VLB Brewing & Engineering Congress 2024 Groningen

About the Congress

Brewing Industry is moving towards Net Zero – Status and Prospects

Our 108^th International Brewing & Engineering Congress takes place from March 13-15, 2024, in Groningen, The Netherlands.

One of the highlights will be the Grand Opening of Holland Malt's emission-free malthouse in Eemshaven on March 14, 2024.

Conference language: English

With accompanying exhibition

Main sponsors

Royal Swinkels Familiy Brewers

Supporting SPONSORS

RWE

Schedule

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Thursday, March 14, 2024

from 7:30

Start registration
Exhibition (8:00 - 15:00)

8:30

Technical Session: Brewing Industry is moving towards Net Zero – Status and Prospects (Part 1)

Chair: Jens Hoffmann (Warsteiner Brewery Group)

8.30

Welcome & opening

Jens Hoffmann (Warsteiner Brewery Group), Dr. Josef Fontaine (VLB Berlin)

8.40

Energy supply as a challenge – fossil and renewable sources

Prof. Dr. Frank Behrendt (Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Energy Process Engineering and Conversion Techniques of Renewable Energies)

9.30

Energy concept for a sustainable beer production

Norbert Ottmann (Krones/Steinecker)

10.05

Realising HEINEKEN’s net zero ambitions

Jan-Maarten Geertman & Jeroen Schrijvers (Heineken)

10.40

Coffee break & exhibition

11.15

Grolsch’s energy transition – road to carbon neutral brewery

Susan Ladrak (Grolsche Bierbrouwerij, Sustainability Manager)

11.50

Brewery 4.0 – How to evolutionise the brewing industry

Michael Jakob (Carlsberg New Technolo gies, CH), Dr. Birgitte Skadhauge (Carlsberg Research Laboratory, DK)

13.00

Lunch break & exhibition

13.45

The sustainable future of Royal Swinkels Family Brewers

Thomas Swinkels (Royal Swinkels Family Brewers)

14.15

Electrification of the brewing & malting process

Jan Eurlings (RWE)

14.50

Introduction technical visit to Holland Malt’s emission-free malthouse in Eemshaven

Joost van der Biezen (Holland Malt)

15:45

Excursion to Holland Malt in Eemshaven

15.30

Bus transfer to Eemshaven

16.00 to 23.00

Grand Opening Holland Malt’s new emission-free malthouse

17.00

Grand opening: Holland Malt 4 the Future

17.15

Exclusive guided tour of the malthouse

18.30

Dinner and festive evening

21.45 to 22.30

Regular bus shuttles back to Groningen

End of conference day

Friday, March 15, 2024

from 8:30

Start registration
Exhibition (8:30 - 13:30)

9:00 - 14:30

Technical Session: Brewing Industry is moving towards Net Zero – Status and Prospects (Part 2)

Chair: Jan Biering (VLB Berlin)

9.00

Welcome & opening

Jan Biering (VLB Berlin)

9.10

Gas-hopping: a novel and sustainable alternative to dry-hopping of beer

Prof. Dr. Brian Gibson (Technische Universität Berlin, Chair of Brewing and Beverage Technology)

9.45

Heat pump application in the brewing industry

Dr. Mark Schneeberger / Dr. Isabel Osterroth (GEA)

10.20

Optimized use of resources (water, energy) in brewing water preparation

Dr. Sven Fleischer / Andreas Pentke (Herco Wassertechnik GmbH)

10.45

Coffee break & exhibition

11.15

Current developments and possibilities of energy generation and use in the brewing industry – the viewpoint of the Bitburger Braugruppe

Dr. Johannes Hankes (Bitburger Braugruppe)

11.50

Overcome CO2 volatility – Become CO2 self-sufficient!

Peter Toftegaard Hansen (Pentair)

12.25

Lunch break & exhibition

13.15

Reducing the carbon footprint of malt: Current research on the production and utilisation of withered malt

Florian Schrickel (VLB Berlin)

13.50

Returnable Packaging Systems as part of a net zero strategy

Florian Heukäufer (VLB Berlin)

14.30

Final words / End of conference

14:30

End of conference

Useful Information

Convention site

MartiniPlaza Leonard Springerlaan 2
9727 KB Groningen
www.martiniplaza.nl/nl/zakelijk/organiseren/congres

Registration fees

Breweries, Beverage producer, Malthouses
Full conference ticket, 990 €*
Dayticket Thursday, 790 €*
Dayticket Friday, 660 €*
Supply industry, Service provider, Consultants and others
Full conference ticket, 1350 €*
Dayticket Thursday, 990 €*
Dayticket Friday, 850€*

all prices plus VAT, 10 % dicsount for VLB members

Travelling to Groningen

By train
There is a direct IC connection from Berlin to Amsterdam. From there you can continue your journey by IC to Groningen.
From almost all other major German cities such as Cologne, Munich and Dortmund, the train journey leads via Leer in East Frisia. Due to ongoing bridge damage, the onward journey must be continued by bus 645 to Groningen (approx. 60 minutes journey time).

By car
If your hotel does not have parking spaces, you can park your car just outside the city centre and use a P+R shuttle bus service to the city centre.

By plane
The nearest airport in the Groningen area is Groningen Airport (GRQ), 10 km from the city centre. However, few German cities fly to this airport. The airports of Bremen (BRE) (149.2 km) and Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) (158 km) are easier to reach. The onward journey from Bremen takes around 2.5 hours by train and bus. There is a direct train connection from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Groningen (approx. 2 hours).

Further information is available at www.visitgroningen.nl

Hotel recommendations

Directly at the convention site:
Mercure Hotel Groningen MartiniPlaza
Expositielaan 7, 9727 KA Groningen, NL
www.mercure-hotel-groningen-martiniplaza.nl

In walking distance:
Leonardo Hotel Groningen
Laan van de Vrijheid 91, 9728 GA Groningen
www.leonardo-hotels.com/groningen/leonardo-hotel-groningen

Registration