The world's biggest public fair will take place once again at the Theresienwiese in Munich from September 20 until October 5. Yet the bartenders in the famous tents on the festival grounds in Munich won't be the only ones serving drinks once the 181st Oktoberfest has kicked off. Oktoberfest is now celebrated all around the world – and not just with the special festival beer produced by the six tradition-rich Munich-based breweries. Beer mixes known as shandy in English, and as “Radler“ or “Alsterwasser” in German, are becoming more and more popular. And Velcorin technology from LANXESS is increasingly being used to maintain the drinks' quality and original fresh taste.

In addition to the conventional fifty-fifty mix of beer and carbonated lemonade, there are now countless further beer mixes – such as cola or energy drink variations. According to the Federal Statistics Office, volume sales in this fast-growing beverage category rose by 9.7 percent year-on-year in Germany in the first half of 2014.

For this expanding market, LANXESS offers the cold sterilization product Velcorin for microbiological stabilization. Among other advantages, this process obviates the time-consuming and energy-intensive pasteurization of filled bottles or the use of persistent preservatives.

At the EBC (European Brewery Convention) Symposium 2014, which took place in Vienna at the beginning of September, Paul Marquardt presented Velcorin technology to interested parties from the European brewing industry. Says Marquardt, who serves as head of Technical Support in the Beverage Technology business line of LANXESS' Material Protection Products business unit: “Several German breweries already rely on Velcorin technology from LANXESS for their beer mixes, and we are registering rising interest from internationally active companies.”

LANXESS has successfully marketed Velcorin for beverage production for many years. This specialty product is used in non-alcoholic soft-drinks, wine and cider to satisfy producers' high microbiological safety standards. Following its addition to a beverage, Velcorin (DMDC – dimethyl dicarbonate) quickly breaks down into tiny amounts of methanol and carbon dioxide – natural components that are already present in many drinks. As a result, the product does not affect the beverages’ taste, smell or color.

For detailed information, see the internet site www.velcorin.com.