Brewers Conference Bangkok 2009
At the conference’s opening VLB-CEO Dr Josef Fontaine appeared to be very happy about the attendance and the lively interest in the transfer of knowledge. The three-day seminar was divided into different sections, starting with the raw materials malt and hops.
The first papers by Tim Stonehouse, Muntons plc, UK, and Mont Stuart, Joe White Maltings, Australia, gave an overview of the international malt market and malt technoloy as well as a short outlook of what to expect in the future. Thomas Kraus-Weyermann, Weyermann Malzfabrik, Germany, and Tim Kostelecky, John I. Haas Inc., USA, gave practical tips on how to make more out of malt and hops than “normal beer” and thereby stand out from the crowds. After the raw materials the wide range of beer production was discussed, from the brewhouse to fermentation. The technical presentations introduced modern brewing technology as well as the use of enzymes or brewing by means of high gravity.
The second conference day was about the aspects of filtration and stabilisation and the participants had the chance to discuss questions concerning different filling methods. Juerg Zuber, Switzerland, introduced Filtrox’ Cross Flow System which allows beer recovery from yeast; Handtmann and Fleische, Germany, provided detailed information about stabilisation using the Combined Stabilisation System (CSS).
According to the VLB-slogan “knowledge provides quality” the VLB-team shared their knowledge with the conference attendees in the section “Quality aspects”. Dr Michael Voetz, VLB Berlin, described the classic methods of quality control and introduced the new method of PCR-analysis while the presentation of his colleague Roland Pahls dealt with flavour stability and parameters that might influence beer stability.
A professional beer tasting rounded out the programme of the second conference day: Dr Heinz-Michael sensibilised the test persons for off-flavours typical in beer.
As the conference advanced, so did the demands on the audience: The last day featured papers on energy and sustainability in the brewery, energy saving concepts for brewhouses and the importance of an efficient CO2- and O2-management for saving energy. The concluding section presented informative insights in cleaning, disinfection and water- and effluent treatment.
According to Dr Fontaine the Bangkok Conference had been a complete success. “We are very happy about the overwhelmingly positive feedback by all the attendees”, said Fontaine at the closing event, a cocktail dinner at Friday night. Due to the positive feedback a repeat of the event every two years seems likely.
For further information on Brewers Conference Bangkok 2009 read the respective article in one of the next BRAUWELT International issues!
