Organizers of Drinktec 2005, to be held Sept. 12-17 in Munich, Germany, report that top-level experts from around the world will use the forum to speak about current themes in the beverages and liquid-food industry. Included in the line-up will be “A World of Variety” – Innovations and Trends in the Sector of Non-Alcoholic Beverages, focusing on innovation in the non-alcoholic beverage sector. Hosted by UNESDA (European Non Alcoholic Beverages Association) and ICBA (International Council of Beverages Associations) the conference will include a presentation by Dominique Reiniche, president of The Coca-Cola Co.’s European Union Group.

On the packaging front, several conference programs will discuss options available to beverage manufacturers. The show will host a wine panel discussion on “Closures for wine bottles — cork or glass?” The session will feature representatives of each material to present the benefits of their products, and an experienced practitioner to discuss the advantages and disadvantages from a user and marketing point of view.

The PET World Congress will be held in conjunction with Drinktec, offering experts from all areas of the PET industry to talk about developments in marketing strategies, the requirements of global retail chains and the design and selection of the right PET bottle for hot-fill and aseptically filled drinks.

And not to be outdone, the Aseptic Filling Conference will cover the demand for drinks such as fruit juices, flavored waters and dairy products with more sophisticated aseptic technologies. For more information on Drinktec, visit drinktec.de. BI

The Brewing Industry International Awards, to be held in conjunction with Drinktec 2005, have announced their call for entries. Brewers wishing to submit products for judging during the competition have a deadline of August 12 to be considered in the competitions. Organizers expect more than 80,000 visitors to have free access to the competitions hall to observe the judging in progress and to blind sample some of the entries.  

The competition is structured in nine broad categories, with the return of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beers to the competition this year (two classes will include non-alcohol brews from 0-1.1 percent ABV and Low-Alcohol, 1.2-2.4 percent ABV). Changes also have been made to the dark beer category, with the addition of two small-pack classes.

In all, 81 gold, silver and bronze awards will be given in 27 classes of beer, and nine champion beers will be selected. During last year’s competition, 822 beers were entered by breweries in a record 48 countries.

Organizers of the awards say they expect the competition to return to the United Kingdom in the fall of 2007 and they are exploring the possibility of co-locating with Drinktec in 2009 based on this year's event.

Entry forms and full details of class structure and rules can be found on the Brewing Awards Web site at brewingawards.org, or interested brewers can contact Brewing Technology Services Ltd. at 44 (0) 1283 564997.