Leuven | This year's 16th International Trends in Brewing which took place at KU Leuven in Belgium at the beginning of April 2025 provided a worthy setting for the presentation of the 11th Ludwig Narziß Award for Brewing Science a project from the field of hop research received this EUR 2500 award for practical relevance for the brewing industry in front of around 300 attendees in the venerable Promotion Hall in the main building of KU Leuven which is celebrating its 600th anniversary this year were honored on site for the article “How the amount and timing of dry-hopping affects beer turbidity” from last year's BrewingScience issue July/August (77 (2024) Martin Krottenthaler from the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences in Weihenstephan and Korbinian Schmid This year's laudatory speech was given by EBC Executive Director John Brauer who explained to those present the experiments on dosage quantity and dosage timing in dry hopping as well as the influence on the turbidity of beer over the storage period The team of authors was able to show that stable turbidity in beer can be better achieved if hops are added after primary fermentation and encounter yeast that is still active The yeast takes hop particles down with it during sedimentation which leads to a stable turbidity within the beer Sedimentation also avoids the hop creep effect as yeast cells that are still alive ferment the sugar produced by dry hopping This also prevents an excessively high CO2 content in the beer This article was judged to be highly relevant to practice by the international expert reviewers and editorial board of the scientific journal BrewingScience as a stable turbidity is expected for unfiltered beers which represents a major technological challenge research awards brewing science international brewing industry Ludwig Narziß Award for Brewing Science Newsletter archive and information Development planning to be completed by end of 2025 A data center development could be coming to Mainburg First reported by local publication Ingolstadt-Reporter the data center will be located on the new Mitterleite industrial estate DCD has contacted the city of Mainburg for additional information The Mitterleite industrial estate is a new extension to the northwest of the existing Wambach industrial estate and was originally planned as a small-scale mixed-use area for local companies the western part of the estate has instead been cornered off for a data center development said: "The project marks a significant step for the economic and technological expansion of Mainburg." Fichtner added: "Everyone who uses a cell phone or apps generates data flows that run through data centers With this project and one of the largest data centers in Bavaria we are investing in the modern future of Mainburg I am delighted that we were able to convincingly present the advantages of our location and win over the investor." The investor behind the project has not been named The development planning process is hoped to be completed by the end of 2025 and will be handled by the Operating and Development Company Mainburg (BEM) along with the private investor BEM managing director Alfred Rammelmeier said: “With the Mitterleite industrial estate and economic strength independent of the economic cycle – a win for Mainburg and the entire region.” Mainburg is located in the Bavaria area of Germany in the south of the country The area does not have a notable data center market Nearby Munich is home to operators nLighten Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia the members of MEBAK met in Mainburg at the invitation of Hopsteiner the participants were informed by Martin Waldinger about the internal breeding program for new hop varieties especially with regard to the necessary characteristics for consistent quality despite the challenging current environmental conditions This was followed by a tour of the new propagation of hops Christina Schmidt also presented the extensive analytical facilities before Frank Peifer rounded off the tour at the pilot-brewing plant a new working group for cleaning in place (CIP) was formed which will look at the existing CIP guidelines in order to fully meet the current requirements of the industry Two members of the WATER working group have retired The containers and product equipment working group presented the current status of the method update. MEBAK is very pleased to publish a first part of the approx. 100 methods on mebak.org/en/ shortly This first part includes 7 chapters for glass bottles and beverage cans as well as related topics such as crown caps the microbiology working group will have translated the current collection of 96 methods into English and put it online a small expansion with a focus on hygiene is planned for this chapter which can then be accessed via the online method database The purity of the (fermentation) carbon dioxide used is of increasing interest to breweries especially in view of the rising sales figures for non-alcoholic beer and beer mixed beverages “Radler” The new method is intended to be used by both breweries and non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers for quality control of the CO2 used John Brauer (Executive Officer EBC) was temporarily connected online such as the “(IM)” label at the end of the method title “IM” stands for inter-national method and is listed ASBC and BJOJ is the basis of method approval the provided method is congruent in terms of the validation for reproducibility and repeatability that meets the statistical criteria of partici-pating laboratories from America The introduction of “(IM)” at MEBAK to harmonize the corresponding methods is seen as advantageous by all sides John Brauer reported that the EBC will introduce a method for the determination of xantho-humol in beer Roman Benes was invited to the conference once again which is based