VLB Berlin | The 13th Ibero-American VLB Symposium VLB took place from 4 to 6 September 2023 in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. With 185 participants from 21 nations, this event once again consolidated its status as one of the most important communication and knowledge platforms for technical for technical executives in the brewing industry in Latin America.

Denver | The Brewers Association (BA) unveiled the best beers of 2023 during an awards ceremony at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). GABF is the nation’s largest professional beer competition, with its medals globally acknowledged as an emblem of brewing excellence and among the most sought-after accolades within the brewing community. This year, there were 303 medals awarded to 263 breweries.

IHGC in Ljubljana | This year’s hop meeting from June 25 to 29 in Ljubljana broke all previous records: with over 80 participants from 15 countries, 36 talks and 20 posters, it was the best-attended event staged by the Scientific-Technical Commission of the International Hop Growers’ Convention (IHGC).

“Agriculture and commerce” | This is the motto of the US state of Tennessee, and craft brewers were certainly able to promote both agriculture and commerce in Nashville at the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) and BrewExpo America, held 7–10 May 2023 in the Music City Center. Milk may have been voted the Tennessee state beverage in 2009, but it is the juice of the barley that is consumed on the melodious (and sometimes raucous) evenings downtown on Broadway.

15th Trends in Brewing | Since the last Trends in Brewing in 2018, our world has changed dramatically. In view of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine – with its far-reaching consequences – the title of the 15th Trends in Brewing International Malting and Brewing Symposium, held in Ghent in Belgium from 2 – 6 April 2023, was extremely fitting: Brewing in a challenging world – producing quality and affordable beers in a world with scarcity.

International event | The 5th Korea International Beer Expo (Kibex) was successfully held from 6 – 8 April 2023 at COEX in Samsung-dong, Seoul. The event brought together all businesses in the beverage industry value chain, from beer ingredients and brewery equipment and facilities companies to breweries, importers and wholesalers, franchises, and service, education, and media companies.

Increase in visits | The 8^th Beer&Food Attraction 2023 took place in Rimini, Italy from 19–22 February 2023. It saw a 12 % increase in total professional visits and an extraordinary 30 % increase in foreign visits compared to 2020.

A PROVOCATIVE QUESTION | On November 12–14, 2022, speakers from an array of disciplines – including an archaeologist, a chef, a maltster, many beverage journalists and book authors, as well as professional brewers and historians – gathered at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia to take part in Ales Through the Ages, a unique in-person/virtual conference focused on beer’s place in history.

High level | The Brewers Association’s Export Development Programme (EDP) announces the global success of its American craft brewery members in three international beer competitions – the Brussels Beer Challenge, European Beer Star Awards and the Japan International Beer Cup.

Perspectives | Europe’s beer sector is optimistic about returning to its pre-pandemic heights in 2023, The Brewers of Europe Secretary General Pierre-Olivier Bergeron said today at the ninth edition of Beer Serves Europe in Brussels on December, 8.