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University building in Cambridge (Photo: Malgorzata Bujalska, Unsplash/)

7th Young Scientists Symposium postponed until 2022

For young scientists | From 4–7 September 2022, the University of Cambridge will host the 7th International Symposium on Malting, Brewing and Distilling for graduate/PhD students and young professionals working in these fields.

Craft brewers fighting for their very survival

South Africa | Together with Mexico and India, South Africa was one of just a handful of countries that prohibited alcohol sales as part of their fight against the coronavirus. After three extended blanket bans since March 2020 which were meant to ease hospital workloads and encourage the public to stick to social distancing rules, independent craft brewers are on the brink of collapse while the country faces the “mother of economic hangovers”.

Kombucha is having a moment – but for how long?

Still trending | There is perhaps no other beverage on the market today that has captured the raw imagination of more health-conscious seekers of truth and gustatory adventures than the ancient brew of kombucha. This bacteria- and yeast-laden fermented tea, which reputedly emerged somewhere in Asia several centuries ago, has slowly been worming its way into contemporary culture.

Trends in the brewing industry

Where will we go from beer? | The world has turned upside down in many ways when it comes to brewing. In the conflict between hard seltzer and craft beer, between ever stronger beers on the one hand and non-alcoholic brews on the other, we have to ask ourselves which direction brewers could be heading in. This article outlines the current situation and takes a look into the future. It is based on a presentation made to the 36th Biennial Conference of the Asia-Pacific Section of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (held virtually), February 2021.

First issue of BrewUp Magazine available now

Biannual publication | At the end of May, The Brewers of Europe released the first issue of BrewUp Magazine, its biannual publication that covers items of importance for the brewing sector at European and national levels. It is made of contributions by brewers, maltsters, hop growers, national brewing association leaders, technical advisors and policy directors and aims at informing their readers about the latest developments and upcoming trends in the European brewing industry.

Krones expecting increased revenue and profitability in 2021

Annual report | Krones, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of filling and packaging technology, published its 2020 Annual Report at the end of April. Titled “Focus on strengths”, the report highlights Krones’ medium and long-term growth opportunities.

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).

The power of the narrative

Making sense of the world | Narratives help us make sense of the world and ourselves. Take globalisation. It was presented to us as an inevitable process, forging global champions in its wake. In the brewing industry, the narrative of “biggest is best” was countered by the craft brewers’ own narrative, which was modelled on the biblical story of David and Goliath. These narratives have reached closure. Do we still need a compelling new narrative to maintain a conversation around beer?

Low or no alcohol: Trend or sea-change?

0.0 beers on the rise | There is a new prohibition afoot in the United States, but it is very different from the one ushered in by the 1920 Volstead Act, passed by Congress to ostensibly save society-at-large from the scourge of alcohol. This new anti-alcohol sentiment is driven by a grassroots movement of young individualists, still concerned with society, yet, unlike their forebears, more inward-looking and dedicated to a new personal ethos of self-care, fitness, and healthy living. Rather than succumb to what many perceive to be peer pressure to drink more than they would want or should, they prefer to arise each morning clear-headed, able to take on the challenges of the day. They are responsible dads, avid sportsmen, fitness buffs, serious professionals, good citizens.

Krones’ consolidated revenue fell in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic

Preliminary figures | Krones, one of the leading manufacturers of filling and packaging technology, slightly exceeded its most recently outlook according to the preliminary figures for 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, revenue fell 16.1 per cent year-on-year, from 3958.9 million EUR to 3322.7 million EUR. This is a slightly smaller revenue shortfall than the 17 per cent decrease forecast in early November 2020.

Defining “craft” can be a “crafty” business

A matter of definition | Back a generation or so ago, it was easy to determine who was and who was not a craft brewer. At the beginning of the craft brew movement, the BA’s members were simply called “microbreweries,” and there was no need for a legal mind to parse the qualification criteria for membership. In the following article BRAUWELT International author Elva Ellen Kowald shows that today defining “craft” can be a “crafty” business indeed.

At home in one’s past

Beer and nostalgia | As the deadly pandemic wears on, many of us can be forgiven for feeling nostalgic, pining for the times when life felt normal: when we got together as a family, when we had an after-work beer with colleagues, when we hugged our friends and kissed our grannies. Who can blame brewers for tapping into the value of sentimentality to provide exhausted, anxious consumers with emotional escapism?