Hop specialist BarthHaas has awarded its research prize BarthHaas Grants 2021 to Dr. Nils Rettberg and Scott Lafontaine of the Institute for Research and Teaching in Brewing in Berlin (VLB). A grant has also been awarded to the project led by Prof. Jessika de Clippeleer and Dr. David Laureys who research at the Ghent University Innovation Centre for Brewing & Fermentation (HoGent) in Belgium.
The team led by Rettberg and Lafontaine aims to use state-of-the-art analysis in order to determine exactly which substances are contained in which hop fraction and what this means for hop processing and the use of hop products in the brewing process. Aspects regarding sustainability and better utilization in the brewing process are to receive particular attention. The project led by de Clippeleer and Laureys will examine the potential of hop flavor and aroma for kombucha beverages and the question of which hop varieties and products are best suited for this purpose.
The prize-winning research projects are each to receive a grant of 10,000 euros. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the award ceremony took place this Thursday as an online event, as it did for the first time last year. Dr. Christina Schönberger, head of the Brewing Solutions team, congratulated the prizewinners for their creative approaches. “I am interested to see what findings the researchers come up with. Many of the projects we have supported in recent years have led to completely new insights.”
Since 2007, the annually awarded BarthHaas Grants have supported groundbreaking scientific projects at universities and research institutes. In many cases they have served as seed capital: Many successful projects attracted wide attention and could then be continued with public funding.
BarthHaas hopes by means of the grants to arouse enthusiasm for hops, support research concepts and, last but not least, establish and intensify contacts with promising young research scientists. A lot has happened in hop research in recent years. By awarding these grants, hop specialist BarthHaas has provided an important stimulus to science again and again.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the prizes were awarded as part of an online event: Prof. Jessika de Clippeleer and Dr. David Laureys (HoGent, Belgien) (left), Dr. Nils Rettberg (top right) and Scott Lafontaine (bottom right). Photo: BarthHaas