The 37th edition of the Asia Pacific IBD Convention has kicked off in Adelaide this week, with the conference covering various topics impacting the brewing and distillery industries. 

For the first time since Wellington 2018, the conference will see the brewing and distilling industries connect, with the latest knowledge and technologies being showcased throughout the week. 

The keynote speaker at the conference this morning is Joachim Gehde, managing director of Simon H. Steiner, Hopfen, GmbH. 

His presentation, titled World Hop Supply – State of the industry, will focus on the current supply and demand in the hop market, as well as an overview of the 2022 crop in the main growing regions. 

Gehde told Brews News that the presentation will answer a variety of questions including the impact of crop failures in Europe, what acreage development is expected in the coming years, variety trends and upcoming challenges for the hop industry. 

“Climate change and the Green Deal in Europe have an impact on agricultural products,” Gehde said. 

“How can the brewing and hop industry work together to ensure that stable supply is also possible in a changing environment? 

“Approval of new varieties seems to be a long process. What can we in Europe learn from water management in growing regions like Australia?” 

While he said the presentation will touch on the challenges, he also explained how global warming is affecting the current industry. 

“Breeding and new varieties become more and more important, we need new concepts for irrigation, importance of inventory increasing when crop become less stable,” he said. 

Across the week, other keynote speakers include Lyndon Asser, senior commercial manager at Viterra Australia. His presentation will focus on the current state of the barley industry. 

Other presentations will focus on sustainability, yeast, technical capability for craft brewers and production methods. 

The convention’s three day technical programme will also feature a full day of parallel sessions for brewers and distillers, with both having focused panel sessions. 

The 37th Asia Pacific IBD Convention will run from March 20th – 24th at Adelaide Oval.