Foreword By Jan Niewodniczanski
Jan Niewodniczanski,
CTO / CEO of the family owned Bitburger brewing group in Germany
Hi,
My name is Jan Niewodniczanski and I am the CTO / CEO of the family owned Bitburger brewing group in Germany. We manage 5 brewing sites in Germany, in total we brew close to 7 million hL per annum. Our “flag-ship” is the Bitburger brewery, followed by König (Duisburg), Lich, Bad Köstritz and Wernesgrün. Most of our volumes are dedicated to brewing fine German style lagers and pilseners; an exception is Köstritzer, the best-selling schwarzbier (black lager) in Germany as well as our premium wheat beer brand Benediktiner, we brew in collaboration with the monastery in Ettal in the south of Germany. And then we have niche-brands, amongst which I’d like to mention a very plucky line of excellent craft beers called Craftwerk…
On my mother’s side, the family Simon has been in the brewing industry for over 200 years. Before joining the family business I represent now in the 7th generation at our HQ in Bitburg, I studied brewing engineering at TU München/Weihenstephan and worked after work stints at Anheuser-Bush/USA and San Miguel/Philippines for almost 10 years at SAB Ltd. in South Africa where I also completed my MBA degree. My involvement in EBC is important to me, as brewing science and technical issues are represented through this association. In addition, the political frame-work embodied by The Brewers of Europe also helps any brewer in putting the aims of their national brewing trade association into perspective and a European-wide context.
Our next meeting of the EBC Executive Team shall take place in Nuremberg during BrauBeviale in November. A great opportunity to join us for a beer!
Cheers to the brewing community,
Jan Niewodniczanski
EBC at work
Meeting of the EBC Analysis Group
The EBC Analysis Group held its quarterly conference call on the 09th of September and reviewed the ongoing projects such as testing the EBC Method 6.5 against a new enzyme, the development of an EBC Method for gushing test, an EBC Method for gluten test, a new Method for L, A and B colors that should lead to the publication of either revised or new Methods in the next months. The EBC Analysis Group also take stock of progress made in the statistical treatment of the latest International Collaborative Trial on the determination of bitter compounds in dry hopped beers as well as the preliminary tests by the Sub-Committee Microbiology.
The next meeting of the EBC Analysis Group and selected experts from some Sub-Committees will take place on the 25 and 26 November, in Brussels. More detailed updates will be provided in the December newsletter.
Meeting of the EBC Executive Team
On the 26th of September, members of the EBC Executive Team held their quarterly conference call and in this time of the year reviewed progressed achieved so far with the implementation of the 2019 Work Plan whilst drafting the Work Plan for 2020. The 37th edition of the EBC Congress, held in Antwerpen together with the 2nd edition of the Brewers Forum was evaluated. Members of the EBC Executive Team discussed the organisation of a Symposium in 2020 (more information available in the next edition of this Newsletter) as well as the publications to be released and started in 2020, including the next two volumes of the EBC Manuals of Good Practice. The next meeting of the EBC Executive Team will take place on the occasion of the BrauBeviale fair, on the 13th of November, in Nuremberg (Germany).
EBC news and publications
Manuals of Good Practice: Beer Filtration and Stabilisation, available at BrauBeviale 2019
You did not yet have the occasion of going through a print exemplar of the EBC Manual of Good Practice: Filtration and Stabilisation? No need to worry! The EBC Manual of Good Practice will be available for purchase at the BRAUWELT booth of Fachverlag Hans Carl, the publishing house, on the occasion of BrauBeviale, from .12 to 14 November.
You can easily find it! It’s located in Hall 1, stand number 201. See you in Nürnberg in November!
Tiago Brandão made a chevalier by the Belgian Knighthood of the Mash-Paddle
The EBC President, Tiago Brandão, was made a chevalier by the Belgian Knighthood of the Mash-Paddle during a ceremony at the Grand Place in the centre of Brussels on 6 September 2019. The knights and their association confer this honour on individuals who have dedicated themselves to all pursuits concerning beer, whether in terms of technical brewing, quality, sales, distribution and marketing, or journalism. Congratulations, Tiago!
EBC Events
The Brewers of Europe/EBC Congress 2019
The second edition of The Brewers of Europe Forum gathered almost 1200 guests, teaming up with the 37th EBC Congress. Taking place early June in Antwerp, Belgium, the event was even more international than last year, with Chief Executives, Brewmasters, Technicians, Scientists, Researchers, Suppliers and many more from the brewing value chain coming together from nearly 60 different countries, including all corners of the European continent.
The Forum seeks to create a raft of high-level educational sessions that allow the sector’s leading lights to share their knowledge and in particular help the future generation of great brewers to take their next steps forward. The narrative of the 2019 Forum was focused on local and global strategies for breweries, covering the future of malt and hops, growing your brewery, guerrilla marketing, collaboration brews and export development. A special focus on innovation allowed some leading start-ups to quick-fire their solutions to the audience in the Beer Business 4.0 session.
Meanwhile the EBC Congress is one of the most important brewing technical events worldwide, appealing to researchers, technicians, scientists and other professionals involved in the fields of brewing, malting, beverage engineering and fermentation. This year’s EBC Congress included 55 papers and over 130 scientific posters presented over three days, with technical tours also organised to maltings and breweries in the immediate surroundings of the city.
The Brewers of Europe Forum 2020 – Save-The-Date
After two successful editions in 2018 and 2019, the 3rd edition of the Brewers Forum will take place on the 3rd and 4th of June 2020 in Brussels, at the Egg, next Brussels largest train station, Brussels-South. Taking place in a new location, this edition will be the opportunity to discuss the future challenges and opportunities the brewing sector will face in the upcoming decades. You don’t want to miss it? Then, save-the-date and look for more information on www.brewersforum.eu! See you in Brussels on the 3rd and 4th of June 2020!
