BestBrewChallenge 2023: Terms announced

Simultaneously brewed | The BestBrewChallenge is an international brewing competition where brewers from all around the world will brew simultaneously, with similar grain bills, in different countries. The competition beer is to be brewed between 20th and 23rd April 2023. The period will thus be extended from one to four days as opposed to previous years. The final day will be German Beer Day on the 23rd of April 2023. The closing date for shipping competition beers is 5 July 2023.

---

US craft beer in 2021: what the numbers say

USA | It was mostly good news for craft brewers in 2021, according to data released by the Brewers Association on 5 April 2022.

---

The Brewers Association announces 2022 board of directors

New representatives | The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, announced its 2022 board of directors, with five new representatives to the 21-person board.

---

Diageo to open Guinness microbrewery in London’s Covent Garden

United Kingdom | First they took on Dublin, then Edinburgh. Now it is London. Diageo will open a microbrewery and culture centre for its Guinness brand at a historic brewery site in London’s Covent Garden late next year, the company said on 31 January 2022. It plans to spend GBP 73 million (USD 98 million) on the project.

---

Dutch craft brewer Frontaal raises EUR 5 million for new production site

The Netherlands | This just goes to show that punters are still willing to put their money behind upstart craft brewers. EUR 5 million (USD 5.7 million) seemed like an ambitious target when Brouwerij Frontaal announced its latest crowdfunding campaign, its fourth, in September 2021. Nevertheless, the Breda-based brewery managed to raise as much in four months, Dutch media reported on 15 January 2022.

---

2nd VLB International Craft Brewing Conference 2022

Online conference | The 2nd VLB International Craft Brewing Conference (ICBO) is an online conference addressed at all stakeholders of the global craft brewing industry. It takes place from 22 to 24 February 2022 in the exceptional environment of the VLB Virtual Campus online venue. It provides the multiple opportunities to interact with other participants, to visit the virtual exhibition and to join the presentations and live discussions.

---

Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America: A preview

Leading event | The 39th edition of the Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America® (CBC) will be held in Minneapolis, Minn., 2–5 May 2022. CBC, presented annually by the Brewers Association, is a leading event for the craft brewing industry,, and the only one that serves brewpubs, taprooms, and packaging breweries. Ann Obenchain, Marketing Director, Brewers Association, Boulder, CO, USA, talks about the event and shares some information on the program.

---

Boom of Czech minibreweries is over

Czech Republic | Over the past decade, the Czech Republic has seen a veritable upsurge in small breweries. There are now about 500 minibreweries operating across the country, with more than 30 being established in 2020.

---

BestBrewChallenge 2021: Winners announced

Simultaneous brew | Brewers from around the world faced the challenge to brew a light wheat beer with an alcohol content of less than 3.5 % vol. (5.0-5.5 % vol. Is typical for this beer type) simultaneously – with similar grain bills in different countries and time zones, using at least 20 % BEST Heidelberg Wheat malt. Wheat beers must have a total of at least 50 % wheat malt. A light wheat beer should have an alcohol content < 3.5 %.

---

Hard times on the Czech tourist trail

Czech Republic | Well before the onslaught of the covid pandemic, beer was an integral part of the Czech national consciousness. After all, the country had come up with the names of Pilsner and Budweiser beers, regularly topped the international consumption charts, and even had a president write a one-act play about life in a brewery.

---

It’s the law: No e-commerce for Polish craft brewers

Poland | Craft brewers were caught between a rock and a hard place during the pandemic, when the Polish government put the country under two lockdowns, lasting from March to May 2020 and from October 2020 to May 2021. As hospitality venues were forced to shut, craft brewers could not pivot to e-commerce as they did elsewhere in Europe because of an ancient alcohol law from 1983, which does not mention internet sales (unheard of then). Despite their best lobbying efforts, the government insisted that this omission means e-commerce is illegal and refused to amend the law.

---

Craft Brewers’ #MeToo moment

USA | Allegations of sexual, racial and other misconduct, which were published on Instagram in May, have rocked the American craft beer industry. They have prompted resignations, firings and promises for change.

---

Brewers Association released annual production figures

A challenging year | At the beginning of April, The Brewers Association released annual production figures for the U.S. craft brewing industry. In 2020, small and independent brewers collectively produced 23.1 million barrels of beer and realized a 9 % decline, decreasing craft’s overall beer market share by volume to 12.3 %, down from 13.6 % the previous year (Volume by craft brewers represent total taxable production).

---

Great American Beer Festival: Return to in-person gathering in 2022

Postponed | The Great American Beer Festival (GABF), one of the largest beer festivals in the US, will skip its public event in 2021 and return in person to celebrate its 40th anniversary October 6-8, 2022 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Despite vaccination efforts and the gradual reopening of the country, the health and safety concerns for large indoor gatherings, like GABF’s 60,000-attendee event, remain.

---

Kibex 2021: A hybrid beer-focused global platform

Korean beer exhibition | The Korea International Beer Expo (Kibex) 2021 will be held for three days, 17–19 May 2021, at the Coex centre, Hall C, Seoul, Korea. Kibex is the only beer-specialized exhibition in Korea where attendees can see and experience all the businesses of the beer industry value chain from beer production to distribution, packaging, and consumption in one place. The event is co-hosted by Beer Post, a firm that specialized in beer content, and GMEG, an exhibition professionalized company that has been organizing various beer events in the past.

---

Craft Beer China 2021: focus on after-pandemic market

Beviale Family | Preparations for Craft Beer China are in full swing, bringing together insiders and craft beer lovers at home and abroad, gathering the whole industry chain together to "Create wonderful craft beer in China!" Craft Beer China 2021 will be held at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center from May 12 to 14.

---

1st VLB International Craft Brewing Conference

Digital conference | The 1st VLB International Craft Brewing Conference (ICBO), an online conference for worldwide participants of the craft brewing sector, will take place from 27 to 29 April 2021 on VLB Virtual Campus.