VLB Berlin announces 1st Draft Beer Filling Conference in Bergamo

Berlin | VLB Berlin will host the 1st VLB Draft Beer Filling Conference – Cleaning, Filling & HACCP from 31 August to 2 September 2026 at the Starhotels Cristallo Palace in Bergamo, Italy. The new international conference will focus on the technological, hygienic, and quality-related aspects of draft beer production, keg filling, and dispense systems.

Kegs remain a highly relevant packaging format for breweries and beverage producers worldwide. Draft beer is an important touchpoint between breweries, brands, and consumers - whether in hospitality, at events, or in home-dispense applications. It can also make an important contribution to a brewery’s commercial success.

In breweries, however, keg filling is often handled as a niche operation. It is largely automated but still requires regular maintenance, cleaning, and hygienic control - at a time when keg beer volumes are under pressure in many markets. Nevertheless, consistent process control across the entire supply chain- from filling and logistics to dispense at the point of sale - is essential to ensure that the beer reaches the consumer at the intended quality level.

The 1st VLB Draft Beer Filling Conference in Bergamo will put draft beer technology firmly in focus. Major international brewery groups will present concepts for ensuring draft beer quality in on-trade and off-trade applications. The program will also cover current developments in the keg filling of non-alcoholic beer and in maintaining product quality in dispense systems and tapping units.

Innovative tapping systems, cleaning systems for on-trade installations, and modern app-based monitoring tools will also be presented. These solutions can help monitor beer consumption and quality while supporting reliable compliance with cleaning cycles.

The event will include two technical visits. Comac, a leading supplier of keg filling solutions, will open its production site in Bergamo to participants. The second visit will take participants to Heineken Italy’s 3-million-hl production site in Comun Nuovo, where they will gain insights into its keg packaging line with a capacity of 600 kegs per hour.

The conference will be held in English. For more information and registration visit the website at www.vlb-berlin.org/en/draftbeer2026.