Foreword & Season’s greetings
Paul Lefebvre,
Member of the EBC Executive Team
Hello,
Please give me the opportunity to introduce myself briefly: My name is Paul Lefebvre. With my sister Celine, we are the 6th generation of owners and managers of our family brewery Brasserie Lefebvre situated about 25 km south-west of Brussels.
Our volumetric output is around 100 000 Hl per year and our brand portfolio is oriented towards top-fermented speciality beers, such as the range of Floreffe ales and Hopus, a typical hoppy Belgian gold triple ale. Barbãr is a honey beer which has won numerous accolades at international beer competitions throughout the world. We also brew Blanche de Bruxelles, a fun and refreshing witbier.
I have been involved with EBC since 2012, by being a member of the EBC Executive Team. It is my great pleasure to introduce you to this third issue of EBC newsletter and invite you to join me in reflecting on the past year. From our point of view it has been a busy 2018 with the publication of 5 new and updated analysis methods, the preparation to move EBC Analytica to Brewup, the organization of EBC symposium on filtration in Brussels and on hops in Nürnberg and Spalt.
We, as the active EBC task force, are pushing hard for an exciting programme for 2019 that will see a novel approach being implemented: The EBC congress will be teaming up with the second edition of the Brewers Forum. Whilst we are convinced that this new formula harbours challenges and positive spin-offs, we definitely need your opinions and input. We therefore appeal to you, as potential delegates, to come to Antwerp in June 2019 to see and experience this new format for yourself.
Being member of the great beer family, I can see that our customers wants us to brew better beers, with a lot of diversity and strong story behind all the quality brands. As an answer for this challenge, I believe that there is no better time – and place – to empower and share our knowledge next June, in Antwerp. Of course, as usual, any feedback, both critical as well as complimentary will be gratefully received.
Please keep checking both the Brewers Forum website, as well as that of the European Brewery Convention for the provisional programme details and registration.
I wish you all very happy end-of-year celebrations and hope to see you all in Antwerp in June next year.
Bonne Lecture!
Paul Lefebvre
EBC at work
EBC Executive Team
The EBC Executive Team meets once a year at Brau-Beviale (and when it’s the turn of Drinktec, then in Munich). The meetings just 6 months before the EBC congress / Brewers Forum are traditionally very busy times when the pre-selections of the submissions of abstracts are being considered. The reviewing of the papers happens “blind”, that is, the authors are hidden from view in order to reduce personal bias. This time, the EBC executives were informed of the state of play of the organising for the Brewers Forum, taking place alongside the EBC congress. As a result, more than 55 abstracts were selected as oral presentations in sessions ranging from “Terroir in Brewing Materials” to “Technical reviews and insights”. Stay tuned to us to see how the programme develops. A provisional version will be out by Christmas and registrations will open in January.
EBC Analysis Group
The EBC Analysis Group met on 26 and 27 November 2018 at The Brewers of Europe’s House in Brussels. Selected experts from the different sub-committees were invited to participate and reviewed together with the members of the EBC Analysis Group the progress that have been achieved in 2018 (recruitment of new experts for the activities of the sub-committees, update and development of 5 Analytica methods, increased cooperation with the Brewery Convention of Japan). The 25 representatives from breweries, European and Japanese trade associations, laboratories, institutes, maltsters and hop growers, also looked at the work programme settled for 2019 including the development of a series of new methods and a chapter on safety. Two sub-committees also met physically in Brussels: both the Sub-Committee Beer & Wort and the Sub-Committee Barley & Malt held a meeting where they reviewed their workplan, lined-up the priorities for 2019 and assigned leaders for each individual tasks. Participants also shared their impressions of the Brewing Summit organized in Denver in August 2018. M. Koji Suzuki, President of the Brewery Convention of Japan (BCOJ), presented the BCOJ’s activities for 2018 as well as the projects that will be implemented in 2019. The next meeting of the EBC Analysis Group, to which selected experts from the sub-committees will be invited, will be held on 01st and 2nd June 2019 in Antwerp, Belgium, in the lead up to the 37th EBC Congress 2019 and The Brewers of Europe Forum.
