Ashleigh Carter

Cat Beard

Mark Bergstrom

Doug Child

Tim Chisman

Lisa Clayborn

Jason Combs

Dacia English

Chris Farmand

Bob Hall

Sara Killeen

Sparky Lapka

Loy Maierhauser

Al Pils

Amy Seaman

Hannah Uhlmann

Brittany Waiss

Max Shafer

Montana Brewers Conference 2025

The Montana Brewers Association was created in 2008 and is a statewide association of breweries organized for the purpose of promoting the production and sales of the freshest and highest quality Montana made beers.

Montana Brewers Association

The Montana Brewers Conference is the premier event for brewery education, networking, and fun in Montana - we want to see you there!

Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown by IHG

The 2025 Montana Brewers Conference will feature exciting keynote addresses from industry leaders and experts in allied fields and a variety of educational breakout sessions for brewery professionals in a wide range of roles. Our industry trade show will provide opportunities to network with individuals from across the craft beer industry and deepen professional connections, while evenings will include fun and engaging socials. We look forward to seeing you in Missoula, because the most important ingredient is you.For more information, visit <a href="https://www.montanabrewersconference.com" title="https://www.montanabrewersconference.com" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.montanabrewersconference.com</a>.

Wednesday, September 3

Join us for a two hour pre-conference tour of Flathead Valley Hops farm in Kalispell! Flathead Valley Hops is Montana's hop farm, and thanks to its unique location, Montana's cooler growing climate, and rich, ferticle soils, is perfectly suited to grow delicate, traditional German-Style hops like Saaz and hallertauer Mittlefrüh. Transit will be with a luxury bus, and lunch will be provided. Free registration is required!

Tour schedule:

10:45 AM: Attendees arrive at Holiday Inn (200 S Pattee St., Missoula)
11:00 AM: Tour bus leaves promptly
1:30 PM: Arrive at Flathead Valley Hops
1:30 - 3:30 PM: Farm tour
3:30 PM: Leave Flathead Valley Hops
6:00 PM: Return to Missoula

This field trip is brought to you by Headwaters RC&D through a "Growing Montana Hops Industry" grant powered by the Montana Department of Agriculture and the USDA.

Flathead Valley Hops Farm Tour

Tradeshow Setup and Registration

Happy Hour Reception and Welcome

Thursday, September 4

Breakfast

Registration

Welcome Address - Ethan Kohoutek - Board President, Montana Brewers Association
State of Montana Beer - Matt Leow - Executive Director, Montana Brewers Association
2026 Peaks to Prairie Collaboration Beer Announcement - Chris Averill - Chair, Montana 250th Commission
2026 Montana Beer Awards Announcement - Loy Maierhauser - Competition Chair, Montana Beer Awards

Plenary Session

How Pure Madness Brewery Group has pivoted hop procurement to focus on quality and relationships rather than age old stigmas and lore when it comes to producing timeless and modern styles of beer.

Keynote: Why You Should Be Using Montana Grown Hops - Period

Submitting your beer to competitions is great and all (especially when you walk away with some hardware) - but the real magic happens after you get the feedback. This session is all about what to do with those judge notes - how to spot what's working, how to filter out the noise, and how to build a game plan to improve your beer. We'll talk about turning critiques into action, refining your recipes with intention, and using your feedback as a tool for growth instead of something you file away. If you're serious about leveling up your beer, this is where the work - and the fun - really begins.

I Have My Feedback, Now What?

A desire to have clean and abundant water in Montana connects all of our communities, industries, individuals, and visitors of the state. Water and its year-round recreational opportunities, from frozen or fly fishing, to water-skiing, and tubing, brings people to our small towns and supports a singular Montana lifestyle that is accentuated by the many one-of-a-kind breweries people visit after they play. But water also underlies the health of Montana's river and grassland ecosystems, annual success of Montana's barley and grain growers, and the quality of beer breweries can produce.  The Watershed Groups and Conservation Districts that MWCC represents, share the concerns that many in the brewing industry have about our water resources; about ecosystem resilience, drought, potential crop damage from invasive species, and so much more.  This shared interest has led to many unique partnerships between water conservation groups and breweries; and there is room for much more!

