European Beer Star 2013 to Northern France

Passion for beer and the art of brewing – this is the philosophy of the owners of the Castelain Brewery in Bénifontaine, France. In order to boost recognition of their brand on a global level, the brewery entered their beer in the 2013 European Beer Star competition – the only brewery from France to do so. They were quickly rewarded for their efforts with a silver medal in the category Red/Amber Lager. This modern brewery (also see article on p. 166) is planning on participating in the international event this year as well.

Overwhelming response for fdt Africa

The inaugural food & drink technology Africa trade fair and conference has been deemed a success by all

17th School of Fermentation Technology

The 17th School of Fermentation Technology, an international symposium organized by the University of Agriculture Krakow, Poland, took place from March 20th to 22nd, 2014. The event was held at the Kocierz resort located in the beautiful environment of the Beskids Mountains. For many years the event has been considered a prestigious brewing conference in Poland and, therefore, it is regularly attended by representatives of all important malting and brewing companies as well as universities, research institutes and suppliers to the brewing and malting industries. This year there were 100 participants representing 13 breweries and malt houses, 23 suppliers, 11 research institutes and seven brewers associations.

High tech brewery behind historic walls

The Burgdorfer brewpub in Switzerland was given permission by the government to expand into a historic building dating from 1770, the Kornhaus as it is known. Any doubts about the renovations and technical aspects of the move were far outweighed by the strong symbolic identity of the building. A competent architect and extremely flexible suppliers saw to it that the project was realized, and today Burgdorf is the proud home of one of the most modern breweries in Switzerland, housed in one of the city’s most prominent landmarks.

10th edition of the World Beer Cup

The Brewers Associa­tion will bring its biannual international beer competition to Denver, Colorado, U.S., 7 - 9 April 2014. As is customary, the World Beer Cup will take place in conjunction with Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America. For several years, it has been among the world’s largest commercial beer competitions, and 2014 will be no exception with an anticipated 4900 entries on hand for judging. Awards will be presented on 11 April 2014 in Denver. Every entering brewery receives one complimentary ticket to the awards ceremony.

Munich receives guests from all over the world

Attracting over 66 886 visitors from 183 countries, drinktec 2013, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, has exceeded the expectations being communicated before. 1445 exhibitors from 77 countries benefited from a significant rise in the number of visitors, 14 percent compared to the previous drinktec in 2009. Especially pleasing was that German SMEs, many of them local and regional brewers, rediscovered drinktec and enjoyed the benefits of the show, including the well-attended „Brewers‘ Meeting Point“ in Hall B1 specially set up for this target group.

The second European MicroBrew Symposium

This year, the symposium was held in Nuremberg, home to the historic Kaiserburg castle. Planned as part of the run-up to the drinktec in Munich, sixty attendees from over a dozen nations were present at the event, which was organized by the VLB and Brau Beviale, Nuremberg. Key topics at this year’s symposium were the opportunities and challenges facing the burgeoning small brewers.

Process innovations of the new brewhouse of the Karmeliten Brauerei in Straubing – Part 1: The mash agitator Colibri

An article entitled “New stage for classical brewing art”, published in BRAUWELT no. 45, 2012, p. 1333-1334, reported on an innovative brewhouse concept. Meanwhile, the Karmeliten Brauerei in Straubing has implemented these ideas in its new brewhouse for the first time. These innovative products will now be presented in a series of articles and the gained practical experience will be summarized accordingly. The first product in this series is the mash agitator Colibri.

The 4th VLB Ibero-American Brewery Symposium

On August 6th - 8th 2013, around 240 brewers and industry experts from South America, North America and Europe converged on Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the 4th Ibero-American Symposium on Brewing and Filling Technology. Organized by the VLB Berlin, the symposium was actively supported by three leading breweries in Argentina – CCU Argentina, Quilmes und SAB Miller. SENAI from Brazil was joined by the American Society for Brewing Chemists (ASBC) for the first time as a collaboration partner for the event.

Brewmaster training in Western Canada

Since Olds College in Olds, Alberta, Canada opened its doors in 1913, it has provided education and training for many generations of learners. In September 2013, it launched the first brewing training program in Western Canada. Offered in collaboration with Niagara College, Southern Ontario, the Olds College Brewmaster program will equip graduates for a variety of careers within the brewing industry. The program will provide a mix of theory and hands-on practice. The brewing facility includes a teaching brewery with state-of-the-art equipment and will be attached to a new hotel located on the campus. This will also serve as a retail outlet for students and the own brews will be served in the hotel restaurant and lounge..

75<small>^th</small> ASBC Annual Meeting – A gathering of “beer geeks”

For its 75^th Annual Meeting from 19^th to 22^nd May 2013, the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) was back in Tucson, Arizona. Many visitors from all over the world found their way through the desert towards the Hilton “El Conquistador”, a perfect place to have scientific discussions about beer.