Getting to grips with part load

Inadequate control of energy and media supply and poor tracking of actual requirements raise energy costs. This well-known problem relating to supply of refrigeration and heat has also been recognised by the medium-sized Haller Löwenbräu brewery, Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. In the context of a major project involving replacement of heat, refrigeration and compressed air utilities, these problems have been addressed and remedied by installing state-of-the-art technology.

Bulgaria’s “living beers”

When reading about Bulgaria, one would consider it a relatively “normal European country”. It is a member of NATO as well as a member of the European Union. In 2016, Bulgaria will introduce the euro as its official currency. Our author Dr. Markus Fohr has been visiting Bulgaria regularly since 1999 and gives his impressions on its brewing history and beer scene.

Hear, hear: At the recent high-level Beverage Forum in Chicago (21 to 22 April 2015), organised by the Beverage Marketing Corporation, Wall Street analysts would not rule out a deal for AB-InBev in the near future.

The country where drinking beer is good for the economy

Beer is Canada’s favourite alcoholic drink, and the brewing sector is one of the country’s oldest industries, with 85 percent of production owned by Canadian brewers. The sector’s vitality is of crucial importance, as it drives a whole industry – from the barley field to the pint, which is reflected in an exponential boom in craft breweries.

Broaching the Swedish retail bottleneck

Holy cow! Did the earth shake and no one noticed? In Sweden a microbrewer is nominated for the award “entrepreneur of the year” by the independent conservative newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. In other parts of the world this accolade would hardly raise an eyebrow because the most talked-up entrepreneurs in recent years have either been craft brewers or internet whiz kids. But in Sweden the nomination of Björn Falkeström, who set up the Oppigårds Brewery in 2003, indicates that something close to a cultural revolution has taken place.

Advanced ammonia refrigeration for a brewery with an old tradition

Ammonia (NH3) is a classic and environmentally friendly refrigerant. The brewery Vereins-brauerei Greiz, in the Vogtland region of Thuringia (Germany), decided to once again install NH3 piston-compressor technology when modernizing its central refrigeration system. When the area belonged to former East Germany, the Greiz brewery had already operated for many years with traditional ammonia piston compressors, which proved their reliability in around 40 years of service.

The hydrometer, a mystical object

If one asks a hobby brewer about analytics of beers brewed in the domestic brew vessel, the so-called hydrometer is, first and foremost, always the measuring instrument of choice. Consequently, brewers should be familiar with the basics of this measurement method and be able to use this measuring device properly. Taking the measured values, it is possible to get a general overview of the analytical parameters of a beer by making a rough calculation.

Déjà-vu in Saigon

What do China, Vietnam, Laos and Cuba have in common? Well, nominally, they are the last remaining Marxist-Leninist states. If that sounds, oh so last century, it is. Vietnam has since come a long way: Saigon is bustling, prosperous, easy going. You don’t sense that communist dogma is affecting everyday life. But don’t be fooled: 2015 is an auspicious year for Vietnam’s communist rulers: decorations up in Saigon mark it as the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Army and, incidentally, the 140th anniversary of the country’s largest and now state-owned Saigon Brewery. The government has ambitious plans to privatize as many as 400 state enterprises. The question is: will it sell down its controlling stake in the brewery too?

Weissbeerger Ltd. was founded in 2009 by Omer Agiv and Ori Fingerer and works in collaboration with breweries, distributors and bars in Israel and Germany as well as with SAP HANA, Tel Aviv University (TAU) and The Technion.

With the beginning of a new year, Canadean forecasts the top trends which will influence consumer behaviour in 2015, and provides an insight into how manufacturers and marketers can target these evolving consumer needs to drive sales over the next year.