The event was opened by the co-founders of the "Technologies and Innovations" media group, Kateryna KONEVA and Nadia Yashchuk.

 

– Our Forum was supposed to be held in April 2022 in Dnipro, but through the full-scale war, we refused this idea. We are happy to welcome brewers here from all over Ukraine. The forum gathered about 140 people, that`s a great number. We‘ve decided to combine both brewing and distilling themes to expand the thematic palette of opportunities for producers on their way to success. The forum was founded in 2016. During these years, Ukrainian brewing has made a qualitative step ahead in terms of the beer range, with the expansion of the sale geography to make our beer recognizable worldwide. Despite martial law, breweries live and try to develop their own business. The idea of the forum is unchanged - innovation implementation and overcoming the challenges in the technological aspects of brewing, - noted the founders of the media group "Technologies and Innovations."

 

Kumpel Brewery`s director, Taras FALYK, partner of the business tour, also welcomed and delivered his speech to participants who were invited to his brewery for the next forum day.

 

 

 

Currently, Ukrainian brewing, like other industries, is going through a hard time. Nonetheless, breweries keep working, taking care of technological progress and at the same time improving the beer variety and quality. Many speeches at the forum were devoted to the technological improvement of production. 

 

It should be noted, that the speech of the Donau Lab Ukraine company`s director, our main technological partner, Volodymyr Pashko was very informative, he explained why control is necessary even in a microbrewery, what tools exist, and for what production capacities. The latest technological solutions 2023 have been analyzed by the representative of the company "GEA WESTFALIA SEPARATOR Ukraine" Yuriy Voytiuk.

 

 

We couldn`t miss the theme of raw materials for brewing. Bohdan Demchenko, a representative of Malt of Ukraine, TM Fermentis, talked about SafBrew™ BR-8, the first dry Brett for secondary fermentation in bottles or barrels. The speaker`s speech was also about a new New England IPA with Fermentis® SafAle™ K-97 yeast. During an online presentation, Gilles Leclerc, an expert from the R&D (Research and Development) department of the Castle Malting company, told us about revealing the potential of basic and specific malts and technical solutions for craft brewers. A senior researcher at the Institute of Food Resources of the UAS, Konstyantyn Koroliuk analyzed the peculiarities of using smoked malt in beerand distillates. The speakers also discovered the theme of beer packaging and beer bottling technologies. Thus, Yuriy Horbenko, head of the PET-keg department of the company PET Technology, analyzed PET-keg as optimal and economical packaging for beer and other beverages. The next crucial theme is it worth making POS materials in modern conditions was revealed by Yulia Vasylchuk, head, and co-founder of the Concept Glass company. At the same time, the representative of the Thermo-Pak company, Vadym Usenko, paid attention to new production opportunities with complex bottling lines.

 

Global trends in beverage production were analyzed by Galina Prykhodko, a technologist of the subsidiary enterprise DOEHLER UKRAINE. Volodymyr Yarema, the founder of the Kozivsk Craft Brewery, shared his practical experience with the specifics of microbrewery development. 

 

A crucial part of the forum is the roundtable discussion. The next urgent theme of how to run a business in wartime conditions was raised and moderated by the executive director Association "Independent Breweries of Ukraine" Dmytro Nekrasov during the roundtable discussion. According to Dmytro Nekrasov, the development of breweries is currently slow, and everyone keeps focuse on the work and development of the industry brewing and brewing communities. Serhii Radchenko told us about running a business in wartime especially on opening a new beer shop in Kherson, and in a few hours, we sold out all. 

 

 

Brewer Viktor Vashchuk in company with other participants, discussed innovative approaches for beverage production. As Viktor Vashchuk noted, the beer industry must move ahead. Brewers brew many interesting, duly types of beer. It`s not a secret the quality of Ukrainian beer has grown wildly over the past three years and keeps going to grow. This is a good tendency. At the same time, specialized forums, according to Viktor Vashchuk, contribute to the technological and qualitative improvement of manufacturers` products.

 

During the all-conference day, a traditional exhibition of equipment, technologies, raw materials, packaging, bottling, capping, and related products was open. The following manufacturers and importers presented their products and solutions, new developments at the stands: Castle Malting, Doehler Ukraine, TAPI, Fermentis, "Donau Lab Ukraine", Concept Glass, "PET Technologies", GEA Ukraine, Packaging Equipment Plant "Thermo -Pak", "ELTEST", "M.S.T. GRUP", "Impress LKB", KOVODĚL JANČA, The beer,

 

Food partners: "Tepli Morya”, "SHKVARKA”, “Leguminy for beer”. Beverages: cider, kvass, non-alcoholic energy and strong beverages were presented by the following manufacturers: Strong Distillery, Bahus,Rogatuj Zayats, Askania Beverages, Apple Sun, Faina Flyashka.

 

 

The forum program included an excursion to the beverage production of the restaurant-brewery "Stargorod" that hosted the forum participants. The brewery Starhorod`s manager demonstrated the production section and told us about the technological aspects of beer production.

 

 

 

 At the end of the forum, the charity auction took place to support the brewer Serhii Kovtunenko, who serves in a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and his unit needed a pickup car. The hosts of this charity auction were Viktor Vashchuk and Dmytro Nekrasov, who repeatedly emphasized the importance of supporting the Armed Forces. The lots for the auction were provided by partners and participants of the forum: "100 Service", "Donau Lab Ukraine", GEA Ukraine, "PET Technologies", "Castle Malting", "Semenivska Brewery", "Khotyanivska Brewery", "Mykulynetskyi Brewery", "Tepli Morya", "Strong Distillery", "Rogatyj Zayats", etc. The total amount of fundraising was about 81,950 UAH.

