Ohio Craft Brewers Conference 2024 – Day 1

Glass City Center, 401 Jefferson Ave., Toledo, OH 43604

7  –  10 a.m.: Trade show set-up in Hall AB at the Glass City Center, 401 Jefferson Ave., Toledo, OH 43604

8 – 10 a.m.: Breakfast and registration/badge pickup (outside Hall C)

10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.:  Trade show hours (Hall AB)

8:30 – 10 a.m.

Main Room (Hall C): Welcome address with OCBA executive director Mary MacDonald, OCBA board president Alan Szuter of Wolf’s Ridge Brewing and Donald Seitz of The Cincinnati Insurance Companies

Keynote Speaker: Ohio Consumer Motivations: What They Want and What Brings Them Back with Michael Varda, founder of Craft Beer Advisory Services

10 – 10:45 a.m.:

Main Room (Hall C): Promoting Your High Performers into Leadership: Tools for Success with Amy Mast and Chris Ediger of Craft Leadership

Fundamentals Room (Jefferson 1): Navigating Regulatory Challenges in Small Brewery Operations: Ensuring Environmental, Health and Safety Compliance with Dave Rice of Rubicon EHS

Business of Beer Room (Jefferson DE): Passing the Torch: Our Journey from Self-Distribution to Distributor and What It Really Takes with Aspasia Lyras-Bernacki and Richard Bernacki of Penguin City Brewing Company

Fermentation Room (Jefferson FG): Sustainability Makes Cents with Janae Chaney of Rhinegeist Brewery, Kevin Ely of Wooly Pig Farm Brewery and Jamie Sipps of HiHO Brewing Co.

11 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Trade show time! Hall AB

12:45 – 2 p.m.: Lunch in Hall C

2 – 2:45 p.m.:

Main Room (Hall C): Effectively Communicating with the Media with John Holl of All About Beer

Fundamentals Room (Jefferson 1): Beverage Packaging 101 with Cynthia Tetley and Michelle Boismier of Fast Track Packaging

Business of Beer Room (Jefferson DE): Recent Changes to Research and Development Expensing and Credits with Kayla Emanuelson and Alaina Fullerman of SSB CPAs and Carmone Macfarlane of The Phoenix Brewing Company

Fermentation Room (Jefferson FG): Ensuring Brew Perfection with Jordan Westengaard of Ward Laboratories, Inc.

3 – 3:45 p.m.:

Main Room (Hall C): Avoiding the Top 10 Legal Mistakes Made by Craft Breweries with Jonathan Hyman of Wickens Herzer Panza

Fundamentals Room (Jefferson 1): Panel Discussion: Opening Multiple Taprooms moderated by Chris Shields of Rhinegeist Brewery with Collin Castore of Seventh Son Brewing/Antiques on High/Getaway Brewing, David Lentz of Saucy Brew Works/Cartridge Brewing, Bobby Slattery of Fifty West Brewing Company and Scot Yarnell of Earnest Brew Works

Business of Beer Room (Jefferson DE):  Carrots: Building Variable Comp Programs with Aaron Gore, independent beverage industry analyst

Fermentation Room (Jefferson FG): Outlook Hazy or Bright? Let the Yeast Decide with Laura Burns of Omega Yeast and Nicholas Ketchum of Rhinegeist

4 – 5:30 p.m.: Trade Show Time and Happy Hour in Hall AB sponsored by Boelter Branding, Briess Malt & Ingredients, The Cincinnati Insurance Companies, Coldbreak, Grandstand, Insignia Display Graphics, LD Carlson, Middlestreet Graphics & Display, Millcraft Beverage Solutions, Origin Malt, Pneumatic Scale Angelus, Proforma Graphic Services, Shade Headwear and Wickens Herzer Panza

Meet up with OCBA Board of Directors at the The Cincinnati Insurance Companies booth.

6 – 8 p.m.: Trade Show tear down time

Evening Activities

6 – 8 p.m.: OCBA reception at Maumee Bay Brew Pub Warehouse (all attendees of the Ohio Craft Brewers Conference invited – please wear your badge for entry.) 201 Morris St., Toledo, OH 43064
Sponsored by Insignia Display and Graphics, Millcraft Beverage Solutions and Wickens Herzer Panza.

7 – 11 p.m.: Get around safely: Complimentary OCBA shuttle loop serving downtown Toledo breweries (Maumee Bay, Earnest, Quenched & Tempered and Heavy), Inside the Five and Upside in downtown Sylvania, and Hilton Garden Inn operated by Swig Ohio Shuttles!

