On the road to Rotterdam

Brewing science | The 40th EBC Congress will take place in Rotterdam from 4 to 9 September 2026. Not only is the date unusual, but a lot else has changed too. EBC Executive Officer John Brauer talked with BRAUWELT International about why this will be a very special congress and why you should be there if you are interested in the latest findings in brewing science.

Which scientific and technological focus areas are at the centre of this year’s EBC congress in Rotterdam?

John Brauer: The scientific programme at an EBC Congress is usually made up of a balanced selection of abstracts which have been submitted by brewing scientists, academics and suppliers during the so-called “call for abstracts”. This time, the call terminated in the first week of February 2026. Based on the quality and relevance of the abstract, coupled with the topical area, an abstract stands a good chance to get accepted based on recommendations by the reviewing team at EBC.

Should an abstract be rated for inclusion to the programme, but no ‘free slot’ can be identified, the abstract may be reclassified as a poster, rather than an oral presentation. The reviewing and selection can obviously only take place once the call for abstracts is closed, and the reviewing has resulted in us knowing which abstracts will be accommodated.

This is the reason why the scientific and technological focus is not yet known at the time of this interview going to press; however, from previous editions of the EBC Congress we have always found that raw materials, energy & sustainability, beer (flavour) stability, and “NABLAB” (no- and low alcohol beer) were all well-represented topics at all EBC congresses over the last 10 years.

Which current challenges in the brewing industry are particularly addressed by the research presented?

John Brauer: I think we need to realise that sustainability is here to stay. Rather than “branding” sessions with sustainability, we should strive for incorporating sustainable brewing practices into everything we do and into most areas of practical research. More difficult will be to forecast whether the quest for the ultimate NABLAB has now run its course, causing researchers to look further afield to the next big innovation in terms of products.

I’m finding the burgeoning area of novel products made from malting and brewing co-products (snacks, upcycled food and drink categories) quite fascinating. We’ll have to see whether a session on that topic will be put together for the Rotterdam congress.

Why is the exchange between research and industry especially important right now?

John Brauer: Exchange between research and industry partners has never been more important as we have seen a significant (and worrisome) decrease in beer production in Europe (and other areas of the world) due to shifting behaviours and consumption patterns. There are plenty of good ideas out there to get breweries back on the volume track, but most of these ideas need to be formulated, then trialled and tested in the R&D and consumer science arena.

I’m proud to say that the EBC Congress has consistently managed to attract high-powered individuals from our industry, especially from the functional areas of product quality, process engineering, R&D, and new product development. With such an important line-up, suppliers and allied companies have flocked to our event to discuss how they can best help to meet the challenges.

How can brewing scientists, breweries, and young professionals specifically benefit from attending the EBC congress?

John Brauer: The over 75-year long history of the EBC has shown that there is always a need for scientists and brewing professionals to network and debate current findings and current trends. This is essentially what we do – provide a platform for exchange. As a result, delegates will hear about latest trends and challenges in our industry. They will be involved in informed debates, invigorated by an injection of knowledge at the interface between industry and the academic environment. It’s about adding context to knowledge. Whether the result will be a better use of raw materials, improved flavour stability, a new angle on sustainability practices – the benefits of attendance are clear.

Any new features to look forward to at this year’s EBC Congress in Rotterdam?

John Brauer: This year’s EBC Congress takes place at an unusual season of the year, at least for us: Due to time constraints during the early phase of organisation, we opted for the congress to be staged after the summer holidays, rather than in the usual period of late May, or early June. The expected feedback has so far been mixed: Some people seem to be delighted; others are more pessimistic about their chances to attend the event in September.

Secondly, now that we’re back to a ‘stand-alone’ congress without the Brewers Forum, we faced the challenge of enacting further changes. We started to look at refreshing certain aspects of the technical-scientific presentation structure. As a result of this process, the number of slots for oral abstracts has been reduced by about 10–12% and the posters by around 15%.

This has a lot to do with us cutting the “Technical Tours” day (Thursday, after the congress) from the programme and having only a small selection of tours for the Wednesday early to late afternoon. The congress (plus technical tours) will now fit into the period of Sunday evening to Wednesday afternoon in its entirety, rather than keeping delegates until Thursday afternoon.

What are you personally looking forward to most at the congress?

John Brauer: It’s likely that this 40th EBC Congress in Rotterdam will mark the last time I shall be involved with the organising of this event. I look back on a series of successful stand-alone EBC congresses, from 2009 (EBC Hamburg) until 2017 (EBC Ljubljana). After 2018, the inclusion strategy of The Brewers of Europe created a generalist brewing sector conference to run in parallel with the EBC Congress, the Brewers Forum. Although the ‘technical plus generalist’ format was not to be faulted in theory, its inherent complexity made it less than cost-effective to put together. In addition, many delegates expressed a sentiment of being confused as to what target groups were being addressed by EBC, and which ones by the Brewers Forum.

In hindsight, it was good to try this different approach to see what works and what doesn’t. Personally, I find it gratifying to have had the privilege of being at the helm of nine EBC Congresses, of which three were jointly organised with my colleagues at The Brewers of Europe under the Brewers Forum banner (EBCs Antwerp in 2019, Madrid in 2022, and Lille in 2024).

I firmly believe that the EBC offers, and will continue to offer, an essential platform for the dissemination of brewing technical and scientific knowledge in theory and in practice, coupled with the exchange and evaluation of ideas. I do look forward to raising a glass with EBC Congress delegates to the future of our industry. Several Dutch beers and other, equally delicious and sustainably brewed products, will be made available to our participants. Cheers!

This interview was conducted by BRAUWELT International Editor-in-Chief Dr. Lydia Junkersfeld.

:: {custom-style=“Kasten”} EBC 2026 Rotterdam – Dates and information

From 16 March: Provisional programme; registrations open via ebc2026rotterdam.eu; “early bird” tariff applies.

6–9 September: EBC 2026 Rotterdam

Address: Postillion Hotel and WTC Conference Centre, Beursplein 37, Meent 110, 3011 JS Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Hotels: www.ebc2026rotterdam.eu/accommodation

Important dates: www.ebc2026rotterdam.eu/important-dates