Congress Speakers – The Brewers Journal

speaker line up

The full speaker line up will be announced in the run up to the event.

Rachel Auty, Women on Tap

Rachel is the founder of Women On Tap CIC, pioneers of initiatives that put brilliant women from the heavily male-dominated beer industry in the spotlight through a programme of activism including events, campaigns, and arts commissions.

She is also a marketing and brand consultant specialising in beer and the arts. In addition she is a proud Women in Beer mentor.

Matt Curtis, Author and Consultant

Matthew Curtis is a writer and photographer obsessed with beer, pubs and their culture. Based in Manchester, he’s the co-founder of Pellicle Magazine and the author of three books on beer and pub culture within the UK, including the award-winning Manchester’s Best Beer Pubs and Bars.

John Driebergen, Great Beyond Brewing

Opening your own brewery, at any point is time, comes with its own challenges and hurdles to overcome. Just ask the team at Great Beyond Brewing Company, and many of their peers.

John Driebergen along with Ollie Parker and Nick Walsh have shown that with hard work, determination and a wealth of brewing skill you can succeed. Their ever-popular taproom in Hoxton, London, is testament to just that.

And in their formative first years they have sealed a trio of awards at our very own Brewers Choice Awards – winning accolades in 2024 for ‘Beer of the Year‘, ‘New Beer of the Year‘ and ‘New Brewery of the Year‘.

Abbie Gadd, Wye Valley Brewery

Abbie Gadd is the head of sales and marketing and Wye Valley Brewery. With a wealth of experience in marketing across a raft of sectors, she has helped steer the brewery into exciting new waters and secure its place in the changing, modern beer landscape.

Jack Granger, Left Handed Giant

Jack Granger is one of the co-founders of Bristol-based Left Handed Giant. Known and cherished for their excellent beers, and equally brilliant spaces to enjoy them in, Left Handed Giant are one of the UK’s most regarded breweries. Not bad going for an outfit the founders consider something of an “accidental” brewery.

Alex Greig, Fuggles Beer Cafe

Alex Greig is the founder of Fuggles Beer Cafe. Created in 2013 in Tunbridge Wells with the aim of specialising in the best British & European beers the team can find coupled with great wine & spirits. Your local, award winning hang out spot – born out of a vision of creating somewhere to showcase the best drinks we could find, a mix of pub, Belgian style cafe and bar rolled in to one.

Amy Haselden, Track Brewing Co

Amy Haselden is the in-house graphic designer at Track Brewing Company. With a wealth of graphic design prowess, Amy has helped elevate the brewery’s branding to ensure the Manchester business remain at the forefront of the UK brewing scene.

Alex Kerr, Two Flints

With a passion for big, bold flavours coupled with a flair for producing excellent session-strength beers, Alex Kerr and his team at Two Flints are helping bring modern beer styles to the great and the good of Windsor, Berkshire. And they’re just getting started, too

Alex Lawes, Whiplash

A brewery born in the Republic of Ireland but very much of international standing, Whiplash has become a byword for quality in the world of modern beer. Founded by Alex Lawes and Alan Wolfe, and backed by a team from across the globe, Whiplash has made its name thanks to its meticulous pursuit of quality

Florian Lehnhardt, Research Center Weihenstephan

Florian Lehnhardt studied food chemistry at the Technical University of Munich from 2011 to 2016, including a 6-month research stay at the National University of Singapore. Subsequently, he pursued his doctorate from 2016 to 2021 at the Chair of Brewing and Beverage Technology at TUM, completing it in 2022. As part of his doctoral research in the Raw Materials-Oriented Brewing and Beverage Technology research group, he focused on aroma-active substances in aged beer, their precursor compounds, and alternative prediction methods for the aging instability of pale lagers. Additionally, he led the sensory laboratory of the chair from 2018 to 2021. Since 2022, he has been working as the Head of the Department of Instrumental Analysis at the Research Center Weihenstephan for Brewing and Food Quality at TUM.

