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The membership of the ASBC never ceases to amaze and inspire me! Throughout the planning and preparation for the 69th Annual Meeting in Savannah, the Board kept its collective fingers crossed regarding the timing of this year’s meeting. Since our Savannah meeting was less than a year after the 2004 WBC meeting in San Diego, and only weeks after the 2005 EBC meeting in Prague, the potential for a relatively low number of attendees seemed high. However the total number of registrants at this year’s meeting, 275, actually exceeded the number of registrants at the last ASBC Annual Meeting (263 at the 2003 meeting in New Mexico), which was held three years after the 2000 WBC meeting! Even more noticeable, though, was the high level of participation, engagement, and interaction among speakers, attendees, and suppliers throughout the entire meeting. I can’t recall an annual meeting where such a high percentage of the membership attended each and every technical session, with 90–100 people in the audience being the norm—very cool! Heck, “even” the New and Alternative Subcommittee meeting had 24 attendees, with a total attendance of 162 being recorded across the combined subcommittee meetings. Now that’s a society with an engaged membership!

The success of the Annual Meeting is even more impressive given that 2005 was John Engel’s “rookie” year as chair of the Program Committee! Building on the solid track record and standards of his predecessor, Karen DeVries, John exhibited incredible diligence and discipline throughout 2004–2005 in coordinating the efforts of his team to put on a diverse technical program. In addition to the 25 papers presented over the seven technical sessions, the Program Committee set up seven very well-attended workshops. I can still picture John walking back proud as a peacock after personally and quickly fixing the single technical glitch experienced by a speaker—and the round of applause he received for saving the day. I know I am speaking for everyone in saying “Thank you, John and team, for a job well done!”

There was also a strong presence of “new blood” in the air in Savannah! It was great to meet so many new (and, at least to me, relatively young!) people such as Aaron Porter and Hillary Hight of Sierra Nevada; students Wolfgang Tosch (University of Manchester) and Robert Kuntz (UC Davis); and brewing scientists Ekaterina Lebedeva, Hidetoshi Kojima, Norihiko Kageyama, and Chris Duffell of Baltika, Sapporo, Kirin, and Dominick Hunter Ltd., respectively—to name only a few! Not all, but many, of the Savannah moderators (Tom Shellhammer, Robert Maruyama, Erin Armstrong, Katherine Smart, Fred Strachan, Julie Felske, Lance Lusk, and Grady Hull) were moderating for the first time, and all did a great job! Certainly the opportunity to meet with old friends is one of the primary attractions of the ASBC Annual Meeting; however it’s the conversations with new members that never fail to provide me with a renewed yearly awareness that our profession is a passion, not just employment.

In addition to being a harbinger of summer, our Annual Meeting is also a harbinger for change in the composition and/or duties of the members of the Board. In this connection I would first like to recognize the single outgoing Board member: Sue Thompson, ASBC past-president. Since joining the Board, Sue has been a role model vis-a-vis “walking the talk” in leadership for every role she has held (in terms of both commitment and results) and doing so with grace and professionalism. Sue’s legacies are a stronger Society and a more focused, disciplined, and strategic Board. For these contributions, I would like to express on behalf of the entire ASBC a heart-felt “Thank you, Sue!” Look to see more of Sue in other capacities in the years ahead—of this I am sure!

To maintain balance and harmony in the universe, the departure of one Board member means a new member must be joining, in this case, David Maradyn as chair of the Technical Committee. My first interaction with Dave was back in the late 1990s, when I was the Technical Committee chair and he was in his first year as a subcommittee chairman. While I can’t recall which subcommittee it was (being chemistry-related, not microbiology, ergo…), I do remember being blown away by the thoroughness, organization, and precision of his first subcommittee report. I have no doubt the Technical Committee is in very capable hands, and that, as long as an Irish pub is not nearby at future meetings, great things will continue to come from the heart and soul of our Society. Welcome aboard, Dave!

Other Board members have made transitions to new positions. Karen DeVries (formerly vice-president) is now president-elect. As Karen’s predecessor, I am aware I will need to “raise the bar” in my level of commitment, having observed first-hand Karen’s level of dedication (and results) in serving the ASBC (witness her incredible effectiveness in the past as Program Committee chair). The same is true of our new vice-president, Mike Joyce (formerly Publications Committee chair), as evidenced by the CD-Rom version of the Methods of Analysis and the numerous book-related projects in the pipeline (e.g., Takashi Inuoe’s diacetyl text, Pete Gale’s Brewing Chemistry and Technology in the Americas, and Charles Bamforth’s Principles of Malting and Brewing Science). They say quiet waters run deep, and in Mike’s case, his calm, dedicated, collaborative, and unassuming manner yields outstanding contributions to our Society. Just as I will be looking for inspiration from Karen, I am certain Karen will be from Mike. Last, but certainly not least in the elected category, is Tim Kostelecky, moving from president to past-president. I would like to thank and recognize Tim for his contributions as president. In particular, I appreciate the manner with which Tim represented the position of president during the Savannah meeting (mentoring by example is always effective). Thank you, Tim!

