oxford Brookes University in 1996 with a B.Sc. in biology. He then occupied a variety of research positions investigating aspects of heavy metal toxicity in fission yeast and oxidative stress in brewing yeast. In 1997, Chris moved to Bass Brewers to work as part of the research and development team. Chris began his Ph.D. later in the same year, investigating the impact of yeast cellular ageing on fermentation performance. Having obtained his doctorate in December 2001, Chris is currently involved in a European project exploring mechanisms for the rapid detection of bacterial contaminants within the brewing industry.

Evaluation of Can Packaging Methods

This subcommittee was charged with editing and rewriting the Cans section of the chapter on Packaging and Packaging Materials for the ASBC Methods of Analysis. Nineteen sections have been submitted for review by the subcommittee, whose members represent the can manufacturers for the brewing industry. Methods under review may be accepted, submitted with revisions, or possibly eliminated from the Cans section of the packaging methods of the MOA, if found to be no longer applicable to can packaging methodology. The subcommittee chair is Tom Fetters.

Tom Fetters
Crown Cork & Seal Co.
11535 S. Central Ave.
Alsip, IL 60803-3418
708/239-5050
Fax: 708/239-5350
tfetters@crowncork.com

Tom Fetters, manager of packaging performance at Crown Cork & Seal’s William J Avery Technical Center in Chicago’s southwestern suburb of Alsip, has had 40 years in the packaging industry. He has worked with food and sanitary cans, two- and three-piece beverage cans, aerosol and general packaging containers, plastic bottles and plastic closures, and crowns and metal closures. He has worked for Continental Can, Bond Crown and White Cap, and Crown Cork and Seal, including Constar (plastic bottles) and Anchor Hocking Closures, all with an unbroken term of employment as companies were sold and purchased.

A chemical engineering graduate of Clemson University in South Carolina, Tom has applied classic forensic skills to determine the causes of unusual packaging complaints that traditionally begin with “Your darn (fill in the blank) is causing our product to fail!” He has had his own share of “CSI-type” investigations, including an actual criminal investigation while he was operating a facility.

He has been a member of the ASBC since 1993 and has participated on several packaging committees. He worked with the Master Brewers Association of the Americas’ training classes in Madison, WI, providing the section on crowns.

He has several patents related to liner gasket materials and has written several books on South Carolina railroads and on Lustron steel houses. He currently has two books at publishers, one on logging railroads and one on an unusual shortline railroad. He is currently writing a chapter on packaging for Beer Handbook.

Evaluation of Nystatin as an Alternative to Cycloheximide in Selective Culture Media

At the 2002 Annual Meeting of the ASBC in Tucson, AZ, it was recommended that the subcommittee proceed with the collaborative study that had been prepared for the previous year. The study will evaluate whether nystatin is an acceptable alternative to cycloheximide for the suppression of brewing yeast in culture media utilized in the detection of microorganisms in brewery samples. Concern for the availability, safety, and cost of cycloheximide prompted the request to evaluate alternative agents. Mike Barney is welcomed as the new chairman for this subcommittee.

Michael Barney
Miller Brewing Company
3939 W. Highland Blvd.
PO Box 482
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0482
414/931-2293
Fax: 414/931-2506
barney.michael@mbco.com

Michael attended the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in microbiology from UW-O. He did postgraduate studies toward a Ph.D. in microbiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is a member of the American Society for Microbiology, the Institute of Food Technologists, the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, and the ASBC. Michael joined the Research Department of the Miller Brewing Company in 1973. His current title is principal research scientist. His research has dealt with many aspects of brewing microbiology, including food product safety, microbiological stabilization of beers, rapid methods for detecting and identifying beer spoilage microorganisms, yeast handling, and genetic improvement of brewer’s yeast. In addition to his research projects, Michael is an instructor in brewing microbiology in-house at Miller as well as at the Siebel Institute. He has multiple publications and patents in the field and has presented lectures on brewing microbiology and rapid microbiological methods at several universities, workshops, and professional society meetings.

Grist Analysis by Manual Sieve

Following approval of the method Malt Grind by Standard Sieve Test for inclusion in the Methods of Analysis in 2001, it was suggested that a method that could be employed by smaller breweries would be useful to the craft brewers’ segment of the industry. This subcommittee is charged with evaluating a manual shaking method for test sieves as part of a routine quality assurance program. The subcommittee chairman is Jennifer Helber.