Call for expert – Be part of the EBC Sub-committee Sensory
The Sub-Committee Sensory, from the EBC Analysis Group, is specifically looking for professionals working in breweries and beyond! The Subcommittee Sensory is recruiting interested parties suitably qualified and willing to put resources into developing and updating sensory guidelines for EBC Analytica.
The Sub-committee Sensory is looking for members who::
- Are passionate about beer
- Has an interest in Sensory and want to be actively engaged in forming the future EBC Sensory
- Wants to reflect on upcoming sensory challenges of the brewing sector and how the Sub-committee Sensory can best address them through its work plan
What you commit to:
- Be part of updating the existing EBC Sensory methods and guidelines
- Propose and design new and relevant EBC Sensory methods and Guidelines
What it takes:
- 1 face to face meeting in Europe
- Quarterly calls
- Sub-committee Sensory work between meetings ( 40hs/yearly)
Expression of interest should be sent to the Chair of the EBC Analysis Committee, Lene Bech, on her email address: lene.bech@carlsberg.com and the Chair of the Sub-Committee Sensory, Sidsel Jensen (Carlsberg, sidsel.jensen@carlsberg.com), indicating your area of expertise and / or interest. As a good source of information I would also warmly recommend our Analytica website: https://brewup.eu/ebcanalytica.
Hoping to have roused your interest,
Call for experts – Experts needed for the sub-committee Microbiology and Sensory!
The EBC Analysis Group sub-committees are actively looking for experts! The EBC Analysis Group is responsible for the production and the updates of the EBC Analytica Methods. Whilst the EBC Analysis Group reviews and endorses the Methods, drafting, developing and testing the Methods happen within six sub-committees, each one responsible for a given area of expertise.
Following our previous all for Experts, several applications have been received by the Chairs of the different sub-committees. But they still need more! Particularly for the Sub-Committee Microbiology, Sensory and Packaging and we will still appreciate additional inputs in the other sub-committees too. If you wish to join one of these sub-committees and actively participate in the development of the EBC Analytica Methods and of the brewing sector, please find more information on the respective sub-committees and their needs here:
- Sub-Committee Microbiology
- Sub-Committee Sensory
- Sub-Committee Packaging
- Sub-Committee Barley & Malt
- Sub-Committee Beer & Wort
- Sub-Committee Hops
More information about the EBC Analysis Group? Find out here!
EBC news and publications
Analytica EBC on BrewUp
As of 01st January 2019, all the Analytica-EBC Methods will be available on BrewUp in a new format! The new system will also allow for yearly subscription (109€ excl. VAT) or for on-demand purchase of individual methods (29€ excl VAT for a method).
How does it work?
- Current subscribers to the system managed by Fachverlag Hans Carl whose subscription ends in 2019 will be able to access the new system performed by BrewUp. The customers data have been transferred by Fachverlag Hans Carl and the BrewUp team is now creating your customer account. You should soon receive an email informing you about its creation and explaining you how to connect, login and use the new Analytica-EBC services on the BrewUp platform. The services will be available as of the 01st of January 2019!
- New subscribers or customers can from now on create their customer account and pre-subscribe! They should go on brewup.eu/register and follow the instructions. Whilst subscriptions may be processed now, the pay-as-you-go demand will only be activated as of the 01st of January.
- Companies wishing to get mass subscriptions (for several of their employees) can use the system of multi-account users. They should contact the BrewUp team at info@brewup.eu
What do I get?
- Subscribers get a full access for one year to all Analytica-EBC methods, including any updates and newly published methods, at any time during their subscription.
- Purchasers of individual methods can download the purchased method until 30 days after the purchase.
What is not permitted?
Customer accounts are strictly personal! They cannot be passed to someone else. The Methods are also non-transferrable and cannot be modified, shared, reproduced without the explicit consent from The Brewers of Europe/EBC.
For more information, please look at www.brewup.eu/ebcanalytica
New methods – 4.12.1 and 4.12.2 on Diastatic Power of Malt
In October 2018, the EBC Analysis Group published two separate documents for manual and automated methods based on the same chemistry to fit with the laboratories practices: Method 4.12.1 – Diastatic Power of Malt by Spectrophotometry (Manual Method) and Method 4.12.2 – Diastatic Power of Malt by Segmented Flow Analysis. In the coming months, the Analysis Group would like to include other kinds of automated methods with relevant results in the automated method.