 

 

 

An important thematic block at the forum was the distillate production. As it was known, a law was recently adopted, by doing so, allowing the legalization of small spirits producers. And that theme was dedicated to the roundtable headed by Kateryna Kamysheva, the head of the Ukrainian Craft Distillers Association. Lyudmila Khomichak, deputy director of the food department and head of the Department of Excise Products of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, delivered her speech online. She told about the simplification of production conditions for distillate production for small businesses and further steps on that way. The forum participants received step-by-step instructions on how a small producer of distillates can legalize their production, what obstacles can be on the way during this process, and the ways to solve them. 

 

 

Kateryna Kamysheva analyzed the prospects and opportunities for the development of the craft spirits industry after the adoption of Draft Law No. 5762. Among other things, Kateryna Kamysheva talked about ways to popularize craft in Ukraine. In particular, these are thematic tasting contests, thematic events aimed at developing the consumption culture of craft spirit beverages, cooperation with trade networks, constant presentation of the strong craft stand UKRAINIAN CRAFT SPIRITS SPACE at the Wine&Spirits Ukraine exhibition, increasing presence in the country`s information space, etc.

 

Producers of distillates also took part in the discussion at the roundtable, in particular, the founder of the “Strong Distillery” company Roman Medvedchuk, the official representative of the “KOVODĚL JANČA” company in Ukraine Oleksander Kovach, founder of TM "Faina Flyashka" Mykhailo Drobok, restaurateur Ihor Pariy, founder of “Plandzhiyev Craft Spirits” Viktor Plandzhiev. Mykhailo Stovpyuk, a producer of craft alcoholic beverages and a representative of the "Verkhovynka" company, noted the importance of distillation in the production of craft balms and infusions. Oleksandr Kovach, the official representative in Ukraine of the KOVODĚL JANČA company, analyzed the prospects of processing fruits and berries into distillates. Meanwhile, a representative of the TAPI company, Vyacheslav Shysh, presented a collection of crafted closures for spirits and beer.

 

 

 

The theme of the conference day covered all aspects of the brewing business, from the idea of brewing beer to creating your brewery, marketing, and sales. The Forum on marketing and sales was a highlight. The participants shared their experience of entering the Ukrainian and foreign markets and talked about the development of their trade network. The founder of the "Pravda Beer Theater" Yuriy Zastavny and the founder of the "Volyn Brewery" Mykola Ivashchyny took part in the discussion. According to Yuriy Zastavny, exports abroad aren`t the same as standard Ukrainian sales. Thus, the overwhelming majority of foreign people are well-known in craft beer and distinguish spoiled beer with defects from fresh. If something is wrong with the beer, it will not be exported anymore. After all, according to the speaker, beer exports matter even little things.

 

 

At the end of the forum, in an informal atmosphere, there was a beer-tasting provided by the following participating breweries "Kant", "Riven", "Volyn Brewery", "RED CAT", "Lustdorf", "John Barleycorn", "Kanivske Pivo", "LUCHAN BROTHER`S BREWERY", "Brew ELIT", "ALE POINT", "ASCANIA BEVERAGES", "APPLE SUN", "Strong Distillery", "Plandzhiyev Craft spirits", "Verkhovynka", "Rogatyj Zaets", "Faina Flyashka ", "Bachus", SEMBREW, Malle Brewery, Khotyanivska Brewery HOTT`S, "Mykulynetskyi Brewery", "YAGER IF", CASTLEHILL Brewery, "Three Elephants", "Buzetskyi Brewery", First Dnipro Brewery, "Poltavpivo", "Podilskyi Brewery", Kozivska Craft Brewery. 

 

 

 

 

During the second forum day, a business tour took place to the leading breweries “Kumpel Brewery”, “Royal Brewery”, and “Pravda Beer Theater”. At the brewery "Kumpel" the guests were hosted by director Taras Falyk, who showed production facilities, told us about the technological nuances of producing stable and tasty beer, also talked about the experience in the production of stable, high-quality beer, and indulged us with delicious beer.

 

At the "Royal Brewery", participants were shown how to set up a restaurant and brewery business. The "Royal Brewery`s" production capacity is not large, but with recognized popularity thanks to its delicious beer, various dishes, and tricky football interior. The final point of the business tour is the Pravda Beer Theater, during which business founder Yuriy Zastavny and brewer Dmytro Antonov talked about the unique system of serving beer from 56 taps and analyzed the technological nuances of this process. Yuriy Zastavnyk shared his path in brewing and his key achievements in this business and answered plenty of questions from the business tour`s participants.

 

 

Read more articles about this forum in the e-journal "Beverages. Beer. Technologies and Innovations" and download it in PDF format for free. Moreover, the media group "Technologies and Innovations" released a flip journal "Drinks. Beer. Technologies and Innovations" in print format dedicated to the forum. The magazine was distributed during the forum. You can download the issue for free on the website https://techdrinks.info/ 

 

Anna Pankratenkova, phone: +38 097 759 25 83

Larisa Tovkach, phone: +38 097 96 89 516

Iryna Petroniuk, phone: +38 096 49 166 92