The Analysis Committee
The work of the EBC Committees and Groups is perhaps best known through the Analysis Committee and ANALYTICA-EBC. Over the years, the Analysis Committee has developed, standardised, critically tested and published more than 170 analytical methods to cover the whole beer production process from its cereal base to final beer. The EBC analytical methods are widely used in brewers' and maltsters' laboratories to control the process and product quality as well as in the international trade to check the quality parameters in commercial transactions. The EBC Analysis Committee also works closely together with the 'American Society of Brewing Chemists' (ASBC) to establish so-called 'International methods' with world-wide recognition of applicability. A partnership declaration between EBC and ASBC has been signed. The integration of the IOB methods of analysis and EBC methods is nearing completion.
Within the EBC Analysis Committee there is a special subcommittee concentrating on microbiological methods. The work has proceeded to preparation of 'recommended methods' and the preparation continues with a target to publish the collection of standardised microbiological methods for brewing shortly.
The Barley & Malt Committee
By resolution of the EBC Executive Committee, the Barley and Malt Committee has been dissolved and the EBC barley variety trials have been discontinued. EBC has established a task force concentrating on coordinating and collecting existing data on barley varieties as carried out by national programmes in some of the EU member states. This process should be finalised towards the end of 2010.
The Brewing Science Group