2025 NanoCon Online

Description

Big Ideas for Small-Scale Craft Brewing – Now in an Annual Online Format 

October 24, 2025

Learn from craft brewing industry experts with live online sessions covering Brewery Operations, Business Operations & Sales, and Start-Ups.

• Full-Day of Live, Online Seminars and Q&A Panels

• Access to Video Recordings and Course Materials for All Sessions

• 3 Learning Tracks: Business & Sales, Brewing Operations, Start-Ups

• Get Your Questions Answered Live by Craft Beer Experts

• Interact with Other Small-Scale Craft Brewers & Breweries-In-Planning

• Q&A Sessions with Leading Small-Scale Brewing Suppliers

 

2025 NanoCon Online Seminar Descriptions

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Eastern)

SETTING UP A SMALL-SCALE QC LAB
BREWERY OPERATIONS
Even the smallest of breweries need to run certain quality control tests on their beer and can without taking up too much space, resources or cost. QC expert Audrey Skinner will walk you through the tests and equipment you need to make sure the beer you are selling to customers is the best it can be.
AUDREY SKINNER
GASTRONOMICAL CHEMIST, IMBIBE SOLUTIONS

 

IDENTIFYING & FIXING INEFFICIENT PARTS OF YOUR BREWERY BUSINESS
BUSINESS OPERATIONS & SALES
Unless you take a step back and can take an objective view of your brewery business you can’t identify the areas that need improvement. Brewery finance guru Audra Gaiziunas will show you how to strategically look for inefficient parts of your brewery and then what you can then do to fix those problem areas.
AUDRA GAIZIUNAS
OWNER, BREWED FOR HER LEDGER, LLC

 

TAPROOM FINANCIALS 101
START-UPS
Learn what the key accounting and financial guidelines should be for your taproom so you can be in a better position to make smart and accurate decisions for your brewery. Understand the numbers-side of your taproom distribution business model with brewery financial expert Kary Shumway.

KARY SHUMWAY
PUBLISHER, CRAFT BREWERY FINANCE

 

12:15 to 12:45 p.m. (Eastern)

Q&A WITH NANO VENDORS – You can check in live with your choice of top craft brewing vendors to get your questions answered about Nano-sized equipment, gear, ingredients, and supplies.

 

1 to 2 p.m. (Eastern)

5 THINGS YOUR TAPROOM STAFF SHOULD BE DOING
BUSINESS OPERATIONS & SALES
Your taproom doesn’t need a complete overhaul to start seeing better results. It just takes a few intentional changes. In this session, we’ll walk through five simple things your staff should be doing every shift to help guests have a better experience, increase tabs, and keep people coming back. It’s not complicated, but it is backed by years of real data from Secret Hopper visits across the country. You’ll get to see exactly how small shifts in staff behavior led to bigger results for their team. Taproom data can be your secret to success. Join us for actionable strategies to build more memorable and profitable guest experiences.
ANDREW COPLON
FOUNDER, SECRET HOPPER
FOUNDER, CRAFT BEER PROFESSIONALS

 

REFINING RECIPES
BREWERY OPERATIONS
Part of a brewer’s skill is the ability to take a favorite beer recipe and be able to improve it with small adjustments. Learn the best strategic way to approach taking your existing recipes to the next level with pro brewer and head of the American Brewers Guild Steve Parkes.
STEVE PARKES
BREWMASTER & OWNER, DROP IN BREWING COMPANY
OWNER & LEAD INSTRUCTOR, AMERICAN BREWERS GUILD

 

HIRING & MANAGING TEAM MEMBERS
BUSINESS OPERATIONS & SALES
Hiring and managing brewery staff is one of the more challenging parts of running a small business. Wrong moves can not only hurt your business but also land you in legal troubles. Learn helpful guidelines to limit your risk and find greater success with your co-workers that are often on the frontlines of how customers view your brewery.
MATTHEW MCLAUGHLIN
FOUNDER, MCLAUGHLIN, PC

 

2:15 – 2:45 p.m. (Eastern)

Q&A WITH NANO VENDORS – You can check in live with your choice of top craft brewing vendors to get your questions answered about Nano-sized equipment, gear, ingredients, and supplies.

 

3 – 4 p.m. (Eastern)

BUILDING TAPROOM COMMUNITY THROUGH LOCAL COLLABORATION PANEL
BUSINESS OPERATIONS & SALES
Hear stories from fellow Nano Brewers on ways they connected with their neighbors and local organizations to create new customers while turning their taprooms into a resource that serves the community and also helps their own bottom line.
JOHN HOLL
HOST, BYO NANO PODCAST
EDITOR, ALL ABOUT BEER

 

4:15 to 4:45 p.m. (Eastern)

Q&A WITH NANO VENDORS – You can check in live with your choice of top craft brewing vendors to get your questions answered about Nano-sized equipment, gear, ingredients, and supplies.

 

5 – 6 p.m. (Eastern)

OWN YOUR BACKYARD: LOCAL MARKETING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS FOR TAPROOMS
BUSINESS OPERATIONS & SALES
No fluff, no big budgets—just real strategies to make your taproom the heartbeat of the neighborhood. This session breaks down how to build brand awareness and drive foot traffic using smart, resource-friendly local marketing. You’ll learn how to connect with the right partners, show up where your community is already paying attention (online and off), and use digital tools to turn local attention into in-person visits. Whether you’ve got one person or just one hour a week to dedicate to marketing, you’ll leave with a clear plan to grow your brewery’s presence in your own backyard.

JULIE RHODES
OWNER, NOT YOUR HOBBY MARKETING SOLUTIONS

 

DIP HOPPING
BREWERY OPERATIONS
Dip hopping originated in Japan but is becoming increasingly popular in North America. Learn more how to use this technique in your Nano brewery to boost pleasant hop aromas while suppressing or removing unpleasant off-flavors, like myrcene, and aromas that are derived from fermentation.
ASHTON LEWIS
MANAGER OF TRAINING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT, RAHR BSG
TECHNICAL EDITOR, BREW YOUR OWN MAGAZINE

 

PLANNING & PREPARING FOR A BREWERY EXIT PLAN
BUSINESS OPERATIONS & SALES
The reality is it takes just as much planning and strategic work to exit your brewery business successfully as it did to start it up. Whether you are selling your brewery or deciding to close your doors, how well you prepare and plan for the final goodbye will have a huge impact on your own finances.
AUDRA GAIZIUNAS
OWNER, BREWED FOR HER LEDGER, LLC