Just because Michael Hollmann, 55, used to be CEO of one of Germany’s largest brewing groups Brau + Brunnen, which he sold to Radeberger Brewery in 2004, it does not mean that he has the wherewithal to run his own brewery. In mid-November 2013 his Iserlohn Brewery filed for bankruptcy, owing suppliers and banks an estimated EUR 2 million.

For the months January to October 2013, German brewers sold 2 percent less beer compared to the same period last year. Beer sales stood at 82.2 million hl. In October, beer exports declined too and registered -3.6 percent compared to October 2012. This adds to a loss of 3.1 percent for the January-October period. Beer mixes fared hardly better: sales declined 3 percent.

50 achievements in brewing science and technology in 350 years – Part 1

Master brewers, brewery engineers and brewing scientists have over some 350 years contributed to the development of science of botany, biochemistry, laboratory instruments, engineering and process technology in many ways, e.g. by technical improvements, adopting new machinery and new processes.

Flexible raw material grist with focus on Africa

The African beer markets have been continuously growing over the past few years and have gained more significance within the global brewing industry. From the perspective of an enzyme supplier, strong regional diversity requires technical solutions and applications which go beyond common European brewing techniques – especially in terms of raw material availability and utilization. The following article gives insights into Novozymes’ contribution to support the growing beer markets in Africa.

The world that was

“We will be the world’s beer company”, August Busch III, the President of Anheuser-Busch predicted in 1996. Twelve years later, Anheuser-Busch was no more. The “King of Beer” got taken over by a Brazilian-Belgian go-getter called InBev, which had only been formed four years previously. Was the Third’s retrospectively ill-judged prophecy a case of “pride goes before a fall”? Or had he not seen the writing on the wall, which spelt “do lunch or be lunch”? August III was an extremely competent corporate chieftain, which his son and successor August IV was not. Still, both Buschs proved blinkered. While they kept gazing at the U.S. from their executive suites in St Louis, the world of beer was changing beyond recognition. Those who took part in globalisation and its maddening frenzy of mergers and acquisitions survived. Those who only reluctantly did so – like Anheuser-Busch – became ultimate prey.

Local heroes

Who are these people who become engaged in local communities, who buy anything that’s locally produced from organic vegetables to artisan cheeses, and thus hope to support local businesses? Are they the much wooed LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability), Bobos (Bohemian Bourgeois), Best Agers, whose purchasing impact the ad men cannot stop puffing up? Besides, I wonder: is this small shift really what all the fuss is about and can brewers benefit from it?

Use of energy in breweries

When interviewing conventional beer drinkers about what they imagine that a brewery looks like, experts are frequently surprised at the romantic impression created by a brewery. Matters become even more interesting when asking the same customers about their opinion on the amount of energy required to produce one litre of beer or on the impact of the brewing process on the environment. Many customers have never given this a thought. And – unfortunately – neither have some brewers.

Craft brewing in Denmark

With only 5.5 million inhabitants, Denmark is one of the smallest member states of the European Union. This kingdom in Northern Europe has a strong manufacturing-based economy, and the largest employers are the food processing and metalworking industries along with agriculture and the energy sector (natural gas and oil production, wind energy). As is the case in most European countries, the Danish brewing industry is fighting declining sales. However, there is also a growing interest there for handcrafted, innovative beers – beyond those brewed by the large industrial breweries.

Will U.S. craft beer momentum continue?

When you’re on a roll you might as well roll, because it’s not going to last forever. You certainly don’t stop and take a picture. What a banal truism if ever there was one. But it captures well what’s happening in the U.S. right now. Ever since the controversial debate over “craft versus crafty” beers was kicked off last December, there has been a lot of beard-scratching and soul-searching by industry pundits, cranks and smarty pants over concerns that eventually the segment’s growth will reach the glass ceiling. The jury is still out if, or when, this will happen. Meanwhile, an always confident Charlie Papazian anticipates that by 2017 craft beers will have a 10 percent market share and at this point the momentum will take them past that.

The influence of novel raw materials on beer membrane filtration

Since the introduction of Beer Membrane Filtration (BMF) a lot of information has been gathered about the influence of the malt quality on filterability. All the constituents in the beer that influence filterability find their origins in the used ingredients and the brewing process. Adding a certain amount of barley to malt during brewing or even using 100 percent barley in combination with enzymes is gaining more interest. The effect on beer membrane filterability of these raw materials is investigated in this article.