Jennifer Helber
Boulevard Brewing Co.
2501 Southwest Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64108
816/474-7095
Fax: 816/474-1722
jhelber@blvdbeer.com

Jennifer Helber graduated with a B.S. in biology (minor in chemistry) from Central Missouri State University in 1978. After working several years in industrial laboratories, she returned to school and earned an M.S. in microbiology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1985. Following that, her employment was in grant-funded academic research laboratories in the Kansas City area, with a variety of foci, from spontaneous mutations in Neurospora to expression of estrogen receptors in the study of breast cancer. During the course of her research experience, she was asked to propagate yeast for a brewery in Kansas City at its inception. In 1999, after nearly 15 years in research labs, she chose a laboratory QA/QC position with Boulevard Brewing Co. She thoroughly enjoys her career move to the brewing industry, and she also enjoys gardening and activities at the lake where she resides with her family.

International Collaborative Methods (ICM)

This is a standing subcommittee whose function is to maintain effective communication between the ASBC and pertinent international technical societies (BCOJ, EBC, and IGB) on matters concerning the efficient, timely, and coordinated development of common methods for international use. Methods developed in this manner assume international collaborative method (ICM) status. The subcommittee chair is Cindy-Lou Dull.

Cindy-Lou Dull
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
1 Busch Place, Mailcode 36-5
St. Louis, MO 63118-1852
314/577-3221
Fax: 314/577-1055
cindy-lou.dull@anheuser-busch.com

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ASBC Foundation "Ecolab" Scholarship Awarded to Alberto Sun

The first (and this year’s only) scholarship from the newly-created ASBC Foundation was awarded for the 2002-2003 academic year to Alberto Sun (pictured at left), a master’s degree candidate at the University of California-Davis. This scholarship was funded though a generous donation from Ecolab.

Alberto received his B.S. in food science from North Dakota State University in 2001. He considered his course in “Malting and Brewing” taught by Dr. Paul Schwarz to be the turning point in his career development and what piqued his interest in the malting and brewing industries. After a summer internship at Anheuser-Busch and a semester as an undergraduate researcher studying resistant starch in malted barley, he entered the Food Science and Technology graduate program at UC-Davis.

The topic of his research is esterases in barley and malt, for which he will research the impact that barley esterases may have in the barley grain as well as in the malted barley. His academic and professional affiliations include student membership in AACC, IGB, MBAA, and ASBC. He is an active member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and has been active in the NDSU Food Science Club and International Students Association. He was the 2001-2002 UCD Food Science Graduate Student Association IFT Fellows Chair and the 2002-2003 IFTSA Western Area representative.

ASBC congratulates Mr. Sun on his accomplishments and encourages him to continue his path of academic excellence. Finally, an additional expression of gratitude goes to Ecolab. Their wonderful donation proved to be the impetus for the establishment of the ASBC Scholarship Foundation. Students who wish to apply for next year’s scholarship can find an application on ASBCnet or can contact Linda Schmitt at ASBC Headquarters (lschmitt@scisoc.org).

Letter to ASBC from Alberto Sun

I have just received your letter regarding the ASBC Fellowship and I must tell you that I am extremely honored to receive an award from such a respected and competent institution. I ensure you that this recognition will assist me and motivate me towards productive research in malting and brewing, as well as give me a boost of incentive to achieve my goals in this exciting and challenging field of study.

Once again, I would like to thank you and ASBC for this great honor.

Sincerely,
Alberto Sun

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Student Travel Grant Program Fund Solicitation and Participation

ASBC is proud to support its student members. In 2002, the Student Travel Grant Program awarded travel funds to 10 students so that they could attend the Annual Meeting in Tucson and participate in the technical programs. The travel grants covered partial expenses for students who presented a paper or poster at the meeting.

The amount of the grant is determined by the amount of funds raised for the program and 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 2003 Santa Ana Pueblo 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 contributions 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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Call for Papers (Submission Instructions)

The ASBC Program Committee is in the process of soliciting oral presentations and posters for the Annual Meeting in Santa Ana Pueblo, near Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 7-11, 2003. This program promises to follow in the footsteps of previous years, offering exemplary technical and poster sessions sure to pique the interest of anyone in the scientific brewing community.

