Foreword By LENE MØLSKOV BECH
Dear Reader,
I’m Lene Mølskov Bech, Senior Laboratory & Regulatory Manager at the Liquid Analysis and Regulatory Department at Carlsberg Breweries A/S in Copenhagen. I have been engaged with Brewing analysis since 1993 and with Regulatory since 2010 I have worked closely with both EBC and The Brewers of Europe via various working groups such as the Beer Safety IMT, the Product IMT, the Consumer Information Expert Group and the EBC Brewing Science Group. I have also been the chairperson of the EBC Analysis Group since 2017.
Having this EBC Newsletter means always being kept informed about the outputs of EBC and that includes progress made in the Analysis Group. To you, as the reader, we aim to keep everyone abreast of the analytical projects we are currently undertaking; we also list the new methods that were published in the Analytica-EBC on-line (via the knowledge portal BrewUp, see www.brewup.eu). What is perhaps less well known is our continuing commitment for improved contact with our brewing scientific colleagues and analytical personnel at our ‘sister’ organisations such as the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) and the Brewery Convention of Japan (BCOJ). This communication is a two-way street; we inform the others of our work-plans and requests for participation and they, in turn, do the same. This results in better ways of working, and a further step towards better methods (often with an improved statistical base) for our users. It also fills me with satisfaction that our relationship with our Central European colleagues via the MEBAK has taken a good turn for a more collaborative approach.
The new chairman, Dr. Martin Zarnkow, is enthusiastic about sharing information with us and gathering support for ring tests involving potentially a greater number of participating labs. Across three continents we all share the same goals: to provide state of the art analytical methods to secure the quality, consistency and safety of our products.
Should you have any specific questions regarding the EBC Analysis Group, please contact the EBC secretariat. I know that they are always happy to help.
Enjoy the newsletter,
Lene Bech
EBC at work
EBC Executive Team
The EBC Executive Team met for its first meeting of the year in February, albeit in digital format only. Three main items were on the agenda: the fate of the EBC Symposium 2021 (see below), the publication of the Beer Brewing Guide – EBC Quality Handbook for Small Breweries (see below) as well as the preparation for the Brewers Forum/EBC Congress 2022. The scope of the submissions for the EBC Symposium 2021 was discussed and options were put on the table. After another round of consultation, it was decided to cancel the 2021 edition of the Symposium (also see section below). Members of the EBC Executive Team also finalised the calendar for publication of the Beer Brewing Guide – EBC Quality Handbook for Small Breweries as well as the pricing policy, whose aim is to ensure this comprehensive guide that will help all small brewers across the continent (and beyond) remains affordable to any small brewer whilst still reflecting the high-end value of its content. The EBC Executive Team will next meet in May 2021.
EBC Analysis Group
The EBC Analysis Group met virtually on the 11th of March to discuss progress about upcoming method publication, ongoing and upcoming (international) collaborative trials as well as the reignition of the Sub-Committee Sensory (see below).
Two microbiological International Methods (Dekkera (formerly Brettanomyces) Detection with FastOrange® BRETT Medium and Live Yeast Detection with FastOrange® Yeast Medium) should soon be published together with the ASBC (date to be determined) and four other International Methods are currently entering the last phase before printing and publication.
On the front of collaborative trials, the ring test on gluten will soon be finalised (results and statistics are being processed). The collaborative trial on gushing potential of malt has been started with samples being shipped to participants. The first results are expected for early Summer 2021. The collaborative trial on L,a,b has been postponed due to Covid-19 and collection and shipment of samples should start in April/May 2021. Participants will be contacted soon.
The Analysis Group would also like to inform you that the sensory sub-group is in the process of being revived! The person to lead the group will be Julia Bär, who is known to many in the industry. A Weihenstephan food-technology engineering graduate, Julia is in charge of tasting programmes for students and at breweries organised by the Doemens Academy in Munich. Should you wish to join the group, or nominate a suitable candidate, please inform the EBC secretariat. We will make sure that all applicants are considered.
Call for Information – SO2 measurement by DTNB
The EBC and the ASBC are currently working on developing new methods for SO2 measurement by DTNB, with both a manual and automated procedures (flow analysis Skalar like and automated spectrophotometer Gallery like).
To ensure the upcoming method embraces current industry practices, every interested brewery or laboratory is invited to share a description of the method as well as the instruments used for the purpose of SO2 measurement. The EBC and the ASBC will process this information to draft the most accurate and workable method that would then be tested through an International Collaborative Trial. Information on method and equipment can be sent to info@brewersofeurope.eu before the end of April.
EBC NEWS AND PUBLICATIONS
The Beer Brewing Guide – EBC Quality Handbook for Small Breweries
The long-expected and much needed Beer Brewing Guide – EBC Quality Handbook for Small Breweries will be available on exclusive sales as of the 1st of June via www.brewup.eu! The Guide, authored by Chris and Nancy McGreger, two Bavaria-based American brewing experts advising small breweries across the globe, sums up in 400 pages the much need quality assurance and control procedured brewers need to apply throughout the brewing process to upgrade and assure the quality of their beer. This thorough guide has been developed keeping in mind the needs of medium-sized and small breweries, shedding light and offering practical advice on every possible blind spot master brewer may encounter in their day-to-day activities.
Whilst this book will benefit every small to medium-sized brewery – whether they just started or are already active for several years, it also is essential reading for anyone contemplating getting into the world of professional brewing to perfect their skills and start their business on a right footing. We are currently negotiating a very attractive price for this “must-have” technical book on brewing.
Brewing Events
EBC Symposium 2021 – Cancelled
Due to a lack of relevance of the submitted abstracts to the topic, the EBC has taken the decision to cancel the EBC Symposium 2021. The EBC was essentially looking for contributions around technical/technological measures to address delays in production and supply chain hold-ups in the brewing industry but, unfortunately, not enough submissions addressing this topic had been submitted.
However, the EBC will come back in 2022 for the joint Brewers Forum/ EBC Congress to take place on the 30th of May to 2nd of June 2022, at the IFEMA in Madrid, Spain. The call for abstracts with fewer topical constraints when it comes to submitting contributions (in this case for both, papers and posters) will open around the middle of June and remain open until the end of September 2021.
Communication with EBC is easy via the newsletter, so please also encourage your colleagues to subscriber to it (https://europeanbreweryconvention.eu/ebc-newsletter/). For any up-to-date information also consult the EBC website.
other news
The Brewers of Europe Forum 2021
The Brewers Forum is coming back for a third edition, this year fully digital and for free! The four-day event (1-4 June 2021) will gather more than 40 speakers and lead its audience through showcasing best-practices, highlighting upcoming trends, offering practical advice to perfect the brewing art, improve the marketing and storytelling and reaching out to customers in this hard time. Over four days and over 20 sessions, the following issues will be dealt with care, passion and expertise:
- The general state of the brewing industry on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and what challenges lie ahead for the next few years.
- How sustainability will drive industry’s future, what policymakers are cooking and what brewers are doing to lead the way towards a green future for beer, consumers and our planet.
- Practical advice and do’s and don’ts to market products through the right channel, be it the off-trade or by making the most of the digital solutions and to tell the brewery’s story to consumers.
- Technical advice by brew masters and lead experts to brew the perfect lager, investing in hard seltzer, mastering the arts of barrel-ageing and developing their own range of non-alcoholic beers.
- The latest trends in beer styles innovation, mixing tradition and modernity, as well as on packaging with a focus on cans.
Please consult the Brewers Forum for the latest information, as well as for the registration (free): https://brewersforum.eu
Beer and Health Publication Award – Nearing submission deadline
The deadline for applying to the Beer and Health Publication Award is nearing (31st of March)! The Beer and Health Initiative (www.beerandhealth.eu) offers an Award of €1,000 to the lead author of the best, most remarkable study published in 2020 focusing on moderate beer (or alcohol) consumption. Apart from the monetary prize, the winner may present his/her research findings during the next Beer and Health symposium. Application deadline 31 March 2021. For more information on the Award and the application procedure, please go on this page: https://beerandhealth.eu/the-beer-and-health-publication-award-2020/
