Packaging trends | What are the current trends in beer and beverage packaging? What will be next? Further, who drives the marked changes and customer demand? These are some of the questions, that will be discussed on the 2nd VLB Packaging Conference (VPC), taking place from 30 August to 1 September 2022 online at the VLB Virtual Campus – just 2 weeks before the drinktec (12 to 16 September in Munich).

Manuka beer | The first installation in this three-part series (refer to BRAUWELT International no. 1, 2022, pp. 30–34) described the origins of wooden beer barrels in antiquity, their use by the Hanseatic League and on sea voyages during the Age of Exploration. Those who sailed the Seven Seas were often confronted with an uninvited guest: scurvy, an insidious disease caused by vitamin deficiency. Part 2 in this series is devoted to the topic of how sailors fought scurvy and the crucial role played by spruce beer in doing so ...

Key to success | To make a long story short, there are a minimum of four key factors behind the success of the Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus AG: a clear commitment to the home region, the Black Forest; popular beers like the Tannenzäpfle that are well known well beyond regional borders; quality beyond reproach; and, last but not least, ongoing investment in technical facilities. In its anniversary year 2021 – Rothaus has been brewing now for 230 years – another major project has been launched, the complete modernisation of a 50 000-bottle line for glass renewables. In this project the redesign of the palletising area including the pallet transport has already been successfully completed.

A Seaworthy Transport Container | BRAUWELT author Dr. Markus Fohr takes us on the wild barrel ride that beer has taken through history. He begins part 1 on the “path into the woods” with the invention of the wooden barrel and its role in antiquity up through to the sea voyages in the Age of Discovery.

Russian trade fair | upakovka – Processing and Packaging will once again offer a presence platform for personal exchange within the industry from January 25 to 28, 2022, at the AO Expocentre Krasnaya Presnya exhibition center in Moscow. As in the past, it will be held in parallel with interplastica – International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber. A total of about 600 companies from 26 countries have announced their participation in both trade fairs. In 2021 the trade fair duo had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.

Taking things to a new level | The demands made of a line layout have dramatically changed over the years. The amount of space available is now one of the most important factors when designing a new line or expanding an existing setup. Free access areas for safe and cost-efficient maintenance are also essential. The creation and use of new levels is one good way of making the best and most cost-efficient use of the available space.

Asset control | Like all breweries today, BGI Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has been continuously facing significant financial losses related to the loss of their kegs. To resolve the problem, they engaged experts in breweries automation from Montelektro and their partners from 8Sigma, whose expertise is developing Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and similar Industry 4.0 solutions.

Just like the products they bundle so smartly, two VGP folding carton packs each have taken home a platinum award at the Pro Carton Awards. What do the awarded packs for Bonduelle and Tērvete Beer have in common? A simply clever use of folding carton that combines function, branding and protection in the most sustainable way

Weight reduced | According to a press release from June 2021, AB InBev has developed and produced the world’s lightest longneck beer bottle on a commercial production line. The brewer managed to reduce the weight of its standard longneck beer bottle from 180 to 150 grams, cutting its CO₂ emissions by 17 % per bottle.

Increasing capacity | Aluminium drinks cans are the world’s most widely recycled beverage packaging with an 82 % recycling rate in the UK and 76 % across Europe. Now Ball Corporation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of recyclable aluminium beverage packaging, is planning to significantly increase its manufacturing capacity, with new facilities in the UK and Russia.