Despite the fact that barley is unquestionably the grain of choice for brewing beer, there is an assortment of other cereal and pseudocereal varieties which are well-suited for this purpose. Alternative raw materials can be differentiated on the basis of gluten content, that is, those which contain gluten and those which are gluten-free. At the World Brewing Congress, held last year at the beginning of August in Hawaii, a series of lectures was dedicated to this topic, given predominantly by German researchers.

A provocative question? Not at all! ABInBev has revised their hopping concept for Anheuser-Busch’s beers. As a result of this shift in strategy, questions have been raised in the hop industry. Where will the future lead, when one of the big players, as ABInBev has done, abruptly moves away from the large scale utilization of one aroma variety in favor of another aroma variety or even a bittering variety? What is the future like for aroma hops in general? What possibilities exist for the hop industry and for the brewer? The outcome of this discussion has resulted in an event for which every brewer should make time in his calendar: The German Hop Day 2009 will take place on the 21st and 22nd of August in the Tettnang region. BRAUWELT International spoke with the organizers of the event, Dr. Johann Pichlmaier and Otmar Weingarten of the Association of German Hop Growers, as well as Jürgen Weishaupt and Johann Heimpel of the Association of Tettnanger Hop Growers. They described their goals and expectations for the German Hop Day 2009.

The tour of South America is part of a worldwide roadshow intended to inform exhibitors, visitors and representatives of the press, trade associations and the authorities about drinktec. Petra Westphal, Exhibtion Director of drinktec 2009, comments: "Addressing people personally, direct contact with them, is extremely important to us, particularly in far-off countries. We want to make sure that visitors to drinktec really feel we are there for them, and that we take their needs seriously. These tours are not just about communicating facts and figures on drinktec. Just as important is reaching out to people on an emotional level. We want to fire their enthusiasm and spend a good time with them. The aim is for them to look forward to drinktec, to the innovations they will find there and to meeting up with colleagues from all over the world."

At the SPECIAL INTEREST EXHIBITION, companies from all over the world, market leaders of all sizes who are active in all aspects of F & S as well as those in the field of particle measurement technology will show their latest products to an audience of buyers, sellers, users, designers, R & D experts, plus the academic world for three days in a business atmosphere. More than 150 companies will fill 5,200 square meters of exhibition space which will include group stands from China, Russia and the United States. More than 75% of the space available is already booked.

Unsurprisingly, keen interest was registered in Upakovka/Upak Italia 2009, the International Trade Fair Machinery and Equipment for the Manufacture of Packaging, Packaging Machinery, Confectionery Machinery, Packaging and Packaging Aids, Logistics. Jointly staged between 27 and 30 January, Interplastica 2009, the International Trade Fair Plastics and Rubber, and the premier trade fair for the packaging industry in Russia together welcomed 20,500 trade visitors from all corners of the CIS and its neighbours. A total of about 900 exhibitors rented a net area of 19,000 square metres to showcase their offerings. The general tenor of exhibitor responses was one of surprise at the wealth of intensive negotiations which promise good post-fair business.

An opportunity for customers and suppliers to get together, so that the former can gain a clearer understanding of the technological potential, services, sales set-up and assistance offered by the Group yet also so that suppliers can get a better understanding of a market of enormous potential with a fast-growing customer base that is ever-more attentive to product quality.

The 17th Standard Malt has been accepted after analysis by the Analysis Committee of the

“The swirling, dynamic, luminous core of what is now the most exciting beer culture on the planet,” is how Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewing Company described the Great American Beer Festival, which has taken place every autumn in Denver, Colorado for the last 26 years. It is advertised as “the biggest selection of American beers ever gathered together in the United States”.

Belgian brewer InBev is seeking a buyer for its majority stake in real estate subsidiary ImmoBrew.

New production facilities of KHS Machinery Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad, India were ceremonially commissioned on February 26th, 2007 in the presence of numerous honorary guests from politics and industry. The construction phase took only two years. A total of 8 million EUR has been invested. According to Maternus Gemmel, Director Sales and Marketing of the parent company KHS in Dortmund, the decision to build this new facility is “the right step at the right time”. Valentin Reisgen, Chairman of the Board, regards the opening as a milestone in KHS developing increasingly into an internationally operating group.