on near-infrared spectroscopy for measuring alcohol in alcoholic beverages he has been working part-time at the Research Institute of Brewing and Malting in Prague where he studies the optical degradation of beer and develops new measurement methods to determine it In the shown study about “Possible determination of the optical stability of beer” Roman Benes impressively presented the correlating factors in the formation of light taste in green glass bottles Direct correlations could be established in the results of the investigated characteristics iso-humulone wavelength and sulphur source (see also his publications on this subject) The MEBAK expert group is very pleased to have unanimously elected Dr Roman Benes to MEBAK and to welcome him as a new member research analytical methods brewing science industry meetings MEBAK Colorado - Solar electricity production in Europe during the first quarter of 2025 was up by over 30% from the same months in 2024 setting the stage for full-year record performance from the region's solar farms Total solar electricity generation over the January to March period was nearly 68 terawatt hours (TWh) which was 32% more than the same period a year ago Solar assets accounted for 8.2% of Europe's utility-supplied electricity in March which indicates that solar power is rapidly emerging as a key electricity source for regional utilities even in winter As Europe's peak solar production period occurs during the northern hemisphere summer total solar output and electricity share will grow further in the coming months ensuring continued strong momentum for regional energy transition efforts The rise in European solar production is part of a broader push to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and increase electricity production from clean energy sources which accounted for a record 61.3% of Europe's electricity in 2024 Europe's clean share of production dropped to 57% due to low wind speeds at turbine level which triggered a 15% drop in wind power output from the same quarter in 2024 As wind farms are Europe's third-largest source of clean power (after nuclear plants and hydro dams) utilities were forced to boost output from gas and coal plants so far this year to balance system needs clean power's share of the overall generation mix looks set to recover as output from fossil fuel plants drops off due to reduced power demand for heating and as solar farms reach their peak production period Germany and Spain accounted for over 80% of all of Europe's solar generation capacity But due to steep cost drops and increases in solar system efficiency levels several other countries have rapidly increased their solar capacity over the past decade or so Europe's solar farms are now spread throughout the continent with multiple countries posting double-digit growth rates in recent years several countries posted larger solar output gains than the regional average Poland (+44) and Switzerland (+43%) compared to the first quarter of 2024 the Netherlands and Spain all also registered solar electricity shares of more than 10% during the opening quarter of the year which underscores the growing clout of the solar sector within Europe's generation mix Those share levels will likely more than double during the coming months as solar radiation levels peak and daylight hours lengthen over the summer Portugal and Spain will all likely generate over 25% of their total electricity from solar during June which should help boost the average for Europe as a whole to around 14% during those months Croatia and Turkey will also likely register double digit solar electricity supply shares this summer ensuring that nearly every major regional economy registers record deployment of solar for electricity in 2025 The opinions expressed here are those of the author (Reporting By Gavin Maguire; Editing by Michael Perry) Get insights and exclusive content from the world of business and finance that you can trust Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The functional shoe and clothing specialist Haix has taken over Gustav Wahler KG was founded in 1930 and is one of the leading manufacturers of uniforms service and protective clothing in Germany the family company is heavily active in the official environment and in the project business and supplies customers such as Deutsche Bahn The portfolio includes individual clothing concepts for companies and authorities as well as weather and high-visibility clothing as well as special clothing for industrial climbers The Gustav Wahler KG location in Hengersberg will continue to operate with all 33 employees The company premises cover 1.500 square meters and include offices Production takes place externally with long-standing partners in Eastern Europe Haix is ​​a specialist in functional footwear and clothing with a worldwide reputation the company has special departments for research and development as well as design and marketing Haix operates factories in Germany and Croatia where the company has built one of the most modern shoe manufacturing facilities in the world The Haix Group employs around 1.700 people worldwide the company produced more than 1,4 million pairs of shoes and achieved sales of 147 million euros We always keep you up to date: with our free newsletter SHOEZ compact You will regularly receive all information from the shoe industry in a clear form when a new magazine is published US Managing Director Peter Sachs hands over to Lance Taylor Alchemy plans to take over almost half of the Austrian shoe retailer Second best financial year in the company's history Creditors' meeting decides against P&C's takeover offer Sanela Krisat becomes International Sales Director sales representatives and business partners throughout the DACH association Telephone: +49 (0) 6 41 / 7 95 08 – 0Fax: +49 (0) 6 41 / 7 95 08 – 15Email: info@shoez.biz Designed by