Ben Lockwood, Mitchells & Butlers

With over 20 years industry experience, Ben has worked for craft beer giants BrewDog, from 2019 to 2024, and prior to that was at Mitchells and Butlers across Operations, Marketing and Procurement for more than 12 years, returning recently to work in the Beer Category team. Ben has been responsible for launching industry-leading NPD, events and activations, driving significant interest, growth and innovation in the beer category with breweries of all sizes’.

William Mayne, Bullhouse Brew Co

William Mayne is the Founder and Managing Director of Bullhouse Brew Co, a multi-award winning brewery in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Bullhouse opened Belfast’s first permanent brewery taproom (Bullhouse East) in June 2022, a pivotal moment of change in the local beer industry. Bullhouse now sells their beer throughout Northern Ireland, GB, the Republic of Ireland, France, Italy and the Netherlands and employ 26 people across the brewery and taproom, Bullhouse East (awarded Best Craft Beer Bar (City) in the UK 2023 and 2025 at the SIBA Business Awards). Bullhouse have also been named Best Drinks Producer in the UK (2024) at the BBC Food and Farming Awards as well as Best Brewery Business at the SIBA Business Awards 2025, among other awards.

Stefan Melbourne, Track Brewing Co

Stefan Melbourne is the creative & events manager at Track Brewing Co. One of the UK’s most regarded breweries, the business continues to impress with its core range and raft of collabs with breweries in the UK and across the globe.

Angus Morison, Vault City

Angus Morison is the head of production at Vault City. Joining as a senior brewer before moving into the role of production manager, he has helped grow Vault City to be Scotland’s largest sour beer producer. They make heavily fruited, modern sour beers among other styles, too.

Lotte Peplow, Brewers Association

Lotte Peplow is the Brewers Association’s American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe. Her role is to identify opportunities for international expansion of American craft beer and to raise awareness about the quality, diversity and innovation from America’s small and independent craft brewers. Based in London, UK she’s a Certified Cicerone, Beer Sommelier, beer writer, author, international beer judge and keen beer and food pairing advocate.

Chris Pilkington, Tuletorn Brewing

Chris Pilkington is the co-founder of Tuletorn brewing (“Lighthouse” in Estonian). The brewery, owned and operated by Kristina Pilkington and Chris, brew an ever changing selection of small batches in Kopli, Tallinn. They first opened our brewery and taproom in April 2024, and have since been hard at work bringing a unique brand of playfulness to the Estonian craft beer scene.

Before starting Tuletorn, Chris was the head of production and a founding member of Tallinn’s Põhjala.

Dan Sandy, Missing Link

Since ditching a career in advertising, Dan Sandy has gained a wealth of first-hand hospitality front-line experience, having been GM of popular London outfit Kill The Cat for seven years and now running Missing Link’s taproom in West Sussex.

When he’s not behind the bar, he runs tastings, sensory training and beer tours from his adopted home town of Lewes, East Sussex, with his company That’s The Beer Talking.

Dan is also an Advanced Cicerone which has allowed him to judge beer internationally at some of the biggest and most prestigious competitions.

Amelie Tassin, Tipple Marketing

Amelie Tassin is the founder and director of Tipple Marketing, a marketing and strategy agency based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With over 15 years’ experience, Amelie has worked across several European sectors from retail banking and property development to cosmetics and food and drink. Her agency’s work is truly ‘the Swiss Army knife of marketing’ and offers tailored services for all needs thanks to Amelie’s wealth of cross-industry experience. In 2018 she founded Women In Beer, a ‘women who beer’ group in Edinburgh, in 2019 the successful Women In Beer Festival (WIB Fest), a celebration of women in the industry with an impressive roster of events including tap takeovers, talks, and tastings.

Alex Troncoso, Lost and Grounded Brewers

Alex Troncoso is the co-founder of Lost and Grounded Brewers. Established in 2016, the business he started with partner Annie Clements has grown to be regarded as one of the finest in Europe. They are team fascinated by the precision of German brewing and the idiosyncratic nature of Belgian beers, and they chose the brewhouse of our dreams to help us make these wonders of fermentation. From their flagship Keller Pils through to the delicious Apophenia, they have a wide range of beers to keep you interested.

