Alastair Pringle (1); (1) Pringle-Scott LLC, Saint Louis , MO, U.S.A.
Technical Session 15: World Class Manufacturing
Tuesday, August 16 • 9:45–11:30 a.m.
Plaza Building, Concourse Level, Governor’s Square 15
Innovation in the brewing process and its products is essential to
the long-term viability of any brewery. Successful innovation starts
with creating ideas, evaluating, and then modifying them. This is
followed by development, evaluation, and modification of prototypes
until new processes or products have been developed. This presentation
will discuss factors that are important for innovation to thrive in a
brewery, such as recognizing people’s innovative styles, hiring
appropriately, and making innovation part of each employee’s job
description. In addition, a simple process will be described that gives
structure to innovation, while providing the flexibility needed for
individual breweries. Simple tools will be presented that enable
individuals to improve their ability to create ideas. Examples of past
brewery innovations will also be discussed, as well as current paths of
innovation in beer styles.
Alastair was educated in England, where he earned undergraduate
and graduate degrees in microbiology. He joined Anheuser-Busch in 1984,
where he held a number of technical management positions. As director of
brewing research his responsibilities included all areas of brewing
science. He is currently the principal consultant at Pringle-Scott LLC—a
science-based consulting company that works with craft breweries on
process control and quality. In addition, Alastair teaches microbiology
at Maryville University, St. Louis, MO, and is a member of the IBD Board
of Examiners.
