“Hops Are an Obsession”

“Hops – a pure passion!” This declaration was made by a man who had traveled a great distance to St. Stefan am Walde (Mühlviertel) near the northern border of Austria, in order to attend the meeting of the scientific-technical committee of the International Hop Growers’ Convention (IHGC) which took place from 25th to 29th June 2017. When asked why he is taking part in the four-day congress for hop scientists, US brewer David Grinnell immediately responded with firm conviction: “Because hops are an obsession.” Grinnell is interested in everything about hops, from breeding and cultivation to phytopathology, bacteriology and entomology, as well as hop chemistry, molecular biology and biotechnology research.

At the Roundtable in Greece

The notion of organizing a conference for small brewers in Greece and neighboring countries emerged from a desire to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and an exchange of ideas among colleagues. Thus, the International Craft Brewers’ Roundtable (ICBR) took place in Komotini, Greece for the first time from May 5th to 7th 2017 in the recently opened visitor center at the Macedonian Thrace Brewery S.A. The primary focus was on topics involving technology and on the development of the craft beer market in the USA. This included questions regarding correct labeling, sales and new and innovative non-alcoholic beverages.

A Debut Full of Promises and Questions

The very first Parisian edition of the Mondial de la Bière was held from 30 June to 2 July at the Maison de la Mutualité in the fifth arrondissement. The event seems to have found its niche as the go-to place for beer enthusiasts to learn about the latest taste and food trends.

An Event for a Booming Market

The international event is held every two years and has made a name for itself as South America’s leading brewing technology trade fair, attracting the largest international beer companies and institutions. The event is organised by Fagga GL events Exhibitions, and the 2017 edition was held at the São Paulo Exhibition & Convention Center.

The 2017 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition (from 5 to 7 October 2017 in Denver) awarded 293 medals to some of the best commercial breweries in the United States, plus three GABF Pro-Am medals to teams of homebrewers paired with professionals. Presented by the Brewers Association (BA), GABF is the largest commercial beer competition in the world and the premier symbol of brewing excellence.

Breweries are as keen to win European Beer Star medals as restaurants are to gain Michelin stars. With 2,151 beers from 46 countries, the renowned beer competition experienced a new participation record for the 14th year in succession, thus being this year’s most important beer competition worldwide.

On September 13th, 2017 the third Ludwig-Narziß- Award for brewing science was bestowed at the drinktec trade fair in Munich. In her opening address, Dr. Lydia Junkersfeld, Editor-in Chief of BRAUWELT International, emphasized that the Award, endowed with EUR 2,500 and a trophy of Sahm GmbH & Co. KG, Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany, is designed to honour authors for publications in the scientific journal BrewingScience the results of which are particularly relevant for application in brewing. The most important criterion is the transfer of science to brewing. The Award was initiated mainly by former PhD students of Prof. Ludwig Narziß. The price money is managed by Weihenstephan Jubilee Foundation 1905 in the Association of Weihenstephan Alumni of the Department of Brewing (VeW).

Jump at the Chance to Gain Any Kind of Expe-rience: The YEAST Project

The skilled occupation of brewer and maltster is already quite multifaceted. German training for brewers enjoys a very good reputation – rightfully so, thanks to the commitment of the training organizations, instructors and, of course, the teachers at the vocational schools. Journeyman brewers from Germany are sought by breweries around the world, even while they are still finishing their training. There is a wide range of possibilities for getting journeymen a position at a brewery: one of those is the YEAST Project.

drinktec 2017 – Something for Everyone

The time is drawing near. In less than a month, drinktec will once again open its doors to visitors from the beverage and liquid food industry. Anyone expecting a trade fair similar to those of the past will be in for a pleasant surprise. A great deal has changed. “The show is bigger and more diverse than ever,” declares Petra Westphal, Project Group Leader for Messe München GmbH and Project Manager for drinktec. BRAUWELT International interviewed Petra Westphal, Christina Maier, Assistant Project Manager, and Johannes Manger, Press Officer, to find out more about the new target groups, ideas and concepts awaiting us in the halls of Messe München in September.

36th EBC Congress, Ljubljana

EBC Congress premiere in Slovenia: For the first time ever in its 70 years of existence, the Congress of the European Brewery Convention was held in Slovenia. The picturesque city of Ljubljana was a worthy host for approximately 480 brewers in attendance from Europe and around the world, including many first-time EBC visitors, who came to learn about the latest findings in brewing research on May 14th-18th 2017.