2026 Master Brewers Conference Highlights: Modern Brewing and Industry Innovation

Approximately 300 brewing professionals from 41 states and 9 countries arrived at the Virginia Beach Convention Center for four days of technical education, professional development, and networking.

Held from October 21-24, the 2026 Master Brewers Conference operated under the theme Modern Brewing, Timeless Fundamentals.

Attendees representing MBAA districts across the United States and Canada participated in sessions focused on brewing science, operations, and industry trends. The program featured three main keynote addresses examining brewing innovation, leadership, and market conditions.

Keynote Insights and Technical Programming

Jason Perkins, brewmaster and vice president of brewing operations at Allagash Brewing Co., delivered the opening keynote address. Dr. Bart Watson, president and CEO of the Brewers Association, presented the State of the Industry report. Barbara Stone, sales director at Abstrax Hops, delivered the closing keynote.

The technical schedule included 71 speakers across 36 technical presentations and 5 BrewTech demonstrations. Sessions explored topics such as post-brewery quality programs, liquid hopping, data analytics, and non-alcoholic beer formulation.

Research Posters and Industry Awards

The poster hall featured 25 peer-reviewed research projects focused on brewing science and operations. People’s Choice for Best Poster awards recognized three specific studies:

Starch Composition, Gelatinization, and Pasting Behavior as Drivers of Extract Yield in Rice Cultivars by Jonas Ahonen from the University of Arkansas
Optimizing Flow Cytometry for Microbial Monitoring in Beer Fermentation by Tom Mondor and Daniel Gusmer from Gusmer Enterprises
Simplifying Brewery Microbiology: Validation of a Portable On-Site qPCR Platform for Beer Spoilage Bacteria and Wild Yeast Detection by Max Derbyshire and Aakaanksha Maddineni from Acorn Genetics

The conference also celebrated several individuals for contributions to brewing science and the association. Doug Hindman received the Distinguished Life Service Award for decades of dedicated service. Doug Wilson earned the Award of Honor for influential technical work.

Dr. Yueshu Li received a posthumous Award of Merit for global industry contributions and operational leadership. Yin Lin was honored with the Inge Russell Best Paper Award for research on tailoring malt for brewing and distilling.

Attendees Participate in Social and Wellness Events

Technical sessions were balanced with events across the Virginia Beach area. Aslin Beer Company hosted the welcome reception and collaboration beer launch. Wellness events included the Novonesis Sunrise BrewRun and a goat yoga session at New Realm.

The tradeshow floor featured 35 exhibitors, 10 sponsors, and 25 poster presenters. Attendees sampled beers donated by over a dozen breweries during the Bierstubes, while the closing experience offered hands-on workshops or a four-stop brewery tour ending with lunch at New Realm Brewing.

The event marked a leadership transition for the organization. MBAA thanked Molly Browning for concluding her service as past president and recognized Brian Faivre for his leadership as president. Steve Bradt of Hopsteiner assumed the role of Master Brewers President, leading a new Executive Committee that includes 1st Vice-Katrina Bruner, 2nd Vice-Barbara Stone, Treasurer Benjamin Bailey, and Brian Faivre as past president.