3 – 8 p.m.: Join Toledo Spirits and HEAVY Beer for fun and pinball in Toledo’s coolest basement! Featuring fine beers by HEAVY and special beer cocktails by Toledo Spirits. 1301 N. Summit St., Toledo, OH 43604

5 – 10 p.m.: Join Upside Brewing and Inside the Five for a “block party” in Sylvania where two breweries join on the same corner in the DORA district. OCBA tap takeover will take place at Upside’s new Dallas Taproom. Shuttle service from downtown Toledo starts at 7 p.m. Upside Brewing: 5692 Main St., Sylvania, OH 43560. Inside the Five Brewing: 5703 Main St., Sylvania, OH 43560

6 – 10 p.m.: Shade Headwear invites conference badge holders to Earnest Brew Works Downtown for complimentary Earnest beer and food, while supplies last. Co-hosted by Oncore Brewing with additional sponsorship from The Brewer Magazine and Grace Imaging. 25 S. St Clair St., Toledo, OH 43604

8 p.m.: Join the Brewery Running Series 5K glow run starting and ending at Quenched & Tempered Brewing Co. Registration will be open until the race starts, and includes a free pint at the end of the race (click here to register). Proceeds to go to HOOVES, a local nonprofit serving veterans. 1210 Jackson St. Toledo, OH 43604

Ohio Craft Brewers Conference 2024 – Day 2

Glass City Center, 401 Jefferson Ave., Toledo, OH 43604

7 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Trade show tear down time

8 – 10 a.m.: Breakfast and registration/badge pickup (outside Hall C)

9 – 9:45 a.m.:

Main Room (Hall C): Introduction by Donald Seitz, The Cincinnati Insurance Companies

Keynote Speaker: Tasting: Messages from the World of Science with Randy Mosher, author of Tasting Beer and partner in Forbidden Root

10 – 10:45 a.m.:

Main Room (Hall C): Eating Beer: Using Brewery By-products in Your Culinary Program with Shaun Yasaki and James Redford of Noble Beast Brewing Co.

Fundamentals Room (Jefferson 1): Annual Business Plan Process with John Kelly of FocalPoint Coaching & Training

Business of Beer Room (Jefferson DE):  Massive Opportunities for Content Producing Brewers with Adam Mills of Sonder Brewing

Fermentation Room (Jefferson FG): IPA 2030 – The Future of Sustainable Recipe Design with Joe Shanahan of Yakima Chief Hops

11 – 11:45 a.m.:

Main Room (Hall C): Brewing Award-Winning English Ales panel discussion moderated by Victor Pool of Land-Grant Brewing Company with Erik Luli of Immigrant Son Brewery, Kelly Montgomery of Third Eye Brewing, Ryan Torres of The Brew Brothers at Scioto Downs and Colin Vent of Seventh Son Brewing

Fundamentals Room (Jefferson 1): Current Industry Trends and Legislation Impacting HR and DEI with Jonathan Hyman of Wickens Herzer Panza

Business of Beer Room (Jefferson DE): Effective Email Marketing for Breweries of All Sizes with Amy Martin of Stormcloud Brewing Company

Fermentation Room (Jefferson FG): Crosby Hops Presents the CY23 Hops Report with John Warren and Kay Witkiewicz of Crosby Hops

12 – 12:45 p.m.:

Main Room (Hall C): Doing More With Less: A Modern Approach to Brewpub Service with Cory Smith of Twin Oast Brewing

Fundamentals Room (Jefferson 1): Workshop: Revamp Your Taproom Operations with John Kelley of Arryved

Business of Beer Room (Jefferson DE):  Are You Actually Making Money? Splitting your P&L with Adam Benner and Keith Hamrick of Land-Grant Brewing Company and Alan Szuter of Wolf’s Ridge Brewing

Fermentation Room (Jefferson FG): Brewery Process Flow Improvement and Its Effects on Task Efficiency with Hannah Kent of Urban Artifact

12:45 – 2 p.m.: Lunch in Hall C

2 – 2:45 p.m.:

Main Room (Hall C): Community Programming: a Framework for Creativity with Beth Boswell, Community Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator of Rhinegeist Brewery

Fundamentals Room (Jefferson 1): Beverage Sanitation with Tom Parris and Jim Miller of Spartan Chemical Company

Business of Beer Room (Jefferson DE): Licensing of Your Brewery and Compliance with Local Health or Ohio Department of Agriculture with Tim Tewksbary of Ohio Department of Agriculture

Fermentation Room (Jefferson FG): Brewing Naked: Brewing Without Husk and Endosperm Brewing with Bob Hansen of Briess Malt & Ingredients Co.

Evening Activities

3 – 6 p.m.: Show your conference badge for a complimentary beer at Findlay Brewing Co. AND False Chord Brewing Co., both located in downtown Findlay! Heading straight home from the conference? Order your complimentary beverage to go! Sponsored by Visit Findlay. Findlay Brewing Company (213 E. Crawford St.) and False Chord Brewing located at (326 S. Main St.) both in downtown Findlay.

3 – 10 p.m.: $5 pints when conference badge is presented at Oncore Brewing. 14249 Airport Hwy, Swanton, OH 43558