The unelected roles are, in many cases, far more demanding and time-consuming than the elected ones. (Can you say “Technical chair, Program Committee Chair, Publications Committee Chair, Editor-in-Chief”, etc…?!). I would first like to thank and recognize the talents of Cindy-Lou Dull as she makes the transition from Technical Committee chair to Publications Committee chair. This situation reminds me a little of the phrase “jumping from the frying pan into the fire,” and, indeed, a psychiatrist might argue that the behavior is indicative of a person who is a glutton for punishment. In Cindy-Lou’s case, however, it is a reflection of her applying passionate volunteerism and leadership to contribute to the well being of the Society. I have never seen a stronger Technical Committee or Check Sample Services in terms of the caliber of recruited subcommittee members, the discipline of the process, or the shear number (and level of engagement) of participating ASBC members. I am acutely aware that none of this happened by chance; these accomplishments are outstanding legacies of Cindy-Lou’s capabilities. Thank you, Cindy-Lou!

Last, but certainly not least, are the remaining Board members who, for this year at least, have avoided transition. In this group, I would like to recognize and thank Silja Home (international director). Silja is incredibly diligent in fulfilling her role, setting an impressive standard of participation given the international travel involved. In Savannah, Silja’s update of happenings in the EBC was extremely helpful. On a personal note, for the life of me I don’t how Silja remained focused and engaged during the entire June 11 Board meeting since her arrival at the hotel was only hours before the start of the meeting. Thank you, Silja! As secretary, Xiang Yin has set a standard of excellence for both speed and thoroughness in recording minutes and highlights of Board meetings—awesome job, Xiang! More importantly though, Xiang has brought to the Board an incredible sense of humor and an infectious degree of optimism, making all of us on the Board more effective. Xiang also sings a heart-stopping “Eidelweiss”—but you’ll need to talk to him directly for further elaboration. Thank you, Xiang! Speaking of a good sense of humor, I would like to recognize and thank Charlie Bamforth in his continuing capacity as editor-in-chief of the ASBC Journal. True to form, Charlie has brought both high standards and process discipline to the Journal (I can personally vouch for the diligence he exercises with regard to the latter!). Authors who have their work published in the Journal can have no doubt that, under Charlie’s leadership, the refereeing has been thorough and professional (as I’m sure Barry Axcell, Sandra van Nierop, and Anna Cameron-Clarke, recipients of the 2005 ASBC Eric Kneen Memorial Award, can attest to!). Thank you, Charlie, for your commitment to the Society as editor-in-chief!

Let me see, is there anyone I omitted? Oh yes, there is this person named Rebecca Newman, who is continuing on in her capacity as treasurer. For those of you who do not yet know Rebecca, you can rest assured that her contributions go way, way, way beyond treasurer-related duties. Blessed with a solid group of subcommittee members, Rebecca has done a super job in executing her duties as treasurer, but it is her passion for the people of the Society I would most like to recognize. Through Rebecca’s energy and talents, she has injected the entire Board with tremendously enhanced feelings of trust and team spirit, as well as confidence and excitement about the future of the ASBC. For example, the first ASBC-vintners meeting held in March of this year would never have happened without Rebecca’s talents and ability to inspire and engage others. I have no doubt the scope and diversity of the ASBC 10–20 years from now will reflect many of her past, current, and future contributions to the Society. Thank you, Rebecca!

Often forgotten are the “behind the scenes” efforts of Scientific Society personnel to ensure that the complex mechanics and logistics of conducting an annual meeting are invisible to attendees. The ASBC is indeed fortunate to have an extraordinary level of commitment to our Society by the St. Paul staff, including those who came to Savannah: Executive Officer Steve Nelson and his team members Amy Hope, Jody Grider, Susan Kohn, Betty Ford, and Marci Smith. All of these individuals, and others behind the scenes, demonstrate by their actions a tremendous commitment to the health of our Society, and for that I would like to say “thank-you.”

As this is my first Newsletter column, it is also appropriate to thank Joan Raumschuh for the super job she has done over the past few years as editor of the ASBC Newsletter. Very early in her tenure, Joan established expectations regarding timelines and standards from contributors, producing publications on time, every time! Thank you, Joan!

Also thank you to everyone who donated items and participated in the ASBC Foundation silent auction. The auction raised more than $2,500 toward the Brian Williams Scholarship Fund. I was fortunate to know Brian for many years. He gave true meaning to the descriptors “gentleman” and “class guy.” It was an honor to talk about who Brian was as a man and brewer at the Local Section Breakfast for the benefit of those who had not met him. Missed, certainly; forgotten—no way.

For those of you who know me well, you may be amazed that I have gone this far into the column without mentioning either the Detroit Red Wings or yeast. With regard to the latter, I would like to thank our youngest son, Christopher, for his development of the photo accompanying this column. Cost of a freshman year in photo journalism at UC Boulder? Around $15,000. Value of placing your old man in the image of a yeast cell? Priceless. Thanks. Chris! And Boris Stambuk, this bud’s for you!

Lastly, I would like to thank you, the membership of the ASBC, for the opportunity to serve as president. As I hope you can tell from this column, I am jazzed and honored to be part of the current Board team. I am very confident in the level of commitment and the abilities of each member to ensure that ASBC continues to provide value to the newest and oldest of our members as we execute our professional duties for the companies and organizations supporting us. With your support, I look forward to a rewarding year ahead.

Have a great autumn!
Greg Casey

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