Trends in Brewing targets practical relevance

1990 marked the inception of Trends in Brewing, and from April 3rd to 7th 2016, the symposium will take place in the Belgian city of Ghent for the 12th time. Since 1990, a lot has changed. In 2010 at the 9th Trends in Brewing, one of the most visible signs of change occurred, namely, the international focus of the symposium. This is partly due to the initiative of Prof. Guido Aerts, who will host the three-day symposium in 2016 for the last time as Chairman. BRAUWELT International spoke with Prof. Guido Aerts, Dr. Jessika De Clippeleer and Dr. Luc De Cooman from the Organizing Committee about the upcoming ‘Trends’.

Believers in better beer

Is this real? By posting photos of her outfits and attracting over 4 million followers, Chiara Ferragni, the 27-year-old Italian fashion and lifestyle blogger behind TheBlondeSalad.com, by the end of 2015 will have pulled in upwards of USD 9 million in revenue. In contrast, beer bloggers are self-exploiting paupers. Only a few have found a way to make money from their online activities. But if brewers think that bloggers are irrelevant to their business, they should think again.

The sixth Ibero-American VLB Symposium

One can really get around in the world following VLB Berlin to their respective seminars and symposia. In the spring they were in Dresden, the metropolis on the Elbe, and then Bangkok in June. After that, from September 21st to 23rd, VLB was off to Campinas, Brazil, about an hour’s drive from São Paulo. Despite the venue being somewhat off the beaten path, the sixth Ibero-American Symposium VLB was again very well attended. The number of participants attending the conference totaled 225. The Berliners were supported by Ambev, Brasil Kirin, Heineken and Grupo Petropolis, whose production sites in the region were open to visitors during the session.

Determining total evaporation by measuring density

Nowadays, modern brewhouses are generally equipped with measuring devices capable of continuously recording the extract content of the wort in the kettle. Should additional data be generated from the extract content, for instance the total evaporation, a number of other factors have to be considered. This article provides information on how to correctly utilize the data collected in the brewhouse by way of several examples. Physical laws, definitions and process parameters are discussed, which influence the quality of the calculated values.

Brasil Brau, Degusta and the Beer Sommelier World Championship

Brasil Brau has become well established as an international trade fair for the brewing industry. First launched in 1989, this biennial conference has been held in São Paulo over the last ten years. This year, the conference opened its doors from July 15th to 17th to welcome attendees from around the world. Degusta Beer & Food, which is now placing more emphasis on craft beer, took place concurrently. In addition to these two events, sommeliers from nine countries were on hand to display their knowledge and skills at the fourth Beer Sommelier World Championship. BRAUWELT International traveled to Brazil to report on the championship competition and the two trade fairs.

One for all: New mill type for different raw materials

All current mill types have system-related characteristics and limits which affect the lautering process. With the newly developed cracking mill „T-Rex“ various grist qualities can be produced from different raw materials with only one mill. Both the lauter tun and the mash filter can be fed with grist from this mill. This mill by Ziemann Holvrieka GmbH, Ludwigsburg, Germany represents a good alternative for craft brewers and their diverse raw materials.

Tawny Port, Fado and brewing science

Tawny port wine, the Portu­guese style of music known as Fado and brewing science are three things rarely mentioned together. However, this was frequently the case from May 24th to 28th, as the 400 attendees of the 35th EBC Congress came together in Porto to share and discuss findings

Awareness of sustainability

In the autumn of 2014, Simon H. Steiner, Hopfen, GmbH of Mainburg published an extensive and detailed sustainability report. Sustainability? The word having

All-out battle for share of throat

It could make the outside observer envious: the U.S. beverage market enjoys such low barriers to entry that almost anyone with a bright idea for an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage can get their new product on the shelves. But there is a catch. Beverage shelves are beginning to groan under the weight of SKU proliferation while U.S. consumers have become spoilt for choice.

IBD Africa Section: Convention in Mozambique

The 15th edition of the biannual IBD Africa Section Convention took place at the Girassol Indy Hotel, Maputo, Mozambique. Over 220 delegates participated, from twenty eight countries representing eighty companies.