Participants
Meet 2022's honorary chair, Joel Irby
Owner of Stonecloud Brewing Co.
“We think beer is neat, we are just trying to make it neater,” said Stillwater native
Joel Irby, who began his career at Boulder Brewing, located in Colorado, as a shipping
assistant to packaging where he practiced bottling and kegging for a year and a half
prior to brewing beer. In 2010, Irby began brewing for Avery Brewing and for four
years brewed quality beer for the company. Stonecloud Brewing Company opened its doors
in July of 2017. Stonecloud Brewing offers the classics as well as popular brews such
as Neon Sunshine, Astrodog, and Havana Affair that can be found across the state of
Oklahoma.
Introducing 2022 Keynote Speaker
Brian Welzbacher
Brian Welzbacher is the author of Oklahoma Beer: A Handcrafted History. The first-of-its-kind book chronicles the history of brewing in Oklahoma from pre-statehood
to today. Brian has been a craft beer enthusiast and advocate since the early 2000s
while watching the beer scene in his native town of St. Louis flourish. He is a Certified
Beer Server who enjoys being a stay-at-home dad to his daughter, Cora, and son, Rainn,
while running his apparel and design company, Beer Is OK. He resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with his loving and beautiful wife, Amy.
