Institute of Brewing & Distilling hosts 2015 UK Symposium

The Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD) is one of the world’s leading professional bodies for people working in brewing and distilling. The organization originated as the “Laboratory Club” in 1886 and now has an international membership of 4,500 people based in over 80 countries worldwide.

The Institute of Brewing & Distilling’s 2015 UK Symposium, held recently in Harrogate, drew more than 100 delegates from across the brewing world for two days of thought-provoking speeches and debate on some of the industry’s hottest topics.

Entitled ‘The Business of Brewing’, the symposium examined a number of issues and opportunities throughout the beer supply chain from malt and hops to glassware and marketing.

Key note speeches included ‘Beer and Society’ by Charlie Bamforth of the University of California (Davis) and IBD President; a market overview from Mike Benner of the Society of Independent Brewers; and ‘Brands and Marketing’ from Nick Miller of Meantime Brewing. Brewers from both sides of the Pennines – David Grant of Moorhouse’s and Sam Moss of Leeds Brewery – gave a joint presentation on ‘scaling up’.

“The Symposium enabled a network of brewing professionals to compare, support and develop our understanding of our industry and our insight into the future of our brewing businesses,” said Steve Wilkinson, beer company operations director at Fuller’s. “In the changing, competitive beer market, this level of knowledge is invaluable.”

“Continuing professional development such as that provided by the IBD’s symposium is really important in keeping abreast of the changes in the industry in which we operate,” said Florent Vialan, director of brewing at Purity Brewing Co. “Making great beer needs great, well-trained people who have a broad base of knowledge across all aspects of product quality. The IBD CPD scheme works in a way that enables brewers and distillers to demonstrate their willingness to learn at every opportunity.”

The UK Symposium is one of the key events on the IBD UK Section’s calendar. The Institute’s Asia Pacific Section will be holding a similar event, its annual convention, in March 2016 in Sydney.