Elevate Beer & Optimize Yeast Performance

Step beyond the basics and dive deep into the science of fermentation in our practical, hands-on 3-day Yeast Essentials Workshop, designed for all beverage-makers serious about upping their game. Whether you're refining your yeast harvesting practices or starting a quality control program, this workshop delivers powerful tools and advanced techniques to elevate your fermentation operations.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Yeast handling best practices from industry experts
  • Troubleshooting fermentation issues with confidence
  • Yeast cell counting, viability testing, and microbiological plating
  • Real-world QA/QC methodologies and guidelines
  • Technical Brewhouse Demos

Ticket Price Includes

  • 3 Days of Lectures ranging from How to Choose A House Yeast Strain to Reducing your Yeast COGs
  • In-Person Lab Practice & Live Brewhouse Demo (not included in livestreaming option)
  • Breakfast Snacks, Coffee & Lunches (not included in livestreaming option)
  • A Social Happy Hour & Brewery Visit (not included in livestreaming option)
  • While we encourage in-person classes as most students say the lab is their favorite experience, we do have a classroom only LIvestream option for the first two days. This does not include lab sessions or the Brew Lab and of course VIP tours to our brewery and other breweries. 
Sign up now! Bring your team and save 10% on 2+ seats or 20% on 5+—no code needed.
Limited spots available—let’s unlock the full potential of your yeast handling!
Yeast Essentials: White Labs Asheville
October 14-16 2026
Regular Price: $849.00
Register Today!
Header AVL October streaming option

Ticket Price Includes

Join our Yeast Essentials classes from anywhere with an internet connection. Follow along as our expert team and guest speakers dive into all things fermentation. 

  • 2 Days of Interactive Live Lectures ranging from How to Choose A House Yeast Strain to Reducing your Yeast COGs.
Interactive Web-Stream.
2 Day Lectures Only * 
October 14-16 2026
Regular Price: $149.00
Register Today!

Schedule

October 14 - 16

Day 1

Building the Foundation: Yeast Selection, Flavor, and Brewery QC

Welcome & The Science of Brewing Yeast (9:00 - 9:45 AM)

Chris White & Mike White

  • The evolution of brewing yeast
  • Current trends in fermentation
  • Why yeast remains the brewer's most powerful ingredient

Strain Selection & Flavor Development (9:45 - 10:45 AM)

Chris White, CEO and founder, White Labs Yeast and Brewing Co.

  • Matching strains to beer styles
  • Flavor-active compounds produced by yeast
  • Sensory descriptors and fermentation character
  • Designing fermentation profiles for desired outcomes
  • Real-world strain selection case studies

Keys to A Healthy Fermentation (Practical Tools A Brewer Can Control) (11:00 - 12:00 PM)

Pablo Gomez, technical account manager, White Labs Yeast and Brewing Co.

  • Practical tools brewers can use and control to maintain a healthy fermentation
  • The importance of Pitch rate, temperature control, oxygen, & nutrition
  • Understanding how different variables may affect fermentation

White Labs Brewing Co Lunch (12:00 - 1:00 PM)

Brewery Quality Control Fundamentals (1:00 - 2:00 PM)

Devin Tani, Analytical & Technical Programs Manager, White Labs Yeast and Brewing Co.

  • Building a practical QC program
  • Essential lab equipment and testing protocols
  • Media selection and laboratory workflows
  • Scaling QC programs for breweries of different sizes

Hands-On Laboratory Session (in person only, no livestreaming) (2:15 - 4:00 PM)

White Labs Analytical Team

  • Aseptic technique
  • Media preparation
  • Microbiological plating
  • Serial dilutions
  • Cell counting and viability
  • Pitch-rate calculations

Networking Happy Hour (in person only, no livestreaming) (4:00 - 6:00 PM)

Hosted by White Labs Brewing Co.

Day 2

Fermentation Styles & Yeast Storage

Fermentation Strategies by Beer Style (9:00 - 10:00 AM)

Chris White

  • Lagers
  • IPAs and biotransformation
  • Non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beer
  • Emerging fermentation trends

Yeast Harvesting, Storage & Repitching (10:00 - 11:00 AM)

Chris White

  • Collection methods
  • Repitching strategies
  • Storage best practices
  • Managing generation counts
  • Yeast inventory planning

Little Things Make a Big Difference: Lessons I’ve Learned at Sierra Nevada (11:00 - 12:00 PM)

Ian Reilly, QA Analyst II, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

  • Why yeast generations matter
  • Foam Stability
  • Coming from a small-scale brewery to Sierra Nevada

White Labs Brewing Co Lunch (12:00 - 1:00 PM)

How to Maximize Water Chemistry (1:00 - 2:00 PM)

John Wammes, Senior Business Advisor, WaterWorks

Wammes has worked extensively in Asheville and around the world in water optimization for clients.

  • Understanding optimal water profiles for brewing and other alcohol-related industries
  • Questions and answers regarding local and non-local water sources.

