Info below was for the 2020 event and is for reference only.
“Combination Innovation: Yeast, Barrels, Fruit & Blending”
Jeffrey Stuffings, Co-Founder, Jester King Brewery
James Howat, Founder/ Brewer/ Blender, Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales
Phil Markowski, Co-Founder/ Brewmaster, Two Roads Brewing
Peter Bouckaert, Co-Founder/ Brewmaster, Purpose Brewing
Saturday 9:00–11:00 am Location: Imperial Ballroom, Beaver Run Conference Center
Our earliest seminar on Saturday morning is the Experimental Brewing Seminar, running from 9:00 am–11:00 am. The result of a brainstorming session geared toward including innovative brewers who are mapping out the future of craft brewing, but may not be geared toward packaging or nationwide marketing. Big Beers Festival is pleased to host “Combination Innovation: Yeast, Barrels, Fuit & Blending.”
Join our savvy panel of Big Beers Alumni and brewing veterans for a lively discussion about some of the most striking advances of the past 20 years. Learn about their approaches to isolating and combining the variables (sometimes cautiously), that make wild yeast, various kinds of barrels, unusual fruit, and techniques of blending unique to each.
Presenting Panelists:
Jeffrey Stuffings, Co-Founder, Jester King Brewery
James Howat, Founder/ Brewer/ Blender, Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales
Phil Markowski, Co-Founder/ Brewmaster, Two Roads Brewing
Peter Bouckaert, Co-Founder/ Brewmaster, Purpose Brewing
Jeffrey Stuffings, Co-Founder, Jester King Brewery, Austin, TX
Jeffrey Stuffings is the founder of Jester King Brewery in Austin, Texas. He grew up in Bradenton, Florida and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Political Science in 2002. He then graduated from Boston College Law School in 2006.
During his time in Boston, Jeffrey was introduced to craft beer and homebrewing. In 2007, he followed his wife Amber to Austin, Texas and began homebrewing intently. Dissatisfied with law, Jeffrey left the profession and began working at Austin Homebrew Supply, while simultaneously working on the business plan for Jester King Brewery.
After fundraising and construction, Jeffrey opened Jester King in 2010 along with his partners Michael Steffing and Ron Extract. Today, Jeffrey manages the brewery and maintains oversight of all aspects of the business. He and his wife Amber have two children and live in Dripping Springs, Texas.
James Howat, Founder/ Brewer/ Blender, Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, Denver, CO
James is the founder of Former Future Brewing Company, a Denver taproom brewery that opened in February 2014. Former Future produced a wide range of beer styles that are futuristic “remixes” of oft-forgotten historical recipes and techniques.
James took the idea of historical methods to the extreme with Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, a two time GABF Medal winning sour beer brand that ferments beer using only un-isolated wild microbes captured from the Denver air using a rooftop coolship.
After 3 years of increasing capacity for this spontaneous fermentation program, Black Project replaced Former Future as the brewery’s sole brand and focus. The tasting room, brewery, and barrel cellar are located at 1290 S. Broadway in Denver, CO. Black Project is proud to be the only Colorado brewery using 100% native wild yeast and other microflora to ferment its beers.
Phil Markowski, Master Brewer/ Co-Founder, Two Roads Brewing Co., Stratford, CT
Master Brewer Phil Markowski comes from an engineering background. After dabbling in home brewing and winning a few competitions back in the 1980s Phil made the bright decision to go into the craft beer world as a career.
A long career at various breweries has led to dozens of medals from the GABF and WBC, along with many other medals at regional and international competitions. Phil also wrote the book on Farmhouse Ales, literally, and is thrilled to be in his dream job: working with friends to create a brewery from scratch with state-of-the-art equipment.
Peter Bouckaert, Co-Founder/ Brewmaster, Purpose Brewing & Cellars, Fort Collins, CO
Bio to come soon.
Note: This seminar will accommodate 100 people. Purchase Your Seat now.