Craft Brewing has a Craft Writing Symposium

Several of the brewer profiles we’ve written over the past few months have been in accordance with the Craft Writers Symposium, which is coming to a head this Saturday on the campus of the University of Kentucky in Lexington. However, it will begin on Friday with a meet and greet of some of the top brewers from around the country at Country Boy Brewing at 9 p.m., also in Lexington.

Jeff Rice, a professor at UK, was the mastermind behind bringing some of the top brewing minds together to discuss craft writing at one symposium. “Last year I did a different kind of event, but this year I wanted to put on an event that would bring together two areas of interest that we don’t always think belong together, but they do because every industry has writing,” said Rice. “I wanted to showcase the writing that goes on in the craft beer industry because I’m a craft enthusiast like a lot of folks, and some of that writing is not being showcased in more professional outlets.”

Rice said he’s aware that there is a Beer Bloggers Conference, but he had never heard of an event like the one at UK. “I thought this would be a unique opportunity to bring together people who have been doing very interesting writing, including brewers, people like Garrett Oliver, Mitch Steele or Jeremy Cowan, or people who write professionally like Stan Hieronymus, and have them be in the same space to talk about issues relevant to the craft beer industry.”

The Craft Writing Symposium is being held at the Center Theater in the Student Center beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday. It’s free and open to the public. Here is a list of featured speakers that you could see on Saturday:

Featured Speakers:

Stan Hieronymus, author of For The Love of Hops, Brewing with Wheat, and Brew Like a Monk. Blogger at Appellation Beer and For the Love of Hops.

Julie Johnson, Co-owner of All About Beer, former Editor of All Bout Beer. Currently Technical and Contributing Editor.

Teri Fahrendorf, 25-year beer industry veteran, founder of the Pink Boots Society, author of beer related articles, 19 years brewmaster at Steelhead Brewing, Triple Rock Brewing and Golden Gate Brewing, and blogging gypsy “Road Brewer,”

Roger Baylor, owner of New Albanian Brewing, author of The Potable Curmudgeon.

Jeremy Cowan, owner of Shmaltz Brewing, author of Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah.

Mitch Steele, Brewmaster at Stone Brewing, author of IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes, and the Evolution of India Pale Ale.

Keynote speaker

Garrett Oliver, Editor of The Oxford Companion to Beer, author of The Brewmaster’s Table, regular contributor to All About Beer. Brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery