Brewers and cider makers from across the world gathered at London’s Guildhall on 26 April for the unveiling of the Championship winners in the International Brewing & Cider Awards 2017. Trophies were awarded to nine brewers and one cider maker from three continents, with all bar one of them winning a Championship for the first time.

EBCU raised on 15 March 2017 a glass to European Consumers Day to celebrate the impact the beer industry has on our economy and to tourism across Europe.

The conference of BevTech Europe took place from 28th to 29th of September 2016 in Neutraubling, Germany. The event was organized by the Institute of Beverage Technology (ISBT) and sponsored by Krones AG, Germany. The theme which gathered about 90 scientists and experts in beverage industry was “the future of beverage manufacturing”. The main subjects discussed in this year were beverage operations and processing, packaging of beverages, and beverage quality.

The beer market plays an essential role in the economy, with Brazil’s 120 million consumers each drinking 64 litres of beer every year. With an output of 135 million hectolitres per year, Brazil is the world’s third-largest brewing country, and the fourth-largest beer-drinking nation. This love of beer is a result of both the Brazilian climate and the easy-going party atmosphere created by football and carnival. Brazil is a major player in the 21st century brewing industry, playing host to the industry leader, AB InBev, which incorporates Ambev in Brazil, Brahma (the local market leader) and Interbrew (the Belgian market leader, which originally included Stella Artois and Jupiler).

“drink technology India, PackTech India and FoodPex India have exceeded all expectations.” This was the consensus of the organizers following the event held December 15th - 17th 2016 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. This joint effort, consisting of drink technology India, packTech India as well as FoodPex India, was organized by Messe München, Messe Düsseldorf and their branches based in Mumbai. More than 12 000 visitors, almost 300 exhibitors and 40 percent more exhibition space culminated in a successful event for all involved.

The commitments and efforts OCME invested to reach the highest safety standards were rewarded by the “Manufacturing Safety Excellence Award 2016” organized by Rockwell Automation, Cleveland, USA. This award is given to companies that have a holistic safety program based on three key pillars: a strong safety culture, well-executed compliance procedures as well as effective use of contemporary safeguarding and automation technology through capital investments.

For the first time in New Zealand, the GABS Hottest 100 Kiwi Craft Beers has been announced. Created by the team behind the hugely popular GABS Beer, Cider & Food Fest, and supported by Liquorland and craftypint.com, the poll started life nine years ago in Australia as a way for craft beer fans to celebrate their favourite Aussie beers on Australia Day.

With a spectacular closing act, BrauBeviale took its well-deserved break for two years after three successful exhibition days and will be back again with fresh ideas in 2018. Almost 38,000 trade visitors, including more than 16,000 international guests, went home with in-depth information from the most important capital goods exhibition for the beverage industry in 2016. The 1117 exhibitors included regulars and newcomers, world market leaders and medium-sized companies.

From September 18th - 20th, approximately 120 attendees met in Wroclaw, Poland – known as the city of a hundred bridges and one of two cities named as a European Capital of Culture in 2016 – for the EBC Symposium “Modern Brewhouse Technologies and Wort Production”. There, they had the opportunity to examine the latest findings, research and trends from the “hot side” of the brewing process as well as to exchange information and experience with other attendees.

The 2nd Ludwig Narziss Award was bestowed at BrauBeviale 2016 in Nuremberg on November 10th. The award, valued at 2500 EUR, went to Dr. Konrad Müller-Auffermann, Krones AG, Neutraubling, Germany, Prof. Fritz Jacob, Dr. Mathias Hutzler, TU Munich, Research Centre Weihenstephan for Brewing and Food Quality, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany, and Alirio Caldera MSc, Polar Brewery C.A., Caracas, Venezuela, for research: “Characterization of Different Bottom Fermenting Saccharomyces pastorianus Brewing Yeast Strains“ (BrewingScience, vol. 68 (March/April 2015), pp.46-57).