Seminars
2008 Featured Presenters: Doug Odell | Tomme Arthur | Julia Herz | JoAnne Carelli-Stevenson | Peter Bouckaert | Will Meyers | Sam Calagione | Adam Avery

Our Featured Brewmasters’ Educational Seminars are traditionally featured twice during Saturday's Commercial Tasting, showcasing prominent members of the brewing (or culinary) community speaking on different facets of the specialty beer industry. This year’s Featured Brewmasters will again choose topics that showcase their areas of expertise and/or their love of brewing. However, this year we add two new Seminars to your Big Beers experience and encourage you to explore these exciting new offerings! Seminars are limited by space and available on a first come, available seat basis. Sign up sheets are available at the festival entrance.

The Eighth Annual Big Beers Festival is honored to welcome the following Brewmasters as featured presenters for this year’s festivities:

Founder/Brewmaster of Odell Brewing Company, Ft. Collins, CO
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Doug was a self-employed landscaper in Seattle when he first contemplated opening a commercial brewery.  A home brewer since 1975, Doug knew he loved everything about beer.   When he considered his brief stint as all-around man at Anchor Steam Brewery in the 1970’s, rounded out with brewing science classes at U.C Davis in 1988, Doug knew he also had the technical qualifications needed. Beginning as the sole employee in 1989 in a 3,600 square foot converted grain mill, Doug has helped guide Odell Brewing Company to its current 40,00 barrel annual production.  Regionally, Odell’s 90 Shilling has established itself to such a degree that it speaks to the Odell legacy. And most recently, Odell’s small batch beers are making a name for their brewmaster; we are pleased to be the inspiration for some of the beers served this weekend!

Julia has been featured by the Food Network 'Unwrapped' Series, interviewed on Public Radio, Sirius Radio ‘Lime Channel’, CNBC Squawk Box, Fox News, and numerous other mainstream media. She is a recognized beer judge in the BJCP program, and an award winning homebrewer of over 16 years. Her areas of focus include: Resources and education on craft beer, general statistics on the craft beer industry, beer styles and the trends, and Craft Beer and Food. For Big Beers Weekend, Julia will be focusing on Craft Beer & Food, and will be moderating a panel of Importers and Craft Brewers, showcasing, comparing and contrasting their brews in several areas, including their compatibility with different foods. Julia's "Cheese & Chocolate Challenge: A Global Big Beers Competition" will be an interactive opportunity for the audience to vote on the pairings presented by the brewers/importers.


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Peter is an engineer in brewing and fermentation technology from the University of Ghent, Belgium. He worked for 10 years in the Belgian Brewing industry for the breweries Zulte, Rodenbach and De Gouden Boom. Some crazy home brewing resulted in brewpub De Zwingel in Harelbeke, Belgium. In 1996, Peter and Frezi, his wife, moved to Fort Collins, Colorado where Peter became the brewmaster at New Belgium Brewing Company. In a recent interview with Jill Redding of Zymurgy, Bouckaert is said to take a holistic approach to designing beers, and is not concerned about hitting a certain style. “Half of my beers will never win a medal at the GABF. Style guidelines narrow the mind at the start of development,” he said. According to the New Belgium website, “A beer writer once referred to Peter as the Andy Warhol of brewing because he refused to be put into a box. Peter likes to let the beers speak for themselves.” Peter will be speaking on “Brettanomyces and Other Microbiology” with regard to experimental brewing.

Will homebrewed his first creations over eighteen years ago. Throughout his nearly fifteen-year career at Cambridge Brewing Company, Will has been committed to crafting unique, adventuresome beers, some harkening back to ancient brewing traditions of the world and others breaking new ground in the art of brewing. His desire to spread the gospel of good beer has led him to travel extensively and become well-versed in beer styles from around the globe, knowledge which he applies at beer festivals and dinners focusing on pairing fine food with handcrafted, artisanal beer. He has been an invited speaker at Harvard and Yale Universities, the Master Brewers Association of America, New England Real Ale Exposition, BeerAdvocate happenings and other beer festivals and conferences nationwide. He has been a guest brewer at breweries across the U.S., Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Will’s passion for developing experimental beers utilizing unique, non-traditional brewing ingredients and techniques including wild yeast, oak barrel fermentation, aging, and blending, has garnered him national awards (GABF Gold Medal 2006-Heather Ale, GABF Silver Medal 2004-Benevolence, GABF Bronze medal 2002-Blunderbuss Barleywine, First Radical Beer Open Bronze Medal – Cerise Cassée) and international recognition. Will admits he regularly talks to his beer when no one is looking, and will be discussing “New Beer Styles” as his seminar topic.

