Bangkok Brewing Conference 2022

Successful new start | Around 200 brewing experts from Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa and America attended the 7th Bangkok Brewing Conference, which took place from 12 to 14 June 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand. This year, the visiting programme led to the Thai Spirit Industry Co. The event was jointly organised by the Thailand Beer Industry Guild (TBIG) and VLB Berlin for the sixth time since 2009.

The Bangkok Brewing Conference was scheduled to start again in 2021 – but the pandemic threw a spanner in the works of the two organisers. All the more reason for the 200 participants from 15 countries to look forward to the new start this summer.

The motto this year was “Odyssey 2022: Neutrality towards Net Zero for the Brewing Industry”. The 18 presentations therefore focused on ideas and proposed solutions on how the brewing and beverage industry can meet the challenges of building an environmentally neutral production chain.

Need to catch up in Southeast Asia

According to Euromonitor International, the beer market in Southeast Asia was significantly more affected by the pandemic than the global average. In addition, there are currently clear consumer trends towards reduced alcohol consumption and the weighting of environmental aspects (climate change, waste avoidance, etc.). Nevertheless, according to Euromonitor's assessment, the beverage industry in Southeast Asia has a lot of catch-up potential, especially in Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand.

As a prelude to the Bangkok Brewing Conference, a visit to the production facility of the Thai Spirits Industry was on the agenda. Located around 60 km east of Bangkok, the company has been producing primarily fruit and wine-based beverages since 2003. In 2019, the company also entered the beer business and commissioned a brewery with a 50-hl brewhouse at the site. Craft beers in particular are produced there using the contract brewing process. Brewery training courses have already been held there together with the VLB.

This year's Bangkok Brewing Conference also enjoyed a broad circle of supporters. Ziemann Holvrieka (platinum sponsor) and the gold sponsors Krones, Ecolab, Pentair and Sidel deserve special mention. In addition, VLB would like to thank Thai Spirits in particular for their hospitality, as well as Boon Rawd Brewery and other companies for their support.

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.

The next Bangkok Brewing Conference is planned for June 2024.