The Founding of MEBAK
The Mitteleuropäische Brautechnische Analysenkommission (MEBAK) has been in existence for almost 40 years.
At the 14th meeting of the Deutsche Brautechnische Analysenkommission (DBAK) on April 6, 1971, the decision was made to rename the organization MEBAK.
The first official MEBAK meeting took place on November 19, 1971, in the Alte Bibliothek of the Versuchs- und Lehranstalt (VLB) in Berlin, Germany.
In addition to the VLB, the following institutions and organizations were represented at the meeting: the Wissenschaftliche Station für Brauerei located in Munich, Germany, the Versuchsanstalt für Bierbrauerei der Bayerischen Landesgewerbeanstalt in Nuremberg, the Staatliche Brautechnische Prüf- und Versuchsanstalt Weihenstephan, also in Germany, the Landesanstalt für landwirtschaftliches Gewerbe at the University of Hohenheim, Germany, the Versuchs- und Untersuchungsstation für die Gärungsindustrie in Mühlheim, the Lehrstuhl für Chemisch-technische Analyse Weihenstephan, the Versuchsstation Schweiz, Schweizerische Brauereien in Switzerland and the Versuchsstation für das Gärungsgewerbe in Vienna, Austria. Additionally, the central laboratory of the Schultheiss Brauerei, Berlin, and Stuttgarter Hofbräu, were present as representatives for the German brewing industry.
In the year MEBAK was founded, Prof. Dr. F. Drawert was elected chairman, who had previously held the same position in DBAK. Dr. H. J. Wellhoener served as vice-chairman. In 1981, while Prof. Drawert and Dr. Wellhoener were still holding these positions, MEBAK was officially registered as an association, based in Freising, Germany.
In 1990, they were succeeded by Dr. H. Pfenninger from Labor Veritas in Zurich, Switzerland, and Prof. Dr. E. Geiger from Weihenstephan, Germany.
In the year 2000, Prof. Dr. H. Miedaner from the Weihenstephan Research Center for Brewing and Food Quality and Dr. H.-M. Anger from the VLB in Berlin were elected chairman and vice-chairman, respectively.
At the 63rd meeting held in April of 2004, Dr. H.-M. Anger from the VLB was elected chairman and Dr. A. Gresser from the Brauerei Forst in Meran, Italy, vice-chairman.
Since April of 2010, Dr. F. Jacob from the Weihenstephan Research Center for Brewing and Food Quality and Dr. G. Bender from the Brauerei Karlsberg in Homburg, Germany have been responsible for guiding the MEBAK organization as chairman and vice-chairman, respectively.