Brew Lab: Brewery Cellaring & Fermentation Demonstration (in person only, no live streaming) (2:00 - 3:00 PM)

Kevin Sondey

  • Yeast collection
  • Fermentation monitoring
  • Tank management
  • Practical cellar techniques

VIP Tour of Sierra Nevada (in person only, no live streaming) - (3:30- 5 PM)

Hosted by Sierra Nevada, North Carolina.

Day 3

DAY 3 (In-person only, No livestreaming on day #3)

Brewery Sanitation, Troubleshooting & Applied Quality Assurance

Sanitation Essentials for Brewers

Kevin Sondey, operations manager and head brewer, White Labs Yeast and Brewing Co.

  • Brewery sanitation principles
  • CIP best practices
  • Preventing contamination events
  • Root-cause analysis of common issues

Advanced Lab Practicum

White Labs Analytical Team

Hands-on experience performing:

  • Forced fermentation tests
  • Forced diacetyl testing
  • Gram staining
  • Colony evaluation
  • Brewery QC workflows
  • Interpretation of laboratory results

Fermentation Troubleshooting Workshop

Participants work through real-world scenarios:

  • Stalled fermentations
  • Off-flavor development
  • Contamination events
  • Poor attenuation
  • Repitching failures

Graduation Session

  • Group discussion and Q&A with instructors
  • Certificate presentation
  • Next steps for implementing improvements in your brewery

Location

Speakers

Chris White YE

Chris White

White Labs - Founder and CEO

Chris White lives in San Diego, Calif., USA, where he serves as CEO of White Labs Inc.… Read More
devin YE

Devin Tani

White Labs - Analytical & Technical Programs Manager

Devin Tani received a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of California, Irvine,… Read More
Mike YE

Mike White

White Labs - Vice President of Customer Technology

Mike White joined White Labs in 2006 after working as a reporter in California and Alaska.… Read More
190819_SNC_WhiteLabsKTHeadsho-1600800188

Pablo Gomez

White Labs - Technical Account Manager Southeast & Latin America

Pablo is the Technical Account Manager for the Southeast and Latin America at White Labs… Read More
Kevin YE

Kevin Sondey

White Labs - Operations Manager

Kevin Sondey is the Operations Manager of White Labs in Asheville, overseeing Production,… Read More
Chris White YE
White Labs - Founder and CEO

Chris White

Chris White lives in San Diego, Calif., USA, where he serves as CEO of White Labs Inc. Chris founded White Labs in 1995 to manufacture yeast cultures and provide fermentation services to the brewing, wine, and distilling industries. Chris has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Davis. While at Davis, Chris interned at Genentech Inc., the world's first biotechnology company. White is coauthor of Yeast: The Practical Guide To Beer Fermentation, co-designer of BrewMaster: The Craft Beer Game, and has published numerous articles on yeast, beer, and fermentation.

Chris White was a lecturer in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at U.C. San Diego from 1999-2007, and is currently teaching in the Brewing Certificate Program at U.C. San Diego Extension. Chris was awarded the 2013 Recognition Award from the American Homebrewers Association.

devin YE
White Labs - Analytical & Technical Programs Manager

Devin Tani

Devin Tani received a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of California, Irvine, as well as a Professional Certificate in Brewing from the University of California, San Diego Extension. Devin has had various roles at White Labs previously working in both the R&D and Analytical Lab, now becoming the Education & Marketing Engagement Coordinator. He now hopes to spread his scientific knowledge to others. Devin loves teaching about the nuances and scientific importance of fermentation.

Mike YE
White Labs - Vice President of Customer Technology

Mike White

Mike White joined White Labs in 2006 after working as a reporter in California and Alaska. He helps run online orders and customer technology tools.

190819_SNC_WhiteLabsKTHeadsho-1600800188
White Labs - Technical Account Manager Southeast & Latin America

Pablo Gomez

Pablo is the Technical Account Manager for the Southeast and Latin America at White Labs Inc., where he supports customers with expert guidance and solutions tailored to their fermentation and brewing needs. With a strong technical background and a passion for building relationships, Pablo serves as a trusted partner to breweries and producers across his region, helping them achieve consistent, high-quality results.

Kevin YE
White Labs - Operations Manager

Kevin Sondey

Kevin Sondey is the Operations Manager of White Labs in Asheville, overseeing Production, Shipping, Lab, and Brewing. He brings extensive leadership experience, having scaled production at Fed Up Foods from 4,400 to over 175,000 cases per month while leading a 60+ person team, and previously growing brewery operations across multiple cities with Catawba Brewing Company. 

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White Labs Asheville
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Accommodations

For lodging, we recommend the Cambria Downtown Asheville which is about a 15-minute walk from White Labs and surrounding breweries, bars, and restaurants. The link below includes a discounted corporate rate.

Book Now

Questions?

Contact Us