The brewing event of the year
Brew in hop country with the founders of
Bale Breaker, Brujos, Breakside, Russian River, and more
BREWERS
RETREAT
CRAFT BEER & BREWING Brewers Retreat
Brew With World-Class Brewers in the Heart of Hop Country
AUG 23-26, 2026 | Yakima, Washington
There are a limited number of tickets for the country's best brewing experience! Brew with world-class brewers over four days in the heart of hop country (Yakima, Washington).
At this exclusive retreat, you’ll brew 10 gallon batches each day in small (10-15 person) groups led by some of the country’s top brewers, connect with brewery owners from around the country, enjoy beautiful meals from some of the top chefs in the PNW and beloved local favorites, and relax in the hop fields during peak season. Tickets include three nights of lodging, brew days, educational sessions, transportation, bottle shares, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and select beers, but space is limited, so book today!
We'll ferment and package the beers to send you a handful of cans to enjoy. You’ll have the ultimate collaboration beers to share with your friends!
Brewer selection is based on the order in which tickets are purchased. That means the earlier you get your ticket, the more likely you brew with your preferred featured brewer—so don’t delay!
Tickets On Sale:
- Past Attendees: January 14, 10 AM MT
- All Access Members: January 15, 9 AM MT (Subscribe today)
- All Others: January 15, 10 AM MT
Craft Beer & Brewing All Access members members save $300+ on tickets!
Brew With
Kevin Smith + Kevin Quinn
Owners/Brewers, Bale Breaker
Brewmaster Kevin Smith started his brewing career on the other side of the Cascade Range, in Seattle, before returning to the family farm and joining with his sister and brother-in-law to launch the brewery. Through Bale Breaker, he’s been able to showcase a hop-forward identity that embraces the crop that he grew up with.
Sam Zermeño
Founder/Brewer, BRUJOS
Based in Portland, Oregon, Sam Zermeño is the brewer behind Brujos—a nomadic brand that’s given him the opportunity to make some intensely flavored, highly regarded beers with friends and favorite brewers from around the country. Yet behind the acclaim and heavy-metal imagery is a mind of real technical know-how and experience. Previously an R&D brewer at Portland’s Great Notion, his accomplishment there include a GABF gold medal last year for their Feniks grodziskie. Nor was that his first GABF gold; in 2018, he won for a hazy double IPA brewed while at Black Market in Temecula, California. Now, Zermeño is embarking on the next phase of Brujos, taking over a now-closed brewhouse that he’s transforming into a dark church worthy of the heavy brand.
Vinnie + Natalie Cilurzo
Founders, Russian River Brewing Company
Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo are the founders of Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa and Windsor, California. The brewing industry power couple are two of the most respected in the world of craft beer. Their downtown Santa Rosa brewpub has been a legendary destination for craft beer fans for many, many years, and the production brewery in Windsor, California is the culmination of decades of experience plus a desire to build their dream brewery. In 2008 Vinnie was honored with the Brewers Association Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing and in 2017 Vinnie and Natalie were honored with the Brewers Association Recognition Award. Natalie was the keynote speaker at the 2022 Craft Brewer’s Conference in Minneapolis.
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Ben Edmunds
Brewmaster, Breakside Brewery
Ben is the brewmaster at Breakside Brewery in Portland, Oregon, where he oversees the company's production brewery and two pub breweries. As founding brewer of Breakside, he helped grow the company from a small brewpub into a successful 30,000 barrel regional brewery. Under Ben's leadership, Breakside has won many medals at national and international competitions, including 8 World Beer Cup awards and 22 Great American Beer Festival medals since 2011, as well as six Brewery of the Year honors at the Oregon Beer Awards.
Neil Fisher
Founder/Brewmaster, WeldWerks Brewing Company
Neil began homebrewing with friends at his home in 2009, and over the next few years, a full roster of nearly 2 dozen different colorful characters would come around once a month to brew, learn and enjoy one another’s company. Fast forward a few years to the 2014 Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines festival, held at the time in Vail, CO, which is home to one of the nation’s best homebrew competitions. A soft agreement was made in advance that if Neil was able to bring home a medal at this prestigious competition, he would consider opening a brewery. Well, as it happened, he didn’t win a medal – he won two. That informal agreement quickly turned into a business plan, and 11 months later, the first beers were poured at WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley, CO.
Whitney Burnside
Brewmaster/Co-Owner, Grand Fir Brewing
Whitney came to brewing through food and fermentation, as her degree in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales led her first to cheesemaking then to brewing at Portland’s Laurelwood. She’s brewed at some of the most influential breweries in the Pacific Northwest—Upright, Elysian, and Pelican—and rose to head brewer at Pelican before joining 10 Barrel as brewmaster for their Portland pub. Now, she and husband Doug Adams—a Top Chef: Boston finalist, Eater PDX Chef of the Year, and James Beard semifinalist—have joined forces with Grand Fir, and the medals have kept on coming with six GABF medals, three World Beer Cup medals, Oregon Beer Awards Small Brewery of the Year, and more, over the past three years.