The Sub-Committee Barley and Malt, chaired by Marc Schmitt, took the lead to update the manual method and create the automated method. The Chair of the Sub-Committee would like to thank the participants of the collaborative trial who allowed for the validation of the Method 4.12.2: Jeffrey Vos (formerly Bavaria, the Netherlands), Geert Van D’huynslager (Boortmalt, Belgium), Jana Olsovska (Výzkumný ústav pivovarsko sladařský, Czech Republic), Sabine Koehl (Kronenbourg, France), Dominique Marie (Malteurop, France), Sandrine Bagnon (Qualtech), Sophie Schwebel (IFBM), Rob Turnhout (Skalar, The Netherlands), Elisabeth Auge (Soufflet, France).
EBC Events
SMILE – launch of brewing qualifications project
The SMILE project, an educational project under the Erasmus + programme, was launched at a beer and food reception at The Brewers of Europe on 22 November. This event marked the end of the design phase of the project as the funding has now run its course. The SMILE project is designed to help and support brewing enthusiasts seeking to establish a career in the brewing industry. The SMILE Certificate in Brewing Entrepreneurship will help to advance knowledge of brewing and fulfil the skills requirements of the industry in the areas of brewery operations, business and due diligence. EBC was one of the partners in this multinational project.
SMILE project manager, Michael Ward stressed the importance of giving new beer entrepreneurs the best chance of success, “Local breweries benefit communities through new economic activity, job creation, resource utilisation, inward tourism, and environmental sustainability”. The training syllabus and curriculum is freely available on www.smilebrewing.com. The qualification can be achieved by reinforcing this free learning with experiential learning in an established brewery, and project work designed to apply the business learning.
Speaking at the Launch, Terry Fennell CEO of FDQ Limited (the qualifications awaring body based in the UK) said that they were attracted to the SMILE project because of the “uniqueness of the training program in addressing the business components of successful brewing”. Mr. Fennell also presented the SMILE team with a plaque which officially recognises SMILE Brewing as an approved centre of FDQ, a fully regulated awarding body with International reach. To get in touch with SMILE Training Centre, or to find out more about the SMILE/FDQ Certificate in Independent Brewing Entrepreneurship, check out the website at www.smilebrewing.com or e-mail info@smilebrewing.com
Hop Symposium
The EBC symposium on “Recent Advances in Hop Science” was the second such symposium on the topic within the last 8 years. The last one took place in September 2010 in Wolnzach in Bavaria. EBC followed the time-proven formula of 18-20 scientific talks spread over 2 days. Care was taken to draft a balanced programme and delegates from all major hop producing countries were represented: The USA, Germany, UK, Slovenia and Czech Republic. It was clear that the EBC symposium was on top of the latest developments in hop analysis, hop breeding and growing (with some elements of changed conditions due to the impact of climate change) and, not to forget, the use of hops in brewing. Especially the topic of late- and dry-hopping which was only briefly mentioned in 2010 was now amply and thoroughly dealt with.
For a look at the programme, this is the link: https://ebc-symposium.org/recent-advances-in-hop-science-technical-programme/. A very comprehensive review of the event will be published in this month’s edition of Brauwelt international (December 2018).
EBC Congress 2019 and The Brewers of Europe Forum 2019
The second edition of the Brewers Forum is being organised in parallel with the 37th EBC congress, from 2-6 June 2019 in Antwerp. For more information please click your way to the EBC Congress 2019 information page or www.brewersforum.eu. A provisional programme is expected for January with registrations to commence soon afterwards (Mid-January).
Highlights re. technical tours: Technical tours are a feature of any EBC congress and its next edition is no exception: Technical tours to the new Boortmalt R&D centre currently being built and to be opened around Easter 2019 will be visited. A tour of the brewery at Duvel-Moortgat in Puurs is also on the cards, as is a visit to De Koninck, the iconic Antwerp city brewery.”
“Whilst successfully laying its foundations last year in Brussels, the Brewers of Europe Forum plans to be bigger and better for its second edition. Aiming to be the crossroad of all beer-related professionals once again, many new guests will be there to expose, talk and debate. With yet another fruitful year for the sector with new trends and breweries soaring accordingly, bringing European actors together to share their experience is more than appropriate. Have a look yourself: https://brewersforum.eu/video”