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World: Malting industry consolidation results of 2011 ...Click here

EU: Decline in west European beer markets to intensify over the next three years – Carlsberg CEO ...Click here

World: 2011 review: rising raw materials costs and strong M&A activity ...Click here

Germany: Beer sales slightly down on year in Jan-Nov 2011 ...Click here

South Korea: Oriental Brewery overcomes Hite-Jinro as Korea’s biggest brewer for the first time in 15 years ...Click here

The Czech Republic: State-owned Budvar reports higher output, exports in 2011 ...Click here

UK: Final 2011 barley crop estimate set at 5.494 mln tonnes ...Click here

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Russia: 2012 looking precarious for Russia’s beer market - analysts ...Click here

USA: Number of actual and breweries in planning skyrocketing – unofficial estimate ...Click here

UK: UK farmers expected to profit from their barley crops in 2012 ...Click here

The Czech Republic: Growing demand for specialty beer makes larger brewers respond with new products ...Click here

Brazil: Ambev to shift beer production from Cabo de Santo Agostinho to new plant in Itapissuma ...Click here

UK: Heineken takes back distribution of Tequila-flavoured Desperados beer ...Click here

China: Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery planning 2.21 bln yuan private placement to increase capacity of two breweries ...Click here

Belgium: AB InBev denies price increase collusion with Heineken’s Alken Maes ...Click here

EU: Sebastian and Quench picked as eligible barley varieties for NYSE Liffe 2013-14 futures contracts ...Click here

France: SABMiller to launch Belgian specialty beer St Stefanus ...Click here

Malawi: Carlsberg Malawi announces surprise price hike ...Click here

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Malt News

World: Malting industry consolidation results of 2011

Consolidation of the world’s malting industry continued in 2011, just like the M&A activity was strong in the brewing industry, experts summed up earlier ...More info on site

Brewery News

EU: Decline in west European beer markets to intensify over the next three years – Carlsberg CEO

Danish brewer Carlsberg expects the decline in western European beer markets to intensify over the next three years as the euro zone crisis bites, ...More info on site

World: 2011 review: rising raw materials costs and strong M&A activity

Beer market consolidation marches on, but 2011 will go down as a year of contrasts for the global beer sector, industry analysts said in ...More info on site

Germany: Beer sales slightly down on year in Jan-Nov 2011

According to the German statistics office, beer consumption in Germany amounted to 90.4 mln hl in January to November 2011 and was thus below ...More info on site

South Korea: Oriental Brewery overcomes Hite-Jinro as Korea’s biggest brewer for the first time in 15 years

Oriental Brewery, Korea’s No. 2 beer maker, topped its bigger rival Hite-Jinro for the first time in 15 years as its market share shot ...More info on site

The Czech Republic: State-owned Budvar reports higher output, exports in 2011

State-owned Czech brewery Budvar, which has been fighting a long legal battle with American brewer Anheuser-Busch over the use of the “Budweiser” brand, says ...More info on site

Russia: 2012 looking precarious for Russia’s beer market - analysts

Russia's improving economy may finally stop the decline for the country's big brewers in 2012, but the industry remains fragile, industry experts have said ...More info on site

USA: Number of actual and breweries in planning skyrocketing – unofficial estimate

At the end of November, there were 1 927 US brewer and brewpubs, including over 50 that opened in just the last 2 months, ...More info on site

The Czech Republic: Growing demand for specialty beer makes larger brewers respond with new products

Czechs, whose historical preferences for Pilsner-style lager once sparked efforts to make it a protected trademark like Champagne, are turning to brews including ales and stouts, some flavored with banana or nettle. Market leaders SABMiller, Heineken NV and StarBev, owner of Prague-based Staropramen, are responding with new products to keep market share, Bloomberg reported on January, 4.

Though Czechs remain the heartiest beer drinkers in the world, breweries are giving them more choice to protect the industry at a time of lower demand and changing lifestyles.

“We launched Staropramen Lemon and also an unfiltered version of our lager in summer and we’re very happy with the performances,” StarBev Chief Executive Officer Alain Beyens said. “The lemon one especially helped us to grow our market share in a falling market.”

The three largest breweries in the Czech Republic, SABMiller’s Plzensky Prazdroj AS, Pivovary Staropramen AS and Heineken CR, produced together about 72 percent of the country’s total beer output of 17.7 million hectolitres in 2010, including beer for export.

With a lower alcohol content and citrus taste, Staropramen Lemon is designed to reach a younger generation that prefers soft drinks, mixed spirits and wine, Beyens said.

“To say now that Czechs ...More info on site

Brazil: Ambev to shift beer production from Cabo de Santo Agostinho to new plant in Itapissuma

Brazil’s No. 1 beer maker Ambev will discontinue production of beer at its plant in Cabo de Santo Agostinho (Pernambuco) as from May this ...More info on site

UK: Heineken takes back distribution of Tequila-flavoured Desperados beer

Heineken has once again taken over the UK distribution and marketing rights for Tequila-flavoured beer brand Desperados, The Drinks Business reported on January, 4.

The company is reprising its sales role having delegated it to SHS Sales & Marketing in 2009.

Both companies have agreed that it is now the right time to simplify the beer’s route to market.

Heineken will take over full responsibility on 1 February and integrate the beer into its premium and speciality brands portfolio.

Bruce Reinders, brand director of premium lagers for Heineken UK, said: “We are delighted to have reached this agreement with SHS Sales & Marketing.

“Desperados is a Heineken-owned brand that is currently enjoying success in many European markets and it will make a distinctive and exciting addition to our portfolio of premium packaged lagers.”

In return, Heineken has handed SHS control over the sales and marketing of Czech brand Krusovice, as well as the distribution of Sagres, Heineken’s Portuguese import.

SHS’s managing director, Peter Butler, said he was “proud” of the company’s role in developing Desperados in the UK and “in Krusovice and Sagres, we see an opportunity to repeat this success by securing optimum positions for two exciting brands in the competitive UK market.”

China: Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery planning 2.21 bln yuan private placement to increase capacity of two breweries

Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery plans to issue up to 215 million shares at not less than 10.37 yuan per share in order to raise a ...More info on site

Belgium: AB InBev denies price increase collusion with Heineken’s Alken Maes

AB InBev has denied that it colluded with Heineken's Alken Maes subsidiary over a beer price rise in its native Belgium, local media reported this week.

The country's finance minister has reportedly asked competition authorities to investigate the two brewers' decision to raise their beer prices by around 6% in March. However, a spokesperson for AB InBev dismissed suggestions that there has been any collusion.

"Information about pricing or cost structure is competitively sensitive and therefore never shared or discussed with competitors," the spokesperson said in a statement issued on January, 3. "Should the Belgian Competition Counsel wish to look into the matter, it goes without saying that InBev Belgium would fully cooperate."

From 1 March, AB InBev will increase prices for beer crates and cans sold in the Belgian off-trade by 5.9%, to cover higher costs. Alken Maes plans to raise beer prices in the country by 6% on 12 March.

France: SABMiller to launch Belgian specialty beer St Stefanus

World’s No. 2 brewer SABMiller has decided to launch Belgian specialty beer St Stefanus in France, Rayon-Boissons.com reported on January, 5.

The unpasteurised abbey beer is produced by Van Steenberge brewery, with which SABMiller signed a distribution deal last year, and is distributed in Belgium under the name of d’Augustijn.

In France, the beer will be available in 33 cl and 75 cl bottles.

SABMiller already launched St Stefanus in the United Kingdom at the end of last year.

Malawi: Carlsberg Malawi announces surprise price hike

Carlsberg Malawi announced earlier this week price adjustments on all its clear beers, minerals, squashes and spirits with immediate effect, Nyasa Times reported.

For instance, the new official retail price for the popular Carlsberg Green (340ml) is now K150 while Carlsberg Special and Stout are both going at K170 with Kuche Kuche fetching K140. The 630ml bottle of Carlsberg Green has been put at K250 though for the last six months it has not been on market.

According to a press release placed in Sunday papers, Carlsberg Malawi indicated that the price adjustments were with effect from 1st January 2012 and the company attributes the increase to the rising production and input costs.

“Carlsberg Malawi would like to inform all its valuable customers and consumers that it has adjusted its prices on clear beers and minerals with effect from 1st January, 2012,” reads the press release in part.

But most consumers were not aware of the increase and argued with bar tenders upon wanting to settle their bills that were on the higher side.

The price increment on all the products represents more than 40 percent increase.

A survey conducted by Nyasa Times show that the recommended wholesale and retail prices are only followed by major ...More info on site

Barley News

UK: Final 2011 barley crop estimate set at 5.494 mln tonnes

Final UK 2011 crop production estimates released this week by Defra put total cereal production at 21.485 mln tonnes, slightly lower than the provisional ...More info on site

UK: UK farmers expected to profit from their barley crops in 2012

Growing global demand for malting barley and a predicted UK shortage of pulses mean there are good opportunities to profit from both crops in 2012, Farmers Weekly reported on January, 5.

In spite of the troubles in Europe, elsewhere, the world beer market is growing, the world barley area is declining and the UK is now seen as one of the most reliable sources of malting barley, according to Stuart Shand of Gleadell Agriculture, who points out that there’s only just enough malting barley in the world to meet demand.

“Even though beer sales are down in Western Europe, globally they continue to rise about 2.5% per year,” he noted. “This positive beer consumption, together with tight world stocks, means that there are currently big premiums on offer for malting barley.”

Currently, the UK malting barley crop is worth a premium of EUR30/t (£26), he said.

However, the growing dominance of the top brewers in the world means that variety choice is an important consideration for any grower, Mr. Shand said.

“The top four brewers now account for over half of the world market. In 2000, they represented less than 20%. So make sure that you look at what the market wants.”

The brewers have enormous ...More info on site

EU: Sebastian and Quench picked as eligible barley varieties for NYSE Liffe 2013-14 futures contracts

NYSE Liffe, the derivatives arm of NYSE Euronext, picked malting barley varieties Sebastian and Syngenta AG’s Quench as eligible for delivery against futures contracts for the 2013-14 crop year, Bloomberg reported on January, 5.

The varieties picked by an expert committee are unchanged from those for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 harvest seasons, Lionel Porte, commodity-product manager at NYSE Liffe, said. For 2010-11, the eligible varieties were Sebastian and Syngenta’s Tipple.

Sebastian is a spring-barley variety grown across Europe and Quench is a spring malting-barley variety developed by Basel, Switzerland-based Syngenta.

Use of PCR-DHPLC (Polymerase Chain Reaction–Denaturing High Performance Liquid Chromatography) for the Rapid Differentiation of Industrial Saccharomyces pastorianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains

M. Hutzler1, E. Geiger and F. Jacob

J. Inst. Brew. 116(4), 464–474, 2010

ABSTRACT
Strain specific detection and control of Saccharomyces pastorianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae starter cultures is of great importance for the fermentation industry. The preconditions of strain specific fermentation characteristics can be ensured by periodic analysis and confirmation of the strain identity. With regard to industrial S. pastorianus and S. cerevisiae strains and a focus on brewing strains, the differentiation methods most available are time-consuming and not very discriminative. In this work PCR-DHPLC analysis was investigated as a novel approach for the differentiation of industrially used S. pastorianus and S. cerevisiae strains. The PCR-DHPLC-system was specific for S. cerevisiae strains and S. pastorianus hybrid strains that contain IGS2 rDNA, which originates from the S. cerevisiae ancestor. For the DNA of 177 strains of 41 non-target species, which are typical for beverage and fermentation surroundings, the absence of PCR-amplificates could be confirmed by DHPLC analysis. It was shown that single strains of S. cerevisiae and S. pastorianus could be differentiated. A strain specific differentiation within the group of top-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains could also be performed. For the group of bottom fermenting S. pastorianus brewing strains, strain-to-strain specific differences in the DHPLC chromatograms could be observed which can be used to differentiate and to compare two single strains with each other, although the comparison of chromatograms of an unknown S. pastorianus strain with a set of known S. pastorianus chromatograms could only reveal tendencies towards grouping into types. The differential DHPLC chromatogram characteristics (fluorescence intensities, number of peaks/side-peaks/peak-shoulders) within S. pastorianus are present, but not as distinctive as for S. cerevisiae. Additionally PCR-DHPLC has advantages compared to other differentiation methods, such as species specificity, speed (2.5 h for one sample) and precision with the described limits.

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