Kelsey McNair
Founder and Head Brewer, North Park Beer Company
Kelsey McNair is the Founder and Head Brewer of North Park Beer Company in San Diego, California. Kelsey began his brewing adventure in 2004 as a homebrewer armed with inspiration, an affinity for hops, and a Mr. Beer kit. After brewing a single batch, Kelsey found himself completely hooked on the magic that is brewing beer, and it wasn't long before his garage was transformed into what might as well have been a pilot brewery decked out with stainless steel tanks. In the years following, his West Coast IPA, Hop-Fu!, became one of the most award-winning homebrews in history, fueling a desire to take his beers to the next level. Kelsey took the leap and left a 16-year-long career in the video games industry to open North Park Beer Company with his wife Amanda in the heart of San Diego's North Park. Since opening in 2016, NPBC has earned numerous awards in major beer competitions, including Gold and Silver at the World Beer Cup and a Bronze at GABF for its flagship Hop-Fu! IPA and Brewer and Brewery of the Year at GABF in 2022. In addition to its brewery headquarters, NPBC operates two satellite locations in San Diego, including a Taproom and Kitchen in the Bankers Hill area and a recently opened Pizza Shop in Crown Point.
Henry & Adriana Nguyen
Owners, Monkish Brewing Company
After pursuing a PhD in Early Christianity and homebrewing mostly Belgian-style beers, Henry and his wife, Adriana, started Monkish in Los Angeles, where they were born and raised. The brewery initially focused solely on Belgian-style and mixed-fermentation beers — and the occasional spontaneous fermented beers, which are a challenge given the Southern Californian warm climate. As a yeast-driven brewery, Henry has expanded the brewery’s scope to include hoppy beers (i.e. IPAs) that are more focused on yeast character than simply hops. And with their affinity for monastic brewing traditions, Henry and Adriana embrace the spiritual and metaphysical dimensions of brewing, and their brewery remains nimble and intentional in creating meaning through beer.
Sean Lawson
Founder/Brewmaster, Lawson’s Finest Liquids
Lawson’s Finest has earned critical acclaim and an enthusiastic fan following. Sean started the 1bbl nano-brewery with his wife Karen in 2008 after 20 years of home brewing. His specialty maple beers & IPA’s have garnered awards at the World Beer Cup, Great American Beer Festival, and at two National IPA championships (2011 – Triple Play IPA and 2016- Super Session #2). Lawson’s Finest grew to a 7bbl system in 2011 in a small sugarhouse style shed next to their home. In 2018 Sean and Karen opened the Waitsfield brewery, taproom and retail store.
Itinerary
We're still finalizing some details regarding hotel and meal locations. Check back soon for more!
DAY 1 (AUG 23, 2026)
- 4:00pm: Hotel check-in at the hotel
- 5:00pm – 6:00pm: Welcome Happy Hour
- 6:00pm: Dinner
- 8:00pm – 11:00pm: Bottle share at Single Hill Brewing
DAY 2 (AUG 24, 2026)
- 6:30am - 8:45am: Breakfast
- 9:30am – 11:30am: Panels + Seminars
- 11:30am – 4:00pm: Brewing session at Bale Breaker
- 12:30pm: Lunch
- 6:00pm - 8:00pm: Dinner
- 5:00pm: Tours
- 6:00pm - 8:00pm Dinner
DAY 3 (AUG 25, 2026)
- 6:30am - 9:00am: Breakfast
- 10:15am – 11:45am: Brewing Seminars
- 12:00pm: Lunch
- 12:45am – 4:30pm: Brewing session at Bale Breaker
- 5:30pm: Farm to Table Pairing Dinner at Bale Breaker, With Special Beers From Each Master Brewer
- 8:00pm – 11:00pm: Bottle share at Single Hill Brewing
DAY 4 (AUG 26, 2026)
- 6:30am - 9:00am: Breakfast
- 11:00am: Checkout
Location
The event will take place in the heart of hop country, with activities happening throughout Yakima. Accommodations are at the Hotel Maison or Hilton Garden Inn, and all brewing activities will be hosted onsite at Bale Breaker in Yakima, Washington. Your ticket includes three nights of lodging and round-trip transportation between the hotel and Bale Breaker.
Sponsors
In 2004, BSG recognized that the craft brewing and homebrewing community needed a dependable source for diverse ingredients from around the world. Since then, we have earned the trust of our customers by delivering the finest brewing ingredients at competitive values, all backed by outstanding customer service and depth of industry experience.
