Australia | With the 2020 harvest underway, it came as a relief to 2500 wine businesses and 6000 grape growers that their industry has been classed as an essential service during the covid-19 pandemic.

Australia | What is taking the regulator so long to vet Asahi’s purchase of CUB? In an effort to speed things up, Asahi has now proposed to ditch some brands.

Australia | Melbourne-based hospitality entrepreneurs Brad Harris and James Sinclair have acquired the All Hands Brewing House in Darling Harbour for AUD 20 million (USD 13 million), media reported on 18 February 2020.

Australia | The founder of vanguard craft brewer Matilda Bay, Phil Sexton, has been announced as the keynote speaker at the IBD Asia Pacific Convention in Perth this month.

China | People come first. While analysts worry that the Chinese government’s measures to stop the virus from spreading will hamper beer sales, Carlsberg’s CEO Cees ´t Hart showed above all sympathy for China’s citizens. He called the current situation “very sad for China and its people.”

Vietnam | Beer sales in January are estimated to have dropped by at least 25 percent, as the authorities have cracked down on driving under the influence. Analysts say the new measures could drive down beer sales this year by 5 percent.

Australia | Price competition in a crowded beer market, combined with higher costs, have eaten into the profit of Coopers, Australia’s major independent brewer. Total beer sales rose 2 percent to nearly 770,000 hl, but pre-tax profit dropped 33 percent to AUD 23.1 million.

Australia | Dry January is upon us. Those still imbibing may want to take note of Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Its new tougher guideline recommends no more than 1.4 drinks per day.

USA | New Belgium is no longer employee owned and can no longer be considered an independent craft brewer, after employees/shareholders approved of the sale to Australia’s brewer Lion on 17 December 2019.

USA | Consider this: Kirin’s purchase of craft brewer New Belgium did more to raise international awareness about Kirin’s political balancing in Myanmar than previous reports by the United Nations and Amnesty International.