Neil Witte

TAPSTAR FOUNDER & MASTER CICERONE

Neil Witte is one of the foremost draft beer experts in the beer business. He’s spent 20 of his 23 years in the business working in draft quality, first for Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City and later with his own consulting company, Craft Quality Solutions. He co-authored the Draught Beer Quality Manual (DBQM), widely considered to be the most authoritative draft beer reference guide in the beer business today. He continues the work on this living document to this day as a member of the Brewers Association Draught Quality Subcommittee. and uses the information contained within as the basis for TapStar.

He began his career in the Kansas City brewpub industry in 1997, moving to Boulevard Brewing Co. as a brewer later that year. In 2001, he took over field quality responsibilities for Boulevard, acting as a quality control liaison between the brewery and its distributor and retailer network. He continued that role through the end of 2016 with the Duvel USA family of beers, including Boulevard and Brewery Ommegang. In 2017 he founded Craft Quality Solutions, which draws on his extensive field quality experience, providing quality-focused services to breweries, distributors and retailers.

Neil is a technical content specialist for the Cicerone Certification Program and is currently one of 19 people to have achieved the title of Master Cicerone. He is an accomplished beer judge who holds the rank of Certified with the Beer Judge Certification Program. Neil serves as the Quality Ambassador and the Draught Quality Ambassador for the Brewers Association, and, in addition to his contribution to the DBQM, is a co-author of the Brewers Association Draught Beer Quality for Retailers and is a contributing author to the MBAA Beer Steward Handbook.