Jack Walker, Azvex Brewing Company

Jack Walker is the head brewer at Liverpool-based Azvex. At the award-winning business, Jack is responsible for creating a raft of celebrated beers both in-house and with collaborations with revered and regarded other breweries, too.

Barry Watts, SIBA

Barry Watts is Head of Policy and Public Affairs for the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) which represents the UK’s small and independent breweries. He is a former brewer with more than a decade’s worth of experience in lobbying and public affairs.

Tim Weaver, The Brand Weaver

Tim Weaver is the founder of The Brand Weaver, an agency on a mission to even the playing field in brewery branding and marketing. Right now, a handful of breweries dominate with slick branding and sharp messaging—while the rest are left behind. Tim is here to change that. His work has helped breweries double their revenue, land two new trade accounts a week, and even win Brewery Rebrand of the Year. Because when branding is done right, the beer is left to do the talking.

Bart Wellens, Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle

Since October 2021, Bart has served as Commercial Director at Trappist Brewery Westmalle. Leading a dedicated team across Sales, Marketing, and Logistics, his focus is on keeping this exceptional, authentic brand relevant in a fast-changing world—without ever compromising its soul. They don’t do traditional marketing; instead, they work with care and creativity, always respecting the unique DNA of Westmalle.

Recent initiatives include the launch of the Westmalle Extra Glass (June 2024), our very first Open Brewery Days in 230 years (September 2024), and the introduction of Westmalle Duo, their first blonde Trappist beer on tap (March 2025).

Rod White, University of Nottingham

Rod has over 20 years of experience in the multi-national brewing industry; principally based out of Burton-on-Trent with the Bass/Molson Coors brewing company and including spells as Group Production and Quality Standards Manager and Process Development Lead Europe. In 2017 Rod joined the University of Nottingham as an Assistant Professor, helping to deliver Masters level Brewing education. A naturally engaging educator, Rod is passionate about the development of young professionals for the industry and helps students with employability skills and finding the right job following graduation.

schedule at a glance

23 September

13.00 Exhibition opens & beer tasting begins
14:00 Keynote address and lectures begin
16:30 Lectures end
17:00 Beer tasting ends
17.00 Full access ticket holders only
17.00 Brewers Choice Awards Party begins
22:00 Day One ends

24 September

10:00 Exhibition opens
10.30 Lectures begin & beer tasting begins
17:30 Lectures end
18:30 Exhibition closes
18:30 Day Two ends
19:00 Exhibitor breakdown
22:00 Breakdown ends

schedule

23 September 2024

EXHIBITION
09:00	Exhibitor early access
13:00	Exhibition & beer tasting opens

TIME	LECTURE STAGE	DISRUPTER STAGE
13:50	Welcome address Tim Sheahan Editor of the Brewers Journal
14:00	Keynote address David Gluckman David Gluckman was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa on 1st November 1938, the day Sea Biscuit and War Admiral fought out the race of the century at Pimlico Park, Baltimore. Educated in Johannesburg, he joined a local advertising agency after university and soon fell in love with the business. He made the pilgrimage to London in 1961 and worked as an account executive on Procter & Gamble, Kerrygold, Lyons teas and several Unilever accounts. Always a frustrated copywriter, he escaped into product development in 1969, met a man from IDV and his life changed forever. The author of “That s*it will never sell!” David also helped create Bailey’s Irish Cream. During its time, it has sold billions of bottles across 160 countries with 220 million litres of fresh, Irish cream consumed annually. He’ll share his expertise on creating global brands, on how to keep faith and how to earn valuable buy-in when doubters pour scorn on your creativity.
14:30		Homebrew to pro Host: Andy Parker, Elusive Brewing; Luci Clayton-Jones, Double-Barrelled; Joanna Neale, The Malt Miller; Johnny Horn, Holy Goat Brewing Making the jump from homebrewing to professional – Leading advice from those that have been there and done that.
15:00	Brewing to style: Lager 101 Host: Radim Zvánovec, Budvar – Panelists: Laurence Brown, Lost and Grounded Brewers; Virginia Casadio, Duration Brewing, Vinny Rosario, Moonwake Beer Co; Jeremy Swainson, Utopian Brewing Best practice and guidance in lager brewing from some of the leaders in the field	Is Sustainable Packaging actually Possible? Host: Chris Lewington – Panelists: Mikhail Zelianouski, MyKegs A look at the common (mis)conceptions on packaging and how it can’t be sustainable.
15:30	Forging Your Own Path Mark Tranter, Burning Sky Mark will share the lessons learned in a career in beer from a brewery founder. Mark explains why Burning Sky’s rural location in Firle, East Sussex has both pros and cons, the development of their mixed fermentation offering and why when it comes to business, it’s important to understand that everyone’s aims and ambitions are different.	Decarbonising Energy in Breweries Panelists: James Fawcett, Thomas Fawcett; Dr Thomas Fudge, WASE; Chris Lewington, Brew Resourceful; George Wade, Zevero We delve into the current state of the energy market from a sustainability point of view, and look at the best current and future options to decarbonise.
16:00	Engage the Fine-Dining Sector Jorma Tikkanen, Do Good Brew Creating beers for fine-dining. Hear from a brewery co-founder that is creating food-pairing beers for Michelin-starred restaurants, and how you can do it too	Leveraging Digital Transformation Host: Melissa Cole -Panelists: Christian Barden, Konvoy; Rob Hollands, Proofworks; Kevin Smith, Made Smarter Demystifying digital transformation. What is digital transformation and how your manufacturing business can secure success from it.

