German Beer Industry Shares Micro-Brewing Knowledge with its South African Counterparts

The first MicroBrew Symposium in South Africa will take place on 13th September 2016 in Johannesburg. It will provide a platform for sharing Germany’s deep knowledge of brewing and will create networking and communication opportunities for the emerging South African brewing industry.

This year will be the first time ever that the Research and Teaching Institute for Brewing in Berlin (VLB Berlin) will expand its MicroBrew Symposium (MBSSA) to African soil. The first MicroBrew Symposium South Africa will take place on the 13th of September 2016 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. It precedes the world-famous Food & Drink Technology Trade Fair which will be held on the 14th - 15th of September 2016.

The event is organised by VLB Berlin, an independent institute and partner of the Berlin University of Technology. VLB Berlin was founded in the capital of Germany, which is the global leader in beer production, in 1883 by brewers and maltsters. They wanted to promote brewing science and innovation all over the globe. They are currently focused on the fields of research, development, training and consulting within the brewing industry.

The Symposium will target owners, brewers and brew masters from African craft and pub breweries and their suppliers. There is a limited number of 80 participants to ensure that the high quality of the event is maintained.

Participants will have the opportunity to attend an established European conference which is focused on the use of technology and quality-control in the craft-beer brewing industry. It was designed especially for creative brewers who produce beer on a small scale in South Africa. Topics to be discussed include general concepts for small-scale brewery plants, the rich variety of products available using different raw materials, process parameters and yeasts, as well as quality control.

Besides that, a selection of the South African craft beer industry will be presented alongside a display of local success stories. Representatives from craft breweries such as Brauhaus am Damm (based in Olifants Nek, South Africa) and Drayman’s Brewery (in Pretoria, South Africa) will share their experiences.

The symposium serves as an exemplary case of the ambitious German industry’s efforts to introduce multi-level cooperation and bond with the arising African entrepreneurs.