Celebrating Hordeum vulgare | The time was well chosen: November 12th 2018, the day before the BrauBeviale kicked off in Nuremberg, was an ideal day for 110 malting barley experts to convene for the RMI Heirloom & Terroir Barley and Malt Symposium. The topic itself was also an auspicious one: historic varieties of malting barley and their uses in today’s brewing industry.

In March 2019, the International Brewing and Cider Awards announced the medal winners for 2019, certifying 133 beers and ciders as among the best in the world.

After three successful days, BrauBeviale closed its doors on a record high note. Over 40,000 trade visitors (2016: 37,923) – over 18,000 of them international – travelled to Nuremberg from 13 to 15 November 2018. While there, 1,094 exhibitors – 53 percent of them international – presented their products and solutions related to the entire beverage production process chain. A varied supporting programme rounded out the three days.

International Discourse | The Brewing Summit took place in San Diego, California, USA, August 12 th-15th 2018 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, which is situated directly on the water. A well-established event in the brewing industry, the Brewing Summit is hosted by the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) and the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA). The Brewing Summit takes place in a different American city every four years.

From one “Mondial” to another | June 2018 was all about beer! The month began in Montreal, where the Mondial de la Bière welcomed 112 breweries, showcasing 573 beers from 14 countries. The event was held at the Palais de Congrès Exhibition Centre from 6-9 June. Then, from 29-30 June, the Mondial de la Bière returned to the Paris Maison de la Mutualité Conference Centre, where 120 brewers from 20 countries offered punters a chance to taste 600 different beers.

The new portal of The Brewers of Europe, called "Brew-Up" has been activated for six months now. Registered users can retrieve information about brewing technology, marketing, statistics and trading forecasts, alcohol policy and brewery industry in general. As of recently, all speeches and presentations held at the “Brewers Forum“ that took place on June 7th and 8th in Brussels, Belgium, can also be retrieved.

The Brewers of Europe Forum | Perhaps it was just as well that the Brewers of Europe, a lobby group representing 29 national associations, chose Brussels as the location for its first Forum on 7th and 8th June 2018 to discuss “Beer and Beyond” in 40 seminars.

Successful integration | The lectures for EBC Symposium were integrated into the first ever Brewers’ Forum at the Brewers of Europe in Brussels (p. 287) and spread over two days (June 7th - 8th 2018). Approximately 80 attended the lectures, and EBC president Tiago Brandão was very pleased with the resonance among the participants. A call for papers is also planned for future events.

On June 28, opening day of the 2018 American Homebrewers Association’s Homebrew Con, the United States Senate, led by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Susan Collins (R-ME), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Michael Bennet (D-CO) passed a resolution honoring the 40th year of the American Homebrewers Association^® (AHA) and the man who founded it, Charlie Papazian, the godfather of homebrewing. With this resolution, Congress is celebrating the long history of innovation and excellence of our country’s homebrewing and brewing communities.

Over 3,200 homebrewers and beer enthusiasts gathered at the 40th Annual Homebrewers Conference presented by the American Homebrewers Association^® (AHA) from June 28th to 30th, 2018, at the Oregon Convention Center, where they attended seminars, bonded over brews and had their beers judged in the world’s largest beer competition.