Brewery professionals gathered at Farm Fresh Rhode Island in January to discuss ideas for the first-ever RI Brewers Conference. (Photo courtesy of the Rhode Island Brewers Guild)

After a relatively quiet few years, Rhode Island’s craft beer industry is having a growth spurt.

Since last November, the state has welcomed four new breweries, including its first-ever nonalcoholic brewery, and watched two breweries expand to larger locations. It’s also seen a flurry of prospective brewery activity, with at least one new business planning to open its doors in the coming months.

With so much happening in the industry, it’s the right time for new professional development opportunities. In May, the Rhode Island Brewers Guild announced the first-ever Rhode Island Brewers Conference, planned for Friday, Aug. 9, at Farm Fresh Rhode Island in Providence.

The all-day event will be the first time local brewers have access to a full day of brewery-related programming in state, according to RIBG Executive Director Nils Weldy and technical committee co-chair Homer Johnsen of Pivotal Brewing Company. In the past, brewers have had to travel to conferences held in Portland, Maine, and other locations. They’ve also participated in monthly learning opportunities coordinated by Johnsen and his co-chair, Luke Gerweck of Tilted Barn Brewery.

“We’re pretty certain we are the last New England state to have its own conference relative to a full day of programming that’s serving its brewing industry members,” Weldy says.

The conference consists of two main tracks of technical- and business-related topics. On the technical side are sessions on brewing traditional beer styles, sustainability, quality control and the Yakima Chief Hop sensory project. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from well-known local brewers, including Ben Estes from Moniker Brewery, Lee Lord from Narragansett Beer and Brendan Kennedy from Proclamation Ale Company.

On the business side, brewery representatives and professionals in related fields will present sessions on financial planning, restaurant distribution, taproom profitability and HR benefits. Weldy says the session topics are driven by the concerns of brewers who attended a pre-planning meeting in January.

“We went around and talked about the topics that are keeping brewery owners up at night,” he says.

There will be a keynote from John Mallet, the Rhode Island native who spent more than twenty years as a brewer for Bell’s Brewery in Michigan. Though the conference is primarily geared toward breweries, organizers say they’ve had strong interest from exhibitors and suppliers who will fill out the expo floor. The following day, the Ocean State Brewers Festival will welcome a larger crowd to Farm Fresh, offering another opportunity to highlight the growing industry.

“It’s been a long time coming. [We’re] just really excited to see this thing take off and be the success we know it can be,” says Johnsen, who was elected to the RIBG board last year on a platform of making the Brewers Conference a reality.

The conference reflects the industry’s status within the hospitality sector, where taprooms drive tourism and local brews fill an increasing number of restaurant taps. With close to forty breweries operating in the state (and another dozen wineries and distilleries), Weldy says he still sees room for growth in neighborhood-oriented breweries.

“The key is finding those markets that might be underserved,” he says. “It’s finding those pockets and neighborhoods that are set up well to offer a brewery experience.”

That growth also depends on the continued output of high-quality beer. Johnsen hopes the upcoming conferences helps put Rhode Island breweries on the craft beer map.

“We want the chance to show what Rhode Island craft beer’s all about,” he says.

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