When Sam Calagione opened Dogfish Head in 1995, it was the smallest commercial brewery in America, making 10 gallons of beer at a time.  Today Dogfish Head is among the fastest growing breweries in the country.  Dogfish Head has focused on brewing stronger, more exotic beers since the day it opened as the motto “Off-centered ales for off-centered people” attests to. Dogfish Head has grown into a 94 person company with a restaurant/brewery/distillery at the original site in Rehoboth and a 103,000 sq foot, 240,000 bbl capacity regional brewery in Milton Delaware. Sam’s book, Brewing up a Business, published by Wiley, is now available in paperback. Sam’s second book “Extreme Brewing” (Nov. '06) is already in its second printing. A third book, “Beer or Wine?” (Spring 2008) is co-written with female sommelier Marnie Old.  Sam has been named Small Business Man of the Year by the SBA and was recently named Entrepreneur of the Year by Delaware Today Magazine and The State Chamber of Commerce. Sam will be discussing “Ancient Ales” as his Experimental Brewing topic.

“My love of beer began as an infant. My aunt would put a few drops of the precious liquid on my pacifier to ease the pain of teething. My passion grew through the years as my parents had a "European attitude" towards alcoholic beverages. As I grew into adulthood, I found it difficult to find brands that challenged me. My tastebuds required more flavor than breweries at that time were creating. I was forced to homebrew. All kinds of strange concoctions poured from my kitchen. The cases stacked up.....my friends and I couldn't quaff as fast as I brewed. The creations, I was told, were great. "Start a brewery!" they said. So with the aid of Dad and his friend, Steve Wagner, I turned my hobby into a profession. Ten years later, my singular goal is to challenge your tastebuds, taking brewing to another level of flavor, quality, and consistency. I am......a beer junkie!” And we’re grateful for our Colorado Beer Junkie at Avery Brewing Company who has shared his love of beer & brewing as a core part of the Big Beers Festival’s evolution. Take a look at the Seminar history, for example… And we aren’t sure yet what Adam will be discussing, but it’s always fun and it will certainly be extreme!

For tickets to Saturday’s Commercial Tasting and Seminars, see the Tickets & Lodging page.

2007
"Belgian Beer: The New Generation”
Hildegard Van Ostaden, Owner/Brewmaster, and Bas Van Ostaden, Owner/Astist/& Storyteller,  Brouwerij de Leyerth, West Flanders, Belgium
“Beer & Cheese”
Brian Dunn, Founder/Brewmaster, Great Divide Brewing, Denver, CO

2006
“Barrel-Aging Beer”
Rob Tod, Founder/Brewmaster, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
“Aging Barleywines”
Eric Wallace, Co-Founder/Brewmaster, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO

2005
“Hops and Randalling” and “High Alcohol Brewing”
Sam Calagione, Founder/Pres., Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Adam Avery, Founder/Brewmaster, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO

2004
"Cooking with Beer"
Rick Kangas, Executive Chef, Grouse Mountain Grill, Beaver Creek, CO
“Transatlantic Kriek: The Story"
Shawn Hines, New Belgium Brewing, Ft. Collins, CO
“The Effects of Aging on Belgian Beers/ Vertical Tasting”
Adam Avery, Founder/ Brewmaster, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO

2003
“Aging & Vintages of Specialty Beers”
Adam Avery, Founder/Brewmaster, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
“Beer & Cheese Pairings”
Brian Dunn, Founder/Brewmaster, Great Divide Brewing, Denver, CO
Eric Wallace, Co-Founder/Brewmaster, Left Hand Brewing Co.,
Longmont, CO
Sean Knoll, Owner, Paragon Importers (Chimay), Denver, CO
Adam Avery, Founder/Brewmaster, Avery Brewing Co, Boulder, CO

Vail's China Bowl

2002
“Aging and Vintages of Specialty Beers”
Adam Avery, Founder/Brewmaster, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
“All About Belgians”
Sean Knoll, Owner, Paragon Imports, Denver, CO

2001
“Aging and Vintages of Specialty Beers”
Adam Avery, Founder/Brewmaster, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
“All About Belgians”
New Belgium Brewing Staff, Ft. Collins, CO

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