Keynote Speakers

marcus baskerville, Founder

Fresh Consulting Co.

Marcus Baskerville is the co-founder and former Director of Brewing for Weathered Souls Brewing Company in San Antonio, Texas. Marcus also serves as President of the National Black Brewers Association. Renowned for his innovative brewing techniques and exceptional beers, Baskerville has led the brewery to national acclaim. His standout creations include award-winning barrel-aged stouts and diverse IPAs. Baskerville is also the creator of the Black is Beautiful initiative, a global collaboration among breweries to support racial justice causes that has raised over $6.5 million. His dedication to quality and community activism has positioned him as a leading figure in the craft beer industry, earning nominations and accolades, including a James Beard Award semi finalist nomination and 40 under 40 Wine Enthusiast Top Taste Makers.

Kate Bernot, Lead analyst

Sightlines

Kate Bernot is a reporter who has covered the beer and broader alcohol industry for more than a decade. Her work primarily appears in Sightlines—an insights  newsletter for beverage-alcohol decision-makers—and has also been published by The Washington Post, The New York Times, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, Craft Spirits Magazine, NACS Magazine, Imbibe, and more. She is currently the director of the North American Guild of Beer Writers, a professional development organization. She is a BJCP Certified beer judge and lives in Missoula.

other presenters

Mark bergstrom, sales manager

Bozeman Brewing Co.

Mark has worked for Bozeman Brewing in a sales role for 8 years and is a BJCP Certified Beer Judge. His beer journey began long ago when he was lucky enough to grow up on Colorado’s Front Range, one of America’s beer meccas. (He’s still known to enjoy a Banquet or O’Dell IPA from time to time). Mark’s move to Montana motivated a career in beer and now he travels our beautiful state preaching the good word of beer to anyone that will listen, from the newest craft fan to the grizzled industry vet. He loves to learn and takes great pleasure in good conversation over a tasty beer with friends new and old. 

jason brenden, head brewer and director of operations

Bridger Brewing Company

Jason Brenden is the Head Brewer and Director of Operations for Bridger Brewing Company.   Jason started his brewing career in 2015 and is now focused on driving quality and consistency out of their production facility in Three Forks and carrying those same core philosophies to the more experimental brew pub located in Bozeman.

Kelly brunger, financial advisor

SG Long Financial

Kelly serves SG Long Financial as a Financial Advisor and Investment Advisor Representative. She has worked in the financial services industry since moving from Alaska to New York City in 2001 and serves the broad needs of SG Long’s clients in Montana. After noticing a lack of authentic connections during her Wall Street career, she became a tour operator for several years as the founder of Alaska to Africa Travel, where she created team building adventure travel programs designed to increase engagement and productivity for corporate teams. She is extremely happy to be living in Montana getting back to her life-long loves: fly-fishing, any fishing, camping, cowboy hats, and cross-country skiing.

laura burns, director of research and development

Omega Yeast

Lisa clayborn, outreach & Education specialist

Montana Department of Revenue, Alcoholic Beverage Control Division

Kimberly clements, managing partner

Pints, LLC

Kimberly Clements, a third-generation beer executive, is the co-founder and managing partner of PINTS LLC, a beverage advisory firm that partners with suppliers and distributors throughout the country to provide independent, objective support, guidance and best practices related to the beverage alcohol industry.  Since the inception of PINTS in early 2016, Clements and her business partner, Daniel Lust, have assisted several clients throughout the country on a variety of topics related to strategy, business planning, negotiation, sales analytics, succession planning and litigation support.  Prior to starting PINTS, Clements was President of her family’s beer distribution company, Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc. in Arizona, and managed all of the day-to-day operations of the company’s seven locations.  With over 25 years of beer industry experience, Clements is a familiar face throughout the business and has served on numerous industry panels, including prior presentations at the Craft Brewers Conference.  She is very active in the community having served as a member of several non-profit boards.

dustin craft, craft sales manager - mountain region

Malteurop Malting Company

Dustin Craft is Malteurop’s Craft Sales Manager for the Mountain region. His journey through the world of beer has given him the opportunity to take on diverse roles that have included not only raw materials but also brewing, packaging, capital projects, product development, and process optimization at breweries ranging from homebrew scale up to 11.8 million bbls per year. Dustin’s overriding passion is playing a part in helping brewers and breweries make the best beer possible. When he’s not thinking about beer, Dustin is most likely working on cars, playing video games, off-roading, or cooking.

