Juried Tasting | The 16th European Beer Star competition was held at Doemens Academy in Gräfelfing, Germany, from October 10th to 12th 2019. A total of 145 people were invited to evaluate 2,483 beers (+ 6%) in 67 categories from 47 countries and every populated continent. The jury members came from 28 countries and were mostly master brewers, beer sommeliers or beer connoisseurs.

Brewers Association | The 2019 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition took place from 3 to 5 October 2019 in Denver. Judges examined 9,497 beers from 2,295 American breweries. In a ceremony at Denver’s Bellco Theatre, award-winning breweries received prestigious gold, silver and bronze medals.

The 1st Africa Brewing Conference was held successfully from 21 to 23 May 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 180 participants from 20 countries utilized this event as a communication and knowledge platform. The conference was a joint project of VLB Berlin and DuPont Industrial Biosciences with the local support of Ethiopia Invest.

Knowledge Update | The 37th EBC Congress comprised just under 500 attendees, 56 presentations arranged in 17 blocks and 126 posters covering 16 different topics, all of which concluded with stimulating panel discussions. The conference took place from June 2nd to 6th in Antwerp, Belgium.

International Hop Growers’ Convention 2019 | It was the central theme of the convention: What measures should be taken to combat the deleterious effects of climate change? Is it best to approach these issues through breeding programs or perhaps through cultivation? Many presentations dealt with the warmer, drier climate and the effects it is already having on hop production. About 60 participants from eleven countries were invited by Dr. Florian Weihrauch, Chairman of the Scientific Technical Committee (STC) of the International Hop Growers’ Convention (IHGC), to attend the conference from July 7th to 11th 2019 in Bischoffsheim in Alsace, France. A packed program, created together with Comptoir Agricole, unfolded over three days and included a tour of the Alsatian wine-growing region.

The ever flourishing Indian Alco-Bev industry witnessed the 2nd edition of India’s only comprehensive international trade fair and conference for the alcohol and beverage industry, Craft Drinks India (CDI) 2019 from 3-4 July at Manpho Convention Centre, Bengaluru, India.

Mondial de la Bière 2019 | The Mondial de la Bière events in Montreal and São Paulo highlight the latest innovations each year from Planet Beer. Together with the Rio de Janeiro and Paris events, they are the four musketeers of a transnational beer renaissance, working together to herald the virtues of beer, the object of adoration for their international visitors. This article summarises the events in Montreal and São Paulo.

300 brewing experts from Southeast Asia, Europe and America attended the 6th Bangkok Brewing Conference, which took place from 9 to 11 June 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. The event has been jointly organized by the Thailand Beer Industry Guild (TBIG) and VLB Berlin for the 5th time since 2009.

The main event of the brewing industry in Latin America brought together the end-to-end production chain and showcased the latest news on the global market. With exhibitors from 13 different countries, the edition proved the definitive and relevant position of Brazil in the international brewing sector footprint.

The International Brewing and Cider Awards revealed on 1 May this year’s Championship trophy winners at a prestigious awards ceremony at the Guildhall, London, recognising just twelve products as the best of the best in beer and cider.