China Resources Beer is negotiating partnerships with foreign brewers as it hopes to sell more premium beers, according to its CEO Hou Xiaohai. He hopes that a tie-up with an overseas brewer will help China’s major brewer to move upmarket, Mr Hou told an earnings conference on 21 March 2018.

They are not bowing to the craft beer boom, just expanding their portfolio. Australia’s oldest family owned and run brewery, Coopers, has launched its popular new beer, Session Ale, in cans and bottles across Australia. In March 2018. The summer-style ale was introduced in kegs to the on-premise late last year. By January it had become Coopers’ second largest selling keg beer (after Original Pale Ale and ahead of Sparkling Ale and Mild Ale).

So they have given the Cascade Brewery a new lease on life. After an AUD 10.3 million (USD 8 million) upgrade, supported by a AUD one million contribution from the local government, AB-InBev’s Tasmanian brewery will increase its production capacity by 65 percent to probably over 350,000 hl and become the brewer’s Australian craft beer hub.

China Resources Beer is negotiating with Heineken to acquire its China business, which could be worth more than USD one billion, media report. As CR Beer seeks new growth from high-end brands, observers are not surprised by this potential deal. However, many believe the valuation will be the key factor and the synergy effect is still under observation.

AB-InBev’s venture capital division ZX Ventures will open a craft brewery in Wuhan, central China, in order to tap into the growing market for premium beers in the country, media reported in early February 2018.

… and rightly so. Apparently, Brisbane’s small brewers are more than a little disgruntled that the Queensland government is trumpeting its financial support for Scottish craft brewer BrewDog, which will build a brewery cum restaurant in that city and create over 200