Jess DeMarois, Attorney/OwneR

JDMT Law

Born and raised in Missoula, Montana into a sixth-generation Montana family, Jessica DeMarois completed her undergraduate work in the University of Montana History Department before graduating from the University of Montana School of Law and  continuing her education at University of Washington School of Law where she obtained her Masters in Tax Law. 

Jess is experienced in guiding her clients  through the complex and evolving frontiers of Montana cannabis and alcohol licensing law. Jess is compassionate and empathetic while being extremely efficient and effective. She strives to exceed the expectations of her clients and have some fun along the way- her greatest joy is in helping people achieve their dreams, build cool businesses, and offering support and expertise when problems arise. 

Jess has a background in federal and state taxation, non-profit administration, administrative and criminal law, formerly working as a King County criminal prosecutor in Seattle and as a Senior Deputy Attorney General at the Montana Department of Revenue. 

Jess is married to Mike, also a tax lawyer (I know) and the proud mother of three beautiful children. She started JDMT Law after the death of her second child, and her goal for the firm is to create a space where clients are people first and where we always remember how lucky we are to call this great place home.

Oceania eagan, founder and creative director

Blindtiger Design

After more than 15 years in the industry, Oce has just about seen it all―ups and downs, openings and closings, trends and shifts. She’s rebranded 30-year-old breweries, helped launch successful startups and created marketing plans for everyone in between. For every bizarre request or seemingly strange question a brewery has, she’s answered it before. 

Prior to founding Blindtiger, Oce built and led Taphandles’ design operations for over 10 years, during which the company transformed tap handles from functional objects to the top on-premise marketing tool for breweries. Opening Blindtiger was the natural next step to further meet the full scope of breweries’ packaging, sales and marketing needs. Oce has created award-winning label designs—but she’s also built out taproom interiors, predicted the needs of distributors and has specific insight into beer markets around the country. She’s as well-versed in hop varieties as she is TTB requirements. When Oce is not launching product lines or wrangling her boys, she’s enjoying a pilsner, or two, in the sun.

Karina Edwards, research assistant

Montana State University Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab

Karina grew up in rural Massachusetts before receiving her BS in biology at Clemson University in South Carolina. After college, she moved to Philadelphia to pursue a career in small molecule purification and biological mass-spectrometry. Her love for the outdoors brought her to Montana where she joined the Montana State University Barley, Malt and Brewing Quality Lab. Karina is currently working as a Research Associate analyzing grains, malt and hops for farmers, maltsters, and brewers across the country. The barley team is the perfect place to combine her passions for science, nature, and beer!

Dacia English, Outreach & Education Coordinator

Montana Department of Revenue, Alcoholic Beverage Control Division

Dacia English has an Associates of Arts and an Associates of Science with a business emphasis from Flathead Valley Community College and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Montana State University. She is currently the Outreach Coordinator for the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division (ABCD). She has been with ABCD for 9 years. She joined ABCD as a Compliance Specialist in August of 2014 processing license applications, helping licensees with changes to their licenses, and compliance matters. She also held the Unit Manager position for 2 years for the Licensing and Compliance Bureau. In this position she oversaw 7 Licensing and Compliance Specialists who process well over 2,400 application cases per year. She has both licensing and compliance knowledge and enjoys helping people understand this complex business and area of the law.

Kristen Ewer, Account manager

Precision Fermentation

bob hall, Board member

Ronan Coop Brewery

heather higinbotham, Owner

Last Best Planet Sustainability Consulting

Heather Higinbotham has been helping businesses implement sustainable practices into their operations for the past 16 years. She is currently partnering with the Montana State University Pollution Prevention Program to create and pilot a sustainable brewery certification program for craft breweries in MT. She holds a Master of Science in Environmental Studies, Alternative Energy and Sustainable Building, from the University of Montana, and a Master in Business Administration, Sustainable Systems, from Pinchot University (now Presidio).

