UK: Mitchells & Butlers FY profits flat in “challenging” UK
FY operating profits flat at GBP297m (US$476.5m)
Net sales edge up by 3.3% to GBP1.86bn
Restaurant, pub group expects economic environment to remain “challenging” (more…)
US. Milton officials approve Dogfish Head’s expansion plan
US based Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s 26,661ft? expansion plan to its existing facility has received Milton officials’ approval. (more…)
Brewers’ sponsorship helps drive economy – football chief
The head of Europe’s professional football leagues has warned that moves to keep brewers out of sports sponsorship would be “a step in the wrong direction”. (more…)
US. Craft brewers turn to local ‘wet hops’ for special beers
Lakefront Brewery, Sprecher Brewing, Central Waters Brewing, Bull Falls Brewery and South Shore Brewery have joined forces to market a limited run of beers using freshly harvested “wet hops” grown in Wisconsin. (more…)
Craft brewing reawakens in Japan
On a recent night at H Street’s Toki Underground, the aromas of braised pork and ramen broth melded with the grapefruit, lemon and pine wafting from my beer glass. Each sip was both familiar and foreign: citrusy like an American India pale ale, yet subdued and mysterious, bringing to mind not a gulp of orange juice but something coaxed from a mountainside fruit tree. (more…)
SABMiller finds full-strength returns elusive in Foster’s declining market
BEER volumes for SABMiller’s Australian arm, the brewer Foster’s, have tanked, falling 13 per cent for the first half as the global beer company suffers from the loss of key brands in its local portfolio, termination of third-party distribution contracts and a tougher line it is taking with retailers over pricing. (more…)
Canada. B.C. government says tax break will help small craft breweries expand
British Columbia’s small breweries no longer face a major tax bill for increasing their sales, says Rich Coleman, the minister responsible for liquor control and licensing. (more…)
Premium beers set to drive growth in the off trade Brazilian beer market, reports Mintel
While the appeal of standard beer for consumers in Brazil is far from flat with local beer brands now accounting for 19 out of every 20 beers sold in Brazil, new research from Mintel reveals that the premium end of the market may be instigating a change in taste for Brazilian consumers. Indeed, while volumes of standard beer decreased by 2% year on year to 2011, volumes of strong and premium beer grew an impressive 18%. (more…)
US. New beer laws good for business
Brewery expands as it taps bigger market, tourists (more…)
Vietnam: Heineken, SABMiller silent on Sabeco stake reports
Heineken and SABMiller have declined to comment on reports that they are separately considering taking a stake in state-owned Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) in Vietnam. (more…)