1. Brew Asia 2024 looks to a stronger regional brewing industry

The recent Brew Asia 2024 Conference and Trade Fair delivered on its theme, “Shaping a Stronger Brewing Industry”, by providing attendees with valuable insights into the building blocks necessary to develop a viable, profitable craft brewing industry across the region.

Gathering in Singapore for what was the annual show’s 10th Anniversary edition a mix of over 800 brewing professionals, beer and ingredients distributors and business leaders explored the complexities of market dynamics, business development and brewing best practices.

Spanning two days the conference featured a wide range of keynote presentations, technical sessions, and hands-on workshops designed to offer something for every sector of the brewing ecosystem with an emphasis on strategic growth and maintaining product quality.

Tackling today’s business challenges

Opening the conference Keynote speaker Paul Jones, founder of the UK’s Cloudwater Brewing Co., drew from his experience in leading one of the UK’s most renowned craft breweries, to addressed the cyclical nature of the beer industry and the stark realities facing craft brewers in today’s marketplace. He addressed the difficulties of remaining “No. 1” and the importance of accepting that at times during your businesses lifecycle you will be absorbed back into the peloton (as he used a cycling analogy) and how it is important to use this time to re-evaluate your business ready for the next push.

This was mirrored in the Keynote address from Andrew Cooper on day two of the conference. The Executive Director of Cooper’s Brewery, Australia’s oldest family owned brewery, shared how their brewery faced bankruptcy and closure four times over the last 160 years. Andrew provided attendees with a unique glimpse into the brewery’s evolution and outlined the steps they are taking to meet future challenges as they look toward celebrating their 200th anniversary.

The two thought-provoking addresses sparking conversations about how brewers must adapt, stay relevant, and continue to innovate without losing their core identity.

As always there was a wide range of topics covered during the conference with a total of 22 sessions over the two days.

Interactive workshops, inciteful presentations

This year’s workshop highlights included a brand building strategy hour with John Scott & Samantha Shuttleworth of Construct Digital, a sensory session featuring hop samples from this year’s Yakima Valley harvest delivered by Yakima Chief Hops and a very popular ‘Beyond The Brewhouse’ session on modern makgeolli from Seoul Fermentary.

Presentations focused on product innovations to help brewers economize and refine their production as well as brewhouse risk management and technological solutions to improve business efficiency.

Barth Haas introduced their latest liquid hop products Incognito and Spectrum, designed to help brewers reduce beer loss, improve consistency, and streamline production processes. Meanwhile, Fermentis explored their selection of lager yeasts, chosen for their range of differing flavours and aromas that included an interactive tasting, allowing attendees to experience firsthand the impact of different yeast and fermentation parameters on flavour and quality.

Strategic Innovation: AI and ERP Software

Technology and innovation were also central themes of the conference. Spencer Jemelka, Co-Founder of Redpoint Brewing Co., provided a step-by-step guide for implementing AI-driven solutions in brewery and distribution operations, from automating social media to streamlining equipment monitoring and order fulfillment. His session offered practical scripts and ideas for using AI to improve efficiency and reduce errors, allowing brewery owners to focus more on brewing and distribution while automating mundane tasks.

Ganesh Raj Kumaraguru, CEO of Radiant Intrepid Creative Employees, continued this theme with his presentation showcasing how ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems can revolutionize administrative tasks such as inventory management, procurement, and quality control, ultimately freeing up brewers to concentrate on growing their business.

Other conference sessions covered topics ranging from the use of process aids in the brewery (Sarah Young, Lallemand Brewing) and innovations in malt (Cristal Peck, Boortmalt) to expanding into distilling (Andrew Brunson, The Guam Brewery), quality and risk management (Edwin Yang, Miller-Coors), nationalizing classic beer styles (Derek Walsh, Bier+) and a look at business strategies Australian breweries are engaging to survive the current industry downturn (JP Purcell, East Coast Canning + Printing).

Manu Gulati, founder of India’s Effingut Breweries, also treated delegates to an inside look at how he and his team have grown the Pune brewpub into a nationwide brand over the last 10 years. The regulatory hurdles they have had to overcome as well as the educational initiatives they have had to put in place to help develop market appreciation of craft beer.

This year’s Discussion Panels featured brewers and industry leaders and covered scaling up with contract brewing, brand building, community building and even a look at how the industry is expected to develop over the coming 5 years.

A room full of solutions

Complementing the robust conference programme was the Brew Asia 2024 Trade Fair, which provided attendees with hands-on access to the latest brewing equipment, raw ingredients, and technologies.

This year’s trade fair had increased considerably in size from 2023 reflecting to growing interest in the region’s beer industry.

Covering 2,900 sq/m and featuring over 80 leading global suppliers the trade fair showcased state-of-the-art brewing systems, fermentation tanks, packaging and dispensing solutions, measuring tools and the latest raw ingredients all designed to help breweries improve efficiency, consistency, output and distribution.

The trade fair was a bustling hub of activity, where attendees could sample new ingredients, talk to experts about equipment upgrades, and discover new tools to stay ahead of their competition. From yeast innovations to advanced canning solutions, the exhibitors covered every aspect of the brewing process, offering breweries of all sizes a wealth of resources to support their business growth.

Connecting the community

Brew Asia is more than just a conference and trade fair—it’s a celebration that unites the region’s brewing community. This year was no exception, with an exciting social calendar packed with events across Singapore.

From the traditional Welcome Reception on the eve of the show to the lively Brew Asia and Asia Beer Championship After-Parties at Lion Brewery and RedDot Brewhouse, there was no shortage of opportunities to connect. Brewers from the Middle East to Australia gathered each evening, rekindling old friendships and forging new ones, further enriching the vibrant craft beer community in the region.