We continue to search the globe for new and interesting brewing ingredients that we can bring to our customers. Consequently, our product list continues to grow as we strive to better meet the needs of both professional brewers and homebrewers. Additionally, our knowledgeable and friendly sales and management staff comes from the professional brewing & homebrewing communities, so we can assist you in everything from recipe formulation to troubleshooting.
Whether it's exclusive specialty malts, in-demand hop varieties, or premium brewing aids we have you covered; great beers are made from select ingredients. BSG is committed to being your partner, and shares your passion for creating outstanding beers.
Arryved is the most trusted point of sale system for your favorite food, drink, music, and hospitality spots. Our flexible, all-in-one system reduces service friction for staff and guests alike with smart technology designed by industry experts and enthusiasts. With transparent pricing, a full suite of customizable features, and award-winning customer support, Arryved helps grow your business and create contagious loyalty for your brand
Cultivate your craft with the liquid yeast powerhouse. Never settling for “good enough,” we continue to advance the craft of fermentation, providing the healthiest, most viable yeast, with the largest variety and over 25 years of unparalleled innovation. We fuel the brewing community by offering fermentation solutions, educational resources, and a collaborative atmosphere – empowering brewers to make the best beer possible.
For over 115 years, Roy Farms has been a visionary in hop farming. Family owned and operated, we push the boundaries of traditional thinking every day to meet the industry demand for quality hops at Farm Direct prices. We adopt new technologies, invest in local and global thought leaders and forge new partnerships to produce premium hops and hop products. Our promise to all of our partners is to dig deep, challenge the status quo and continue to unearth the potential of farming. As a vertically integrated farm we grow, harvest and process our hops into pellets within 36-48 hours. Harvest Fresh® Pellets are produced on our farm’s solar powered pellet facilities. Safety, Sustainability and Quality are the foundation on which the Roy Family grows and delivers the best hops directly to breweries around the world.
Welcome to Amoretti, where every product we create is infused with a rich heritage of legacy and love. Our journey began in 1989 when Jack, Ara, and Maral Barsoumian founded this family business. From our humble beginnings, we have evolved into a leading supplier of a wide range of exquisite products, including nut pastes, marzipan/almond paste & butters, natural fruit artisan pastes & compounds, extracts & concentrates, Craft Purée®, Beverage infusions, Premium flavoring syrups, and much more. Our headquarters is nestled in Oxnard, California, and our unwavering passion for flavor and unwavering commitment to quality have allowed us to offer over 3,500 products to bakeries, ice creameries, chocolatiers, craft beverage manufacturers, restaurants, hotels, bars, and directly to consumers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have other questions? Contact us.
TICKETS
When is the last day I’m able to purchase tickets?
The last day you can purchase a ticket is when we sell out.
If I purchase a brewer ticket now, can I purchase a companion ticket for the same event later or do they both need to be purchased at the same time?
You do not need to purchase the companion ticket at the same time. Just let us know if and when you want to add your companion.
BREWING
Are the identified Featured Brewers confirmed to participate?
The listed brewers are confirmed.
Can I pick the brewer that leads my group?
Yes. Prior to the event we will send out a survey for your preferred lead brewer. If a brew group is full, preference will be given to the attendee that purchased their ticket first. That said, we’ve always accommodated every request.
What type of beer will be brewed?
The brewers will collaboratively develop a different recipe for each day of brewing, and each team will brew threads of that recipe which will be fermented in the Bale Breaker brewery.
Will retreat attendees be allowed to participate in the brewing process?
You will be allowed to participate in the brewing process and collaborate with the pro brewer.
What are we going to do with the beer we are brewing?
When the beer is ready, we will package and ship 4-6 cans to each participant.
TRANSPORTATION
May I be provided a discount if I don't use your transportation?
There will be no discount if you do not use our transportation. The transportation is included in the overall package.
FOOD & DRINK
Which meals are included?
Sunday: Dinner
Monday: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Tuesday: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Wednesday: Breakfast
How much beer will be provided?
At each dinner we will provide the equivalent of at least one beer. Happy hours and receptions will offer unlimited pours.
"This event is something that outshines almost any experience I've gone to in the past. The brewers that attended this conference were so open with all of us about brewing methods, tips/tricks, etc were just fantastic!"
- Doug K. (Brewers Retreat Austin Attendee)
"I want to tell you all that it was awful and never come, but this would just be to keep it a secret and protect it for myself. In fact, this was the most incredible beer experience I've ever had."
- Allan M. (Brewers Retreat Colorado Attendee)
"This was an amazing experience - to be able to not only meet, but hang out and brew with Brewing legends like Mitch Steel, Henry Nguyen, the crew from Jester King. What can I say? How could it be better?"
- John W. (Brewers Retreat Austin Attendee)
"This was a wonderful week. Brewing with the pros; and testing recipes. Friendship and a good time, all with a common subject; all in a beautiful retreat."
- Nowell G. (Brewers Retreat Austin Attendee)
Invite your friends
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