willsch-media.de HAIX has redefined shoes for professional use with outstanding technical know-how and a perfected high-tech production process The brand-new HAIX FIRE HERO is considered the safest and most innovative fire fighter boot in the world The development of the Ranger GSG9-S service boot was based on the experiences and special mission requirements indicated by members of the German SWAT unit The HAIX Airpower X1 was tailored specifically towards motion sequences in emergency and rescue services These are merely some examples of how HAIX approaches development She-Wolves and company specialising in functional shoes and clothing agree partnership VfL Wolfsburg Women are gaining backing from Bavaria: HAIX, a company specialised in functional shoes and clothing for the emergency services as well as the workwear and outdoor sectors, is now a new top partner of the She-Wolves includes LED perimeter advertising in the Bundesliga DFB Cup and Champions League as well as presenting the ‘Player of the Match’ award “We’re very pleased to have found a new and strong partner in HAIX whose products ensure the greatest possible safety for emergency forces,” said VfL managing director Michael Meeske HAIX is a perfect fit for VfL Wolfsburg and our women’s team.” unbridled passion and top performances in football as well as in the shoe and clothing industry: that’s what unites the VfL Wolfsburg women’s team and HAIX – despite us being almost six hours apart by car,” said Michael Haimerl whose headquarters are in the Bavarian town of Mainburg is just as committed as VfL to a world without structural discrimination who have long been the number one team in Germany women’s football is gaining increasing recognition both nationally and internationally,” added Haimerl “We are proud to be part of this welcome development as the first workwear partner of the VfL Women.” HAIX manufactures its products exclusively in Europe as part of the company’s commitment to quality greater sustainability and fair working conditions The company produces functional footwear and clothing for police as well as for the workwear and outdoor sectors HAIX employs more than 2,300 people worldwide the company produced approximately 1.7 million pairs of shoes and registered a turnover of around 200 million euros Hop Analysis Working Group | The 2019 hop harvest is over The AHA (Hop Analysis Working Group) announces the average alpha acid values as determined in freshly harvested hops Members of the AHA include the laboratories of the German processing plants Hallertauer Hopfenveredelungsgesellschaft Mainburg and Hopfenveredlung St Labor Veritas Zurich and the Slovenian Institute of Hop Research and Brewing Žalec These values are the basis of any modifications to supply contracts with “alpha clause” for aroma hops The table contains the assignment of the varieties according to the IHGC’s (International Hop Growers‘ Covention) classification into aroma hops (A) and bitter hops (B) In addition to the freshly harvested values the alpha acid values of the past years are given along with the updated 5-year and 10-year average values These can be taken as the basis for concluding new supply contracts with “alpha clause”  The information below is the latest update of table 3 of the publication entitled “How do you determine the average alpha acid content of a hop variety” (BRAUWELT International 2005 This publication also discusses in detail the degradation pattern of hops after harvesting Even when hops are put in cold storage there is degradation of the alpha acids up to the time of processing Alpha acid values determined according to EBC 7.4 in freshly harvested hops of the crops 2010 to 2019 as well as the 5-year and 10-year average values: hops Ludwig Narziß Prize for Brewing Science | As with almost all public events awards ceremonies have also been impacted by the current Covid restrictions The Ludwig Narziß Prize for Brewing Science would ordinarily have been awarded to this year’s recipient on November 12th in Nuremberg at the BrauBeviale which would have taken place in the presence of and with a laudation given by the namesake of the award This year’s winners are very deserving of their award From the 33 submitted and the 27 published contributions in BrewingScience in 2019 the one singled out to receive the award was entitled: “The impact of dry hopping on selected physical and chemical attributes of beer” and his colleagues and co-authors Alexander Stallforth and Frank Peifer as well as Dr Fritz Jacob of the Weihenstephan Research Center for Brewing and Food Quality Their 2019 publication in BrewingScience was deemed the most influential and relevant for brewing practice They investigated linear increases in dry hopping and to what extent this affects the chemical and physical attributes of beer the researchers had to determine which of these effects could be ascribed to the plant material introduced through dry hopping The results showed that the following were altered by the amount of dry hopping: hop bitter substances These were assessed by increasing the dry hop addition in increments of 100 g of hop pellets per hl This provides brewers with valuable information regarding the secondary effects of dry hopping which are not directly involved with the aroma Instead of an expansive public awards event at the trade fair a smaller yet distinguished awards ceremony was held at the end of October in Mainburg at Hopsteiner which was endowed with prize money amounting to EUR 2500 The winners received a glass trophy and certificate inscribed with their names as well Ludwig Narziß also heartily congratulated the recipients of the award: Sandro Cocuzza he emphasized the importance of continuing to explore the science behind hopping on the cold side of the brewery noting that this is an area which has yet to be systematically researched BrewingScience BrauBeviale