Just in time for drinktec, Fachverlag Hans Carl will publish two new volumes: “Das Große BRAUWELT Lexikon der Biersorten” by Horst Dornbusch and “The Comprehensive Guide to Brewing” by G. Basařová, J. Šavel, P. Basař and T. Lejsek.

Independence Writ Large

Is this the new entrepreneurial swagger: “My house, my car, my wife, my dog, my brewery”? Arguing that “craft” has become too blurry a term, the Craft Beer Industry Association (CBIA) recently redrafted its membership rules which now put the focus on ownership. What was the CBIA has become the Independent Brewers Association. The implications are momentous. By signalling the end of cohabitation with corporate craft brewers, Australia’s independents have opened a political front of “us against them”.

Preparing for the Future – Renewal at Doemens

There is only one constant in the brewing industry at the moment: change. This is also the case at Doemens in Gräfelfing, Germany. A time to make change for the positive. “The brewing profession is now sexy again!” exclaims Doemens’ Managing Director Dr. Wolfgang Stempfl at the start of our joint interview with the new Managing Director Dr. Werner Gloßner at the end of March 2017. His declaration reflects pride in the industry, optimism for the future and the spirit of participation in the greater change rippling through the entire industry at this time.

The Danish company developed a new process to increase surface hardening of stainless steel by a factor of 10. At the same time, the solution improves corrosion resistance and makes it possible for beverage manufacturers to reduce downtime and costs.

The Brewers Association (BA) has expanded its CraftBeer.com Professional Beer & Food Course to nearly 100 pages and now offers four supplemental digital videos to showcase the practices featured in the course. Co-authored by BA Executive Chef Adam Dulye and Julia Herz, craft beer program director of the BA and Certified Cicerone, the curriculum is the definitive beer and food course for culinary institutions, restaurateurs, chefs and beer educators.

The Neutraubling-based company continued its stable growth in the first half of 2017. Overall, revenue improved 13.8 per cent year-on-year to EUR 1,775.2 million. Adjusted for acquisitions, revenue was up 10.2 per cent. The increase was partly due to a relatively low baseline of sales in the first half of 2016. The strongest revenue growth came in the North and Central America, Asia-Pacific, and South America/Mexico regions in the period from January to June 2017.

Sustainability 2.0

Sustainability was the catchphrase of the last decade. Almost all industry branches worldwide have taken up the cause of sustainable development – so did the brewing industry. Brewhouses were optimized; energy consumptions of the output units were reduced; renewable energies and CO₂ footprint are no strangers anymore. But what can one do if all these options with big saving potential are exhausted? BRAUWELT International talked to Karl Deily, President of Food Care Division, Sealed Air, Charlotte, USA, about other ways to optimize.

Brewers Publications announced on 02 May 2017 the release of the new fully revised and updated 4th edition of “How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time” by John Palmer. It is the definitive guide to making quality beers at home (ISBN: 978-1938469350).

Since 2015, Paulaner’s production facility and management offices have been in different locations. The beer is brewed in Munich's Langwied area, whereas the management is based in the city's Au district. In order to save commuting time and still ensure efficient communication between the two sites, the brewery’s management decided to deploy a video conferencing solution. "Our staff would have wasted far too much time in Munich traffic travelling between the two sites," explains Nikola Parlov, System and Applications Developer at Paulaner. "A video conferencing solution seemed to be an ideal alternative." A second, important reason was communication with distribution companies in the USA, China and Italy.

Mitteleuropäische Brautechnische Analysenkommission MEBAK® [EV]: Microbreweries – From Project Planning to Quality Assurance, 2017, 555 pages, ISBN: 978-3-9815960-6-9.

One quarter of a million and counting: Evoguard GmbH, a subsidiary of Krones AG, has manufactured 250,000 valves since 2010. “The high quality assured by the 'Made in Germany' production process, the energy savings achievable, the rigorous compliance with safety requirements in the development stage and in the process, have proved thoroughly persuasive to the decision-makers responsible in the food and beverage industries, and at dairy firms as well,” explains Martin Zierer, Managing Director of Evoguard GmbH, adding that “the more than 1,000 users in over 100 different countries also evidence the widespread acceptance of these valves on the market”.