Sessions will revolve around raw materials, yeast technology, fermentation, finishing, packaging, and flavor stability. Subject matter for both oral presentations and posters may be original research and development; describe advances or progress in brewing and packaging technology; show modifications to brewing techniques, analytical procedures, or applications; or be of technical review format.

Both oral and poster presentations will be reviewed for acceptance into the program. To be considered for acceptance, please make note of the following deadlines:

1. Before December 13, 2002—Titles and names of author(s) must be submitted.
   Please E-mail or mail the title of the paper and the names of authors to the ASBC Headquarters. Please also include a phone number. (The E-mail address is: asbcabstracts@scisoc.org.
   The address is: ASBC Abstracts, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121)
2. Before January 10, 2003—Abstract and biography are due.
   Submit an abstract (300-500 words) and a short biography of the presenter (75-100 words). Electronic submission of both are strongly recommended. The abstract submission form will be available online on December 6, 2002, at www.asbcnet.org/meetings/2003. If you do not have access to the Internet, a submission form is included in this issue of the Newsletter or can be obtained from the ASBC office (+1.651.454.7250).

The committee welcomes all contributions for consideration. Please accept this invitation and extend it to your colleagues.

Addresses of the Program Committee members are listed in the member directory.

Karen Devries, Chair
Barry Axcell
Charles Carns
Michael Davis
Jean-Pierre Dufour
John Engel
Ann Fahy
Silja Home
Mike Joyce
Susan Kay
Tim Kostelecky
Mary-Jane Maurice
John P. Maye
Rebecca Newman
Katherine Smart
Keith Villa
Richard Wilson

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ASBC Corporate Members

Altek Co.
Anheuser-Busch Inc.
Anton PAAR USA
APS Analytical Standards Inc.
Asahi Breweries Ltd.
Asia Pacific Breweries Pte Ltd.
Beer Ind Assoc Shandong China
Bio-Chem Lab Inc.
Boston Beer Co.
Brewing Research Intl.
Briess Malting Co.
Bruker BioSpin Corp.
Brulotte Farms Inc.
Busch Agric Resources Inc.
Cargill Malt
Carlsberg Brewery A/C
Carlsberg Research Center
Casco Inc.
Cerveceria Polar CA
Cerveceria y Malteria Quilmes
Coors Brewing Co.
Crochiere & Associates LLC
Cuno Filter Systems
DB Breweries Ltd.
DiverseyLever
EcoLab Inc.
Embotelladora Del Uruguay SA
Empresas Polar
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Froedtert Malt
GenPrime Inc.
GusmerCellulo
High Falls Brewing Co. LLC
Intl. Specialty Products
Ionics Instrument Business Group
J Boag & Son Brewing Ltd.
John I Haas Inc.
Kalsec Inc.
Karl Strauss Breweries
Kirin Brewery Co. Ltd.
Labatt Breweries of Canada
Mettler Toledo Inc.
Miller Brewing Co.
Minnesota Malting Co.
Molson Breweries
Moosehead Breweries Ltd.
Neogen Corp.
Optek-Danulat Inc.
Orbisphere
Pabst Brewing Co.
Pacific Western Brewing Co.
The PQ Corporation
Pure Malt Products Ltd.
R-Biopharm Inc.
Rahr Malting Co.
Rascher & Betzold
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Sleeman Brewing and Malting
Union de Cervecerias Peruanas
Vicam
World Minerals Inc.
Yakima Chief Inc.

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Family Honors Former ASBC President

The family of Harold H. Geller, ASBC president in 1977-1978, presented a certificate to him from the ASBC Board of Directors recognizing his many contributions to the art of brewing. His grandson, Adam Bock, contacted the Society last spring to ask for the certificate, to be given as part of a family celebration honoring his grandfather. The board was glad to oblige because of Geller’s many contributions to the beer industry and the Society.

In an accompanying letter, Rob Maruyama, then president of the Society, wrote, in part

Harold was an active member of ASBC holding many volunteer positions in the society and serving as president in 1977-1978.