Communities, Water Conservation, and Your Value-Added Resource: Beer!

Get up to speed on the latest regulatory updates affecting Montana brewers and those with Retail Co-located licenses. This session includes a short 2025 legislative recap, the top 10 violations over the past fiscal year and how to avoid them, an overview of the new Montana digital IDs and mobile driver’s licenses, and a live Q&A with state regulators. Stay informed, stay compliant.

Compliance & Trends in Alcohol Regulation

Join Loy Maierhauser and Mark Bergstrom for a guided session of anonymous beer evaluation and community building with your Montana brewery colleagues. Bring any beer your brewery produces to be anonymously evaluated (but not judged) in order to provide constructive, usable feedback to help you brew your best beer. Table discussions will be recorded and feedback will be organized and provided after the conference so you have information to work with at your brewery.

Brewers Roundtable

Most breweries face challenges when it comes to succeeding in distribution. From understanding how the numbers impact the business as a whole to managing distributor relationships, running a sales team, and coordinating logistics, distribution is no easy feat. In this game, wins can happen, though they often feel fleeting. Some breweries distribute out of necessity, while others seek the validation of seeing their beer on store shelves. Whatever your motivation, there are a few essential concepts you must embrace to find success in distribution. In this session, we’ll share these key concepts along with benchmarks to help you unlock the path to distribution success.

Winning in Distribution

Events, big or small, can be a critical way for breweries and taprooms to bring in consumers, but deciding what type of events to host can be overwhelming and they can be intimidating to plan. 
For the first half we’ll talk about the benefits of hosting both big and small events, and the different types of events (trivia, book clubs, themed parties, beer releases, etc.). Ending with a discussion on what has worked, new ideas for younger crowds and how to implement different types of events.

Events! Big, Small, and Everything In-Between

Evening Social

Friday, September 5

This address from Ashleigh Carter, head brewer and co-owner of Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, provides a perspective on resiliency and burnout in the brewing industry. We will discuss and answer what does it all mean, who are we trying to impress, and most of all, how are we taking care of our own needs in the process.

Keynote: Look What You Made Me Brew

Does managing the people side of your brewery give you a headache? Join us for a session where we’ll cover some of the most recent best practices to ensure that you are taking care of your people while also staying in compliance. We’ll discuss some policy updates and legislative changes that you might not be aware of. Plus, talk about some tools and ways that you can integrate Al into your HR department (or lack thereof) to streamline your people operations and make things a little less stressful.

Headache Free HR: Updates, Best Practices, and AI Integration

With increased competition in the marketplace and decreased consumption from consumers, distribution has become an increasingly challenging space for craft brewers. This panel brings together brewery and wholesaler representatives to share perspectives, practical advice, and real-world experiences on building strong, mutually beneficial partnerships. Join the discussion and learn how to navigate common hurdles, improve communication, and maximize opportunities to get your beer into more hands.

Make the Most of Your Distributor Partnerships

The taproom is the beating heart of most breweries — and the single biggest driver of profit. Yet too many breweries leave money on the table, operating well below their true potential. Here’s the reality. Some taprooms generate two to five times more profit than their peers. This session breaks down why that happens and how you can close the gap. We’ll walk through the Four Fundamentals of a profitable taproom — Beer, Food, Brand, and Team — and give you 12 practical, proven tactics to maximize sales, control costs, and keep customers coming back. Whether you’re new to taproom ownership or looking to fine-tune your operations, you’ll walk away with actionable steps to make your taproom a consistent profit center.

Profitable Taproom Tactics

This hands on presentation will support brewers in their critical evalutaion of malts and recipe development. Session goers will be given the opportunity to sample widely varying malts including different varietals, grain types, and malt styles to expand their experience. Based on preferences, attendees will then design their experimental grist bill for a new product and perform hot steep extractions with their bespoke grist mix. The session will conclude with a group discussion of what attendees observed and learned from the excercise.

This session is hands on and prior knowledge of how to perform the hot steep method will help us to keep on track timewise. Having performed steeps in the past or review of the method, including instructional video found here: https://www.montana.edu/barleybreeding/learning-center/maltster-resources/hot-steep-equipment-list.html, is greatly appreciated!

Hot Steep Malt Sensory Method

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