Nuremberg | Following the conclusion of BrauBeviale 2024 in Nuremberg on Thursday, 28 November 2024, it is once again clear that the brewing and beverage industry continues to prioritise communication and information exchange. With 30,821 visitors, around 84 per cent of which from Germany and the European Union, BrauBeviale confirms its position as the leading European meeting point for the industry.

Nuremberg | This year's European Beer Star winners were presented with their awards in front of several hundred guests at a festive awards ceremony at BrauBeviale in Nuremberg. The most successful brewery in the European Beer Star 2024 is Firestone Walker from the USA, while the best German brewery in this year's competition is Brauerei Riegele from Augsburg.

Ghent | This year, the prestigious Brussels Beer Challenge was held in Ghent, a city known for its historical charm and cultural richness. It took place from November 5th to 7th at the Saint Peter’s Abbey, a venue that underscored the rich cultural tradition of the region.

How South Africa’s Intervarsity Brewing Competition is fermenting a new generation of brewers

South Africa | It’s a warm, sunny day in Bloemfontein, the lesser known of South Africa’s three capital cities. This is not a part of the country usually associated with beer culture, but once a year, brewers and beer judges arrive for the annual Intervarsitybrew Brewing & Tasting Competition, which took place from 24–26 October 2024.

Denver | As the American craft beer landscape continues to evolve and change, so too must the festivals and events associated with it. Nowhere is this more evident than at the latest iteration of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the largest public tasting event in America. Organised by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association for small and independent American craft brewers, the 42nd GABF took place in Denver, Colorado, from 10–12 October 2024, and drew approximately 40,000 people who eagerly descended on the state capital to sample the 2500 beverages from 600+ breweries, cideries, distillers and other beverage producers.

Mexico | With a new attendance record, the 14th Ibero-American VLB Symposium VLB took place from 2 to 4 September 2024 at the Marquis Reforma Hotel in Mexico City, Mexico. 230 participants from 22 nations participated in the most renowned brewing technology forum in Latin America.

World Brewing Congress in Minneapolis

Successful return | After moving online in 2020 due to COVID 19 restrictions, nearly 800 brewing industry professionals gathered in Minneapolis 17–20 August 2024 for the World Brewing Congress. The congress, a joint meeting of the ASBC and MBAA which takes place every four years, drew participants from 22 countries and included over 100 scientific posters and a program packed with technical sessions and panel discussions on various innovation and sustainability topics.

Bangkok | More than 280 brewing experts from Southeast Asia, Europe and America attended the 8th Brewing Conference Bangkok, which took place from 9 to 11 June 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Bangkok Brewing Conference is a joint project of the Thailand Beer Industry Guild (TBIG) and the VLB Berlin. First held in this constellation in 2009, the event has developed into the industry meeting place for the brewing industry in Southeast Asia.

High stakes games of chance at the CBC 2024

Grain, gambling and growth | The Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America took place April 21–24, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A bright and noisy spot in the dun-colored Mojave Desert, the municipality embodies all the stereotypes of the United States as a nation of extremes and thus provided an exhilarating backdrop to the conference and trade show for brewers from the US and around the world. The venue also hosted the World Beer Cup where brewers of every stripe competed for coveted medals in an array of categories.

Lille | From May 26 to 30, 2024, over 700 delegates made their way to Lille in the north of France to discuss the latest developments not only in the European brewing industry but primarily in brewing science worldwide at the 39^th EBC Congress and Brewers Forum 2024. We will report separately on the latter in the next issue. In this article, we will take a look at the talks given at the EBC (European Brewery Convention) Congress that in around 50 presentations and just under 80 posters focused on the key issues of raw materials, sustainability and climate change, new products and the optimization of technology and sensory science.