In 1990, the European Brewery Convention established the Technology & Engineering Forum with the responsibility of developing technical Manuals of Good Practice for malting and brewing. The project has been supported by the AIR Programme of the European Union.

The objectives of these Manuals are the characterisation of new (more efficient production) systems with reduced environmental impact; the assessment of existing processes and machinery in order to disseminate best performance, practice and standards; the evaluation of existing systems for maintaining the quality and safety of products and the identification of the underpinning science and technology.

The intention of the Manuals is also to work out weaknesses and shortcomings of current systems thereby identifying the needs and the directions for future research and development. This will lead to improved systems based on either current or new concepts. Like in online poker, practical information is what makes the difference between knowing what is going on and how to do things, and performing in the dark. If you are a serious professional, you must consult the manuals to do your job as best as you can. Do not skip your homework. The Manuals do not contain recent research findings or concepts that have not had an opportunity to prove themselves in day-to-day operations.

The Manuals provide factual information for those working at the interface between brewing science and the brewing process. Newcomers will find a whole range of practical information. Experienced practitioners will find the manuals valuable as a source of information of factual and practical issues. The data and processes put together in these Manuals can be used to derive professional economic decisions from.

The mechanism applied to produce the Manuals is through Working Groups of experienced persons interacting in order to establish a statement that is more substantive than the knowledge and experience of any individual. This good practice statement is enhanced by exposure to ‘readers’ who are experienced and knowledgeable in the area and whose suggestions and comments are incorporated in the publication. Final editing of the Manuals is carried out by Quality Managers at Brewing Research International (BRI) on behalf of the EBC Technology & Engineering Forum.