The 7th annual BrewCon and the rise of indie beer

About BrewCon

BrewCon is a keystone event for the Australian beer industry and comprises a conference and trade show hosted by the Independent Brewers Association of Australia (IBA). It attracts around 400 attendees from the industry including brewers, equipment and material suppliers to the brewing industry as well as service providers.

The event includes a trade expo held over several days as well as a full conference and workshop program largely divided into technical and business topics, including presentations from overseas guest speakers. Presentations by British beer and food author, Pete Brown, and Rudi Ghequire of Rodenbach Brewery in Belgium were a highpoint of the conference.

BrewCon culminates in the annual “Indies” event, being the IBA’s awards night for the independent brewing industry.

The Independent Brewers Association (IBA) on use of the word “independent” or “indie” rather than “craft”

Of particular interest from an IP perspective were presentations by IBA board members on the state of the beer industry and growth of the independently brewed beer sector as well as the IBA’s marketing push towards use of the word “independent” or “indie” rather than “craft” and use of its certification trade marks, being an Independent Seal logo/Supporter logo upon products and merchandising materials. In an environment where consumers are increasingly interested in provenance of food and beverages, these initiatives are intended to provide consumers with more accurate information about the trade source of a beer product and support Australia’s independent breweries.

The launch of national “Indie Beer Day”

The IBA also announced the launch of national Indie Beer Day on 26 October 2019, which will be held on the last Saturday of October each year going forward, as a celebration of indie beer in Australia.

Pink Boots Society

Lara Gun also attended the Pink Boots Society Australia Annual General Meeting, of which Lara is a member. Pink Boots is an organisation for women in brewing and associated industries and comprises chapters in other countries around the world.

FB Rice and IBA

FB Rice acts for a number of independent brewers as well as equipment manufacturers and is proud to be an Associate Member of the IBA. Lara and Will look forward to attending the 2020 event in Brisbane next year.