The Independent Brewers Association has announced the final program for its sixth annual BrewCon and Trade Expo 2018.

The IBA has announced several new sessions to appear in the 2018 program, serving up industry luminaries across a variety of specialities.

Among the highlights, industry veteran and author of Wood & Beer Dick Cantwell will discuss the history of IPA and how to make them stand out in his session, Brewing Eclectic IPAs.

Brewmaster Teri Fahrendorf of Great Western Malting will demonstrate how malts and speciality malts are made, including production methods and how to choose substitute malts that most closely match your own.

Matthew Brynildson of Firestone Walker Brewing will discuss barrels in beer production, from fermentation to ageing as well as barrel usage best practice.

BrewCon also welcomes New Belgium Brewing founder Kim Jordan as its keynote speaker. Kim is celebrated for her lifelong commitment to developing healthy communities, informing New Belgium’s culture through progressive policies like employee ownership, open-book management, and philanthropic giving.

This year, BrewCon has already attracted a record number of participants. IBA events head Katherine Mclean says that this year’s Trade Expo is the largest they’ve ever had. “It represents a growing understanding that the beer industry in Australia is expanding and is a really valid industry,” she says.

“The Conference is about supporting the development of the industry as a cohesive, supportive and intelligent community.”

Rounding off the three-day event is the Indie Awards Ceremony, which has once again attracted a record number of entries. “We know the time commitment and the costs associated with entering the Indies, so we’re pretty honoured so many have done so,” Katherine says.

The IBA is set to release a final Sponsor Demonstration Program on Thursday.

The three-day conference starting on June 26 will take place at Sydney’s Australian Technology Park.