He is very respected in our industry and his colleagues describe Harold as a soft-spoken, knowledgeable, and caring individual. His reputation as a creative innovator is remembered by many of his contemporaries. An example recounted by a colleague describes how Harold was able to develop a procedure to introduce the use of copper into the production process of a new brewery designed to use only stainless steel. The stainless steel process had diminished the taste characteristics and Harold’s process restored the flavor quality. He was responsible for a number of patents and his contributions to Pabst Brewing Technology were very significant.

Among his accomplishments were the first patent for reduced-calorie beer and numerous foam stabilization patents. He worked primarily for Pabst Brewing Co.

Because Harold and his wife, Rose, had significant health problems last summer, the family was not able to hold the large celebration they had planned. The certificate was presented at a simple family gathering.

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E. J. Pyler

Ernie Pyler, long-time editor of the Baker’s Digest and technical editor of the Brewer’s Digest, died Oct. 8 in Raleigh, NC. He was 89.

Mr. Pyler was born in Munich, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1929. He was a graduate of the University of Chicago.

He is survived by his wife Sophie, sons Richard and Robert and daughter Sylvia, as well as six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

In addition to his editorial duties, Mr. Pyler was the author of the widely used text Baking Science and Technology. He was a member of the American Society of Bakery Engineers and the American Society of Brewing Chemists.

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Letter from the ASBC President

As you are well aware, the art of brewing has changed little over several thousand years. However, the science of brewing is constantly changing, and at an ever increasing pace. As technical professionals in the brewing industry, it is more important than ever before for each of us to keep up with these changes. A good and enjoyable way to accomplish this is through membership in the American Society of Brewing Chemists. Being a local section member allows extremely valuable contacts with other brewing professionals locally and through the national group. For a professor or student in the university, contacts with industry scientists working in the same area can yield valuable input into projects. For a manager who wants to keep new hires, the Society provides opportunities for brewing professionals to interact and discuss shared technical issues.

As an ASBC member, you will receive four issues per year of one of the most highly respected peer-reviewed journals in the brewing industry—and the only scientific journal directed to brewing in North America. In a given issue of The Journal of the ASBC, you may expect articles on breeding, selection, and analysis of raw materials for brewing, developments in yeast and fermentation, analytical methods, state-of-the-art instrumentation, regulatory issues, and the media and methods of microbiological research. The Journal also includes valuable reports of technical subcommittees involved in the collaborative testing of new analytical methods. The results obtained on various check service samples are also reported, which can provide an unbiased check on laboratory performance.

The ASBC Newsletter is also published four times per year. This is a great way to keep up with happenings in the Society, industry news, new products and services, and local section news, as well as future industry meetings. Each month members also receive an e-mail updating them on ASBC activities.

The ASBC Annual Meeting, held in a different city each year, is another interesting and enjoyable way to keep abreast of technical developments within the brewing industry. The meeting features technical presentations of research and method development as well as poster presentations. Workshops, vendor displays, and technical subcommittee meetings are also worthwhile. The social interaction and industry contacts to be found at the Annual Meeting can prove to be very beneficial. Members receive a discounted registration. The 2003 meeting takes place June 7-11 in New Mexico.

ASBC offers member discounts on technically focused short courses, giving you the opportunity to refresh and increase your skills while interacting with colleagues. Members also receive discounts on ASBC books.

All of these benefits plus more are available to members at a cost of only $95.00 per year. As president of ASBC, I invite you to take advantage of the services and opportunities available to ASBC members. I also invite you to pass this information along to other colleagues who may benefit from membership. Please find an application form on the ASBC website at www.asbcnet.org/INFO/join.htm

Sincerely,

Dirk S. Bendiak
ASBC President

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New Active Members

Downing, Jonathan, Welland, ON, Canada

Heine, Tarkton D., manager, Frankenmuth Brewery LLC, Frankenmuth, MI

Meyer, Jeffrey A., process/chemical engineer, Enerfab Inc., Cincinnati, OH

Shigyo, Tatsuro, general manager of R&D, Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Tokyo, Japan

Toumi, Jean, quality assurance, Kansas City, MO

Vaughn, Beth, microbiologist, Brown-Forman Distilllery Co., Louisville, KY

Deceased member

E. J. Pyler, Raleigh, NC, Oct. 8, 2002

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2001 Annual Report of the Brewing Convention of Japan

To promote the technical exchange and to enhance the cooperation between beer brewing industry specialists and researchers nationwide/abroad, we had four BCOJ Board of Directors’ meetings, discussed internationalization of BCOJ activities, and held the BCOJ Annual Meeting. We sent our representatives to the International Subcommittee for Isomerized Hop alpha-Acids Standards meetings, and EBC Sensory Analysis Subcommittee meetings. Also, since last year (2000), we have tried to compile Sensory Evaluation Methods of BCOJ, which will be published in Japanese in March 2002. And we have contributed articles entitled “Basic Technology of Beer Brewing” to the Journal of the Brewing Society of Japan. These articles will also be edited and published in Japanese in March 2002 as a text for beer brewing.