EXHIBITION
16:30	Lectures end
17:00	Full Access Tickets only
17:00	Brewers Choice Awards and celebration begins
22:00	Brewers Choice Awards and celebration ends

24 September 2024

EXHIBITION
09:00	Exhibitor early access
10:00	Exhibition opens

TIME	LECTURE STAGE	DISRUPTER STAGE
10:20	Welcome address Tim Sheahan Editor of the Brewers Journal
10:30	Keynote address Philip Eeles, Honest Burgers Building a business, a team and the lessons learned along the way from the co-founder of one of Britain’s most well-known burger restaurants
11:00	Developing healthy – and tasty – beers Maria Paredes Ramos, Hijos de Rivera SAU A computational approach in the craft beer world. A review of work centred on being able design a la carte flavour profiles, incorporating those molecules that maintain consumers wellbeing but also show organoleptic attributes that improve taste perception.	No and Low: The Future Host: Melissa Cole – Panelists: Daniel Rowntree, High and Dry; Caitlín McErlean, Cloudwater; Oli Russell-Cowan; Liquid Death; Johnny Clayton, Big Drop How businesses can grasp the opportunities in a world away from alcohol.
11:30	Brewing with Kveik Todd M. Isbell, International Centre for Brewing Science An insight into the fermentation management, performance, and flavour expression of traditional Norwegian Landrace Yeast (Kveik)	Self Sufficiency in the Brewery Host: Chris Lewington, Brew Resourceful. Panelists: Faye Restall, Earthly Labs; Craig Smith, Pneumatech How you can become self sufficient when it comes to using gas in the brewery.
12:00	Relevance of hop terroir for beer flavour Ann Van Holle, head of R&D, Proefbrouwerij Not only variety but also ‘terroir’ may have a significant impact on the biochemical and brewing characteristics of hops and, consequently, on the resulting beer flavour profile. These insights may allow brewers to account for the potential impact of hop terroir on the consistency and quality of their beers, while it may open perspectives for subtle diversification in beer flavour profiles..	Session: On-flavour Masterclass Host: Natalya Watson, IBD Beer Sommelier, Advanced Cicerone® and WSET beer educator Natayla Watson, WSET beer educator, will explore the world of ‘on-flavours’. Join us and build your confidence in identifying and describing different aromas.
12:30	The survival of pathogens in non-alcoholic beers Dr Grzegorz Rachon, Campden BRI The outcome of two years of research into the survival of pathogens in non-alcoholic beers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of pathogens in British and worldwide non-alcoholic beers available on the UK market, and to determine whether pathogens can survive or grow in non-alcoholic beers, and to determine the impact of pH and bitterness on their growth and survival patterns..	Sustainable Fermentation Speaker: Jassa Amir-Lang, co-founder, Frigid.Cloud The state of play in the energy crisis and how to adopt a sustainable approach to fermentation and refrigeration.
13:00	Lunch break	Lunch break
13:30	Maintaining Quality During Expansion Eloise Perkins, Quality Manager, Northern Monk Maintaining quality during expansion: Northern Monk is the fastest growing craft brewery in the UK off-trade. Here is how they ensure quality remains paramount during growth.	Brewing Law Daniel Finn, Legal Director, Brabners The legal changes and potential pitfalls every brewery must be aware of.
14:00	A Life in Lambic Thomas Vandelanotte, Head Brewer, Timmermans A dive into the wonderful world of yeasts that occur in the lambic world and what their specific contribution is to a traditional lambic.	Hops, Haze and your Beer Host: Melissa Cole – Panelists: Brett Ellis; Sophie De Ronde, Burnt Mill; Gareth Moore, Deya; Colin Stronge, Lost Cause Brewing Co. Best practice and guidance in hop-forward beer brewing from some of the leaders in the field.
14:30	Charting the Evolution of a Beer Brand Nick Dwyer, Creative Director, Beavertown Nick Dwyer is the creative director at Beavertown. An award-winning graphic designer and illustrator, He is responsible for Beavertown’s iconic designs and will reflect on their evolution from the early days to the here and now.	The Craft of Cask Host: John Keeling – Panelists: Derek Prentice, Henry Kirk Where Cask beer goes from here. How we can ensure it will not only survive, but thrive in the future.
15:00	Social Media Secrets Host: Tim Sheahan – Panelists: Sienna O’ Rourke, Pressure Drop; Richard Wardrop, Vault City; Amelie Tassin, Tipple Marketing; Tanith West, Toast Hospitality How you can boost your visibility, and your sales with effective and impactful marketing techniques.	Session: Off-flavour Masterclass Hosts: Tim O’Rourke, The Brilliant Beer Company/Brewers Journal, Tom Brown, Head of Global Marketing & Strategy, FlavorActiv Learn more about off flavours with this in-depth, off-flavour training course. Duration: 60 mins To register, please email: tom.brown@flavoractiv.com
15:30	The Heart of The Community Host: Paul Davies – Panelists: Anthony Adedeipe, Eko Brewery, Kateřina Türková, Beak, Miranda Hudson, Duration, Tom Fozard, Rooster’s Brewing Co, Jez Galaun, Brixton Brewery The heart of the community: How your brewery can be a focal point of your community and drive direct sales in the process – Ways to achieve it from those already doing it.
16:00	Closing Remarks

EXHIBITION
17:00	Lectures end
18:30	Brewers Congress 2024 ends

BACK TO THE BDC

The Brewers Congress is returning to the heart of central London at the Business Design Centre for another year. Over 2,500 square metres of space to entertain, educate and celebrate the very best of British brewing

Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London, N1 0QH

You’ll find the Business Design Centre right in the beating heart of Islington, with excellent public transport links to Central London and national destinations. You can easily reach the BDC via bus, London Underground and Overground and we’re a short walk from National Rail stations at Kings Cross and St Pancras International.

There is a secure, 250-space car park on-site. If you’re driving to the Business Design Centre, make sure you pre-book your space to avoid disappointment.

Satnav location: N1 0PW

GET YOUR TICKETS

£ 39 inc VAT

BREWERS CONGRESS
Two-day access to lectures
Two-day access to exhibition
Unlimited beer tasting
BREWERS CHOICE AWARDS & PARTY
Street food & beer
Live music

£ 159 inc VAT

BREWERS CONGRESS
Two-day access to lectures
Two-day access to exhibition
Unlimited beer tasting
BREWERS CHOICE AWARDS & PARTY
Street food & beer
Live music

£ 59 inc VAT

BREWERS CONGRESS
Two-day access to lectures
Two-day access to exhibition
Unlimited beer tasting
BREWERS CHOICE AWARDS & PARTY
Street food & beer
Live music

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