Sara Killeen, Owner/Editor-in-chief

Montana Craft Beer Connection

Sara Killeen, the driving force behind the Montana Craft Beer Connection, cofounded the magazine as a way to promote and highlight the craft beer industry. Since taking over the business in 2020, Sara has grown MCBC to encompass many other projects highlighting Montana craft beer. Sara first experienced, and simultaneously fell in love with, craft beer at a backyard picnic after moving back to Montana for college and has continued to immerse herself in the craft beer world ever since. In addition to her business, Sara is also the current Secretary of the Montana Pink Boots Society and an active Certified BJCP judge.

ethan kohoutek, Co-Founder/Owner

Ten Mile Creek Brewery

Ethan Kohoutek is the co founder and owner of Ten Mile Creek Brewery in Helena and is part of the team that runs the Craig Taphouse in Craig, MT. His family has been part of the Montana alcohol industry for three generations in retail, distribution and manufacturing. He focuses on the business side of their operations and he thoroughly enjoys watching the different Montana brewery business models grow and adapt in the state. Ethan has served as the MBA president since 2019. He wants to continue to see the brewing industry in the state be able to advance their business opportunities in the changing alcohol landscape. When he isn’t enjoying a pint you can find him playing outside with his family or enjoying a baseball game.

Matt leow, executive director

Montana Brewers Association

Matt hails from the Bluegrass State but now calls the Big Sky State his home. After graduating from Hanover College in 1997, he came to Montana and tasted ski bum life for a couple seasons. The post-college adventure turned into a new life in Montana that’s at 25 years and counting. Since 2000, Matt has worked with nonprofit organizations, first as a staffer and later as a consultant, helping advocacy groups achieve their goals through policy change at the legislature and through the citizen initiative process. In 2015, Matt jumped at the opportunity to combine his advocacy and nonprofit background with his love of craft beer when he became the Executive Director of the Montana Brewers Association. He lives in Missoula with his wife, son and their two terriers. When left to his own devices, he can typically be found on the local trails, rivers or slopes along with a Montana craft beer or two.

steve lozar, founder

Montana Brewery Museum

Steve "Bubs" Lozar grew up in a Montana family whose links to our state’s brewing history goes back to his Great Grandfather Josef, a Nick Kessler Brewery associate, in the 1800's. A retired anthropologist raised in a beer culture and family, brewing and Montana history have been his lifelong passion. He and his wife Keryl, parents of 6 and grandparents of 12, have collected Montana breweriana and historical information for over 50 years. Together they own the Joe Lozar Montana Brewery Museum in Polson, a free museum and research center dedicated solely for the preservation of Montana brewing history. Steve travels the state giving historical talks to groups interested in their own communities' brewing past, often presenting at large meetings and conferences. Steve is an ardent supporter of the Montana brewing industry having even testified before the Montana State Legislature in support of continuing our Montana brewing legacy. Steve also owns a screen printing and embroidery company and served 3 terms on the confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council.

daniel lust, partner

Pints, LLC

Daniel Lust is the co-founder and partner of PINTS LLC, a beverage advisory firm that partners with suppliers and distributors across the country to provide objective support, guidance and best practices related to the beverage alcohol industry.  Since the inception of PINTS in early 2016, Lust and his business partner Kimberly Clements have assisted several clients on a variety of topics related to strategic business planning, marketing, territory expansion, distributor selection, management and contract negotiation, sales analytics, succession planning, and litigation support. Prior to starting PINTS, Lust held several leadership roles for Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc. and SPIKE Beverage during his career, most recently as the Vice President of Sales & Marketing.  During his tenure he was responsible for the development of several internal process improvements, profit-focused pricing and cost-savings initiatives, and performance measurement tools to improve internal and external accountability.  Lust has presented at the Craft Brewers Conference for the last two years as well as participated on several industry-related panels sharing an independent perspective with regards to supplier and distributor relationships.

loy maierhauser, coo

MAP Brewing Co.