In addition, EBC and BCOJ made “the Declaration of Partnership” in May 2001 at the 28th International Congress of the European Brewery Convention in Budapest, Hungary.

The following is the description of BCOJ Board of Directors’ meetings and details of each activity above that were reported at the meetings.

BCOJ Board of Directors’ Meetings

The board meetings were held on February 16, July 6, October 18, and December 26.

1. February 16, 2001

• Approved the 2001 annual plans of activities for BCOJ Board of Directors’ meetings, the Analysis Committee, and the Program Committee.
• Approved suspending the activities of the ring analysis in BCOJ and instead focusing on publishing Sensory Evaluation Methods of BCOJ.
• Approved the 2001 BCOJ budget (6 million yen) at the Brewers Association of Japan (BAJ).

2. July 6, 2001

• Sent representatives to the 28th EBC International Congress in Budapest, Hungary, and to the 66th ASBC Annual Meeting in Victoria, Canada.
• Made “the Declaration of Partnership” at the EBC Congress.
• Sent representatives to the International Subcommittee for Isomerized Hop alpha-Acids Standards meeting and to the EBC Sensory Analysis Subcommittee meeting (in Budapest, Hungary).
• Created and distributed the 2000 BCOJ Annual Report.
• Created and announced the schedule of the 2001 BCOJ Annual Meeting.

3. October 18, 2001

• Decided to send lecturers for the “Training Program of Alcoholic Brewing (Beer Course in Feb. 2002)” of the National Research Institute of Brewing.
• Decided the dates and venue of the 2002 BCOJ Annual Meeting: November 7 and 8, 2002, at Seiryo Kaikan, Akasaka, Tokyo.
• Acknowledged the change of the Orion Beer’s member of the BCOJ Board of Directors from Mr. Hokama to Mr. Yaka.

4. December 26, 2001

• As for the planned 2002 budget of BCOJ, decided 5.69 million-yen.
• Got agreements from EBC and ASBC on the copyright commissions to publish the Sensory Evaluation Methods of BCOJ (10% of the book price excepting tax to be paid to both).
• Acknowledged changes in the BCOJ Board of Directors
  at the end of 2001:
  President: from Mr. Eto to Dr. Takashio
  Secretariat General: from Dr. Harayama to Dr. Watari
  Manager of BAJ: from Mr. Komori to Mr. Uchiyama

Masakazu Eto, President of BCOJ
December 30, 2001

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2001 Annual Report of the BCOJ Program Committee

The following are all members of the Program Committee in 2001: Chairperson: S. Tanimura (Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd.); Vice-chairperson: T. Yuuki (Asahi Breweries Ltd.) ~Oct. 2001; T. Ikeda (Asahi Breweries Ltd.) Oct. 2001~; Members: A. Isoe (Suntory Ltd.); J. Watari (Sapporo Breweries Ltd.) ~Nov. 2001; Y. Takata (Sapporo Breweries Ltd.) Nov. 2001~; M. Komori (BAJ-official member) ~Dec. 2001; S. Uchiyama (BAJ-official member) Dec. 2001~.

In 2001, the committee held four Program Committee meetings for the Annual Meeting of BCOJ (the details of those committee are below). The 11th Annual Meeting was open for two days from October 18 to 19. In BCOJ 2001, a different type of projector was used for presentations. These presentations were highly accepted by each participant. The projector presentation will be continued at the next meeting.

A total of 17 presentations were made, including oral and poster ones in the annual meeting. Also, a review presentation on sensory evaluation was made by Sapporo Breweries, Ltd..

Also, the announcement of BCOJ 2001 was mentioned on the BCOJ home page.

At the first meeting in 2001 (April 16, BAJ head office), the outline of the annual meeting was decided, including the projector presentation. The second meeting in 2001 (August 24) took place at Hokkaido Brewery of Sapporo Breweries, Ltd. The details of the printing of the annual meeting abstract were discussed.

At the third meeting in 2001 (October 5, BAJ head office), the details of BCOJ 2001 were prepared for the opening. The fourth meeting in 2001 (November 16) was at Nago Brewery of Orion Breweries, Ltd. The results of the questionnaire on the annual meeting were discussed for next year.

S. Tanimura, Chairperson
T. Ikeda, Vice-chairperson
30 March, 2002

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EBC Analysis Committee Report: Determination of Hop Oil Content by Steam Distillation According to IOB Method 6.3

The EBC Analysis Committee tested IoB Method 6.3, Hop Oil Content of Hops and Hop Products, by collaborative trial druing the winter 2000/2001. This collaborative trial was conducted using three samples of hop pellets with different hop oil levels in the range
of 0.4-2.3 ml/100 g. Five members of the committee and one member of the AHA (Arbeitsgruppe Hopfenanalyse) took part in the trial. All participants used a distillation still manufactured by Normschliff, which is identical to the still as specified in the British Pharmacopoeia and recommended in method 6.3.

Results showed values for r(95) in the range of 0.06-0.29 and for R(95) in the range of 0.13-0.86. Based on the results of the trial, the EBC Analysis Committee decided, at its 93rd meeting, to adopt IoB Method 6.3. The method will be published in the 2002 update of Analytica-EBC.

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Past Presidents

1934-35 Max Henius*
1935-36 F.M. DuPont*
1936-38 Robert Schwartz*
1938-40 George S. Bratton*
1940-42 Leo Wallerstein*
1942-44 Fred P. Siebel, Jr.*
1944-46 Bryn H. Nisson*
1946-48 Christian Rask*
1948-50 Philip P. Gray*
1950-52 Carroll A. Dayharsh
1952-53 Stephen Laufer*
1953-54 Lawrence E. Ehrnst*
1954-55 Kurt Becker*
1955-56 Ulysses C. Gramsch*
1956-57 Fred C. Baselt*
1957-58 William C. McFarlane*
1958-59 Eric Kneen*
1959-60 Mortimer W. Brenner*
1960-61 George E. Bredt*
1961-62 Allan D. Dickson*
1962-63 Irwin Stone*
1963-64 John B. Bockelmann
1964-65 Robert W. Rummele*
1965-66 Dwight B. West
1966-67 Philip E. Dakin
1967-68 Robert I. Tenney
1968-69 J. Robert Piening
1969-70 William J. Olson*
1970-71 Leonard T. Saletan*
1971-72 G. Calvin Dyson, Jr.
1972-73 Vincent S. Bavisotto
1973-74 F. Lloyd Rigby
1974-75 Michael R. Sfat
1975-76 David J. Lubert*
1976-77 Donald D. Brumsted*
1977-78 Harold H. Geller
1978-79 Paul K. Steinke*
1979-80 Ronald A. Latimer
1980-81 Arthur J. Rehberger
1981-82 Roger A. Carroll
1982-83 Kurt C. Duecker*
1983-84 William A. Hardwick, Jr.
1984-85 James McDougall
1985-86 Phillip D. Israel
1986-88 Charles W. Baker
1988-89 Richard L. Berndt*
1989-90 David W. Diffor
1990-91 Inge Russell
1991-92 Richard E. Pyler
1992-93 Peter W. Gales
1993-94 Sherman H. Chan
1994-95 James H. Munroe
1995-96 Rob McCaig
1996-97 Bruce Sebree
1997-98 Dave Thomas
1998-99 David Hysert
1999-00 David Ryder
2000-01 Nona Mundy
2001-02 Rob Maruyama

(*) Deceased

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Upcoming Events

Craft Brewers Conference

May 7-10, 2003
New Orleans, LA

EBC

29th EBC Congress
May 17-22, 2003
Dublin, Ireland

ASBC

Annual Meeting
June 7-11, 2003
Hyatt Regency Tamaya
Santa Ana Pueblo, NM

World Brewing Congress2004

July 25-28, 2004
Manchester Grand Hyatt
San Diego, CA

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© Copyright 2002 by the American Society of Brewing Chemists.
All rights reserved.