27th May 2024 – Lille 2024, the joint gathering of the Brewers Forum and the EBC Congress, opened last night with 900 brewers, suppliers, distributors, policymakers, trade media and consumer advocates coming together in northern France for the year’s biggest event on the European brewing calendar. Lille 2024 runs until 30th May, with debates, plenaries, site visits and forty sessions on how to make brewing more sustainable, more innovative, more responsible and more diverse.
At the event’s opening Plenary today, The Brewers of Europe President Lasse Aho will refer to the event as a key moment for the entire beer sector to reflect on its role in bringing people together. “We all know that beer is a delicious drink with a multitude of flavours,” he will say. “It is also the best drink for bringing us together. Whatever the occasion, for friends or families, for celebrations or commemorations, beer is the drink that binds communities, fosters connections and enriches our lives. And as brewers, we are producing ever more sustainably whilst also contributing to the European economy.”
Today will also be the first public appearance of Paul Lefebvre, CEO of Brasserie Lefebvre, following his appointment by the Board of The Brewers of Europe as the new President of the European Brewery Convention (EBC). He takes over the reins from Benet Fité, who has been EBC president since November 2020.
Referring to the election of the new EBC President, Aho said: “Stepping up from the EBC Executive Team, Paul Lefebvre has a wealth of experience, but he also brings a fresh approach to the key challenges of brewing. I would like to thank Benet Fité for leading the EBC for almost four years, guiding it out of the difficult period of Covid shutdowns and through a triumphant EBC Congress in Madrid in 2022 just as Europe was opening up again. I’m sure Paul will continue the good work and take us even further.”
Paul Lefebvre is a sixth-generation family brewer. Based in Quenast, near Tubize in Belgium, he has worked at Brasserie Lefebvre for more than twenty years, introducing new lines and including fruity and hoppy varieties. “I am honoured to be taking on this new role as EBC president and recognise the responsibility that it involves. Brewers are hardworking, innovative and care deeply about their craft. We want to foster an environment that ensures we can continue brewing the best beers. I am humbled that my colleagues have entrusted with me the responsibility to take on the baton from Benet Fité.” he said.
The European Brewery Convention (EBC) helps develop methods for modern quality control procedures in brewing, malting and hop laboratories around the world. Lille 2024’s EBC Congress sessions will examine a broad variety of topics, ranging from environmental sustainability and hop plant breeding, to fermentation control and wort production, right through to sensory science and flavour diversification within non- and lower- alcohol beers.
Contact:
Simon Spillane, Head of Operations, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope
About The Brewers of Europe:
Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations and companies from 28 European countries to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000+ breweries. Our vision is to ensure a competitive, responsible and sustainable European brewing sector, creating shared value across the entire value chain and enriching European culture.