Loy Maierhauser first fell in love with beer after she began homebrewing in 2004, and has been a beer lover and brewer ever since. Loy is currently the COO at MAP Brewing in Bozeman, is an Advanced Cicerone and a Certified Beer Judge through the BJCP.  Through Loy's extensive commercial judging experience she's developed a passion for beer evaluation and competitions, and in February of this year, helped the MBA launch the first Montana Beer Awards. She's also enthusiastic about beer education, and has taught brewing, tasting, and judging classes across the state. When Loy’s not working on something beer related, you can probably find her sipping beer on her deck, reading a book, or trail running.

Gabe Mariman, Co-Owner/General Manager

Bias Brewing

sammie mcgowan, director of marketing

Abundant Montana

Sammie McGowan studied at the George Washington University and graduated with a BA in marketing and international business. After spending time in Corporate America, she sought out more meaningful work and became a Sustainability Educator for the Whitefish School District through Americorps, where she found a passion for growing healthy food, creating healthy soil, and making healthy food accessible to all people. Now she loves combining her expertise in marketing and her passion for local food as the Director of Marketing and Communications for Abundant Montana, the go-to resource for local food in Montana.

seth orr, head brewer

Sacred Waters Brewing Co.

In 2020, Seth took on the role of Brewmaster at Sacred Waters and said, “this feels like coming home”. That’s because he helped design the place as a consultant before it was even built! He has spent so many years making great craft beer that we can’t even count that high. And he has won so many awards and medals in his craft that if he wore them while swimming, he would sink straight to the bottom. When he is not making magical liquids for our taste buds, Seth can be found enjoying life in the mountains with his wife, three red-headed children, and various animal companions.

Next time you kick back and enjoy an amazing Sacred Waters beer on the river, by the campfire or in the tap room just close your eyes and whisper, “I love you, Seth.” We say it all the time.

Chris palmer, Professor of analytical chemistry and brewing science

University of Montana

Christopher (Chris) Palmer is a PhD analytical chemist and professor of Analytical Chemistry and Brewing Science at the University of Montana. Chris completed his PhD in analytical chemistry in 1991 at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. Following his PhD, he completed postdoctoral fellowships in Virginia, The Netherlands and Japan. While living and working in Europe, he made frequent trips to Belgium, England, and Germany. Not surprisingly, he developed an interest in the many styles and flavors of beer found outside of, but at that time rarely within, the United States. On his return to the US, Chris taught Chemistry at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, where he became involved in home brewing and established a Zymurgy Club. In 2001, Chris moved to Missoula and began teaching at UM. He was pleased to discover the quality and variety of craft brews available in Montana. Once in Missoula, he began to provide analytical services for local breweries. He further developed his expertise in brewing science through webinars and a semester at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Chris has introduced a Brewing Science Certificate program at UM that is in its second year.

Jess Rahn, Intern

Montana Pollution Prevention Program

Jess Rahn is a senior at Montana State University pursuing a degree in Environmental Engineering. She completed a summer internship with the Montana Pollution Prevention Program, where she contributed to pollution prevention efforts and aided in piloting the sustainable brewery certification program at Philipsburg Brewing Company.

hunter riddle, owner and operator

Flathead Valley Hops

Hunter is a 4th generation farmer currently operating 180 acres of hops in the Flathead Valley. His passion lies in getting his hands dirty and nurturing the soil to produce the highest quality crop possible, with a hand in every step of the process from field to brewer. Hunter hopes to instill a love of farming in his children and future generations of farmers to come.

Heather Sargent, Head Maltster

Gallatin Valley Malt

I am the head maltster at GVM. I have been a part of this almost from the beginning and that has allowed me to be creative with malt recipe building and developing our styles of malt. I have enjoyed perfecting our malts, and malt quality begins directly from the farmer. The grain I use for malting is grown directly on our farm, so I am assured of high quality from the very beginning of the malt process. It's then my job to use that grain and give it the time and attention during the malting process. Other parts of my job include sales, talking directly with brewers and coordinating deliveries. I have enjoyed learning about the grain and its capabilities and in the last year, I have been actively learning about brewing. I have brewed in several breweries now alongside some excellent beer makers. My goal has been to understand as much as I can so I am knowledgeable when I am selling malt or talking with potential customers.

jamie sherman, barley program director

Montana State University Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab

Jamie Sherman is the barley breeder at Montana State University. Her program is developing new varieties for all barley end-uses including food, forage and feed, but a primary focus is on developing lines with improved malt quality. Towards that goal, she has developed a fully functional malt quality lab not only to support the breeding program, but also to support the developing craft malting industry.

joel silverman, ceo/attorney

Silverman Law Office

Joel Silverman was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He moved to Missoula in 1992,  and received his B.A. in Mathematics and B.S. in Forestry from the University of Montana in 1997. He received his law degree from Lewis and Clark College in 2003 and an LL.M. (master’s degree) in Taxation from the University of Washington in 2004. After law school, Joel spent his first three years of private practice in Butte, Montana, assisting clients with business matters and liquor and gambling issues, in addition to other specialties. Joel joined the Montana Department of Revenue as an attorney in 2006. His nearly six years at the DOR were spent working on legislation, liquor and gambling matters, and litigating various federal and state tax law issues. Joel opened Silverman Law Office, PLLC in 2012 and focuses on assisting individuals and businesses with business law, tax, succession planning, employment issues, mergers and acquisitions, wills, trusts, property transactions, liquor and gambling law, and oil and natural gas law. Joel is licensed to practice law in the states of Montana and North Dakota. He bounces back and forth between the Helena, Montana and Bozeman, Montana offices, assisting his team and their clients. Joel enjoys playing soccer, spending time outdoors, working with veterans through Montana Mending Waters, serving on boards for the Montana Business Assistance Connection and the Helena College Foundation, and spending time with his wife, Andrea, skiing, hiking, and fly-fishing.

nolan smith, owner

Philipsburg Brewing Company

A Western New Yorker, Nolan Smith came to Montana to study geology and never looked back. After graduating from Montana Tech in 1987, Nolan pursued a career in mining, construction, exploration and reclamation. Having been an exchange student in Germany, Nolan developed a passion for great beer. Fast forward (a few) years later, he and his wife Cathy and their partner, along with help from many other Montana Brewers started construction of their first brewery in 2009. Opening in 2012 in the Sayrs building (First National Bank circa 1888) now called the Vault, Philipsburg Brewing Company became a destination for thirsty travelers and a meeting place for a strong community. Nolan became a member of the MBA board in 2013, later serving as president until handing over the honor to Ethan Kahoutek. In 2016, Cathy and Nolan purchased the former Montana Silver Springs water bottling facility, also in Philipsburg. Now known as “the Springs,” the building is on the site of the original Kroger’s Brewery established in 1875. They installed the state’s first 50 barrel brewhouse and began distributing beer statewide in Alumi-tek bottles and bottling spring water for the National Parks. Nolan is very active in the Philipsburg and statewide community, serving on multiple boards in natural resources and entertainment while still consulting in mine development and making highly sought-after chicken wings.

Hannah talbott, president

Highlander Beer

Hannah Talbott is the President and an Owner of Highlander Beer- a production brewery, with locations in Missoula, MT, and Salmon, ID.

Hannah started her career in beer by attending Siebel Institute for Brewing Technology in 2008. She then worked in various roles in the industry, including brewer for a small brewpub.  After completion of her MBA from Colorado State University, she became CEO of a brewery in Minneapolis. She also went on to become a Certified Cicerone in 2016. 

In 2017, Hannah joined the Highlander Team, and since then Highlander has added a 200 person event pavilion, opened a 2nd location, and has grown their wholesale business to expand distribution into Montana and Idaho. 

When Hannah isn’t at Highlander she is either skiing, rafting, or growing flowers.

Hannah Uhlmann, Lab Director

Montana State University Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab

Hannah has been involved in plant science research for the past decade, receiving both Bachelors and Masters distinctions, and has acted as Director of the Montana State University Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab since 2016. The Lab performs both research and service, providing data for the University’s Barley Breeding Program and industry members across the barley value network. Hannah works closely with the American Society of Brewing Chemists and the Craft Maltsters’ Guild heading initiatives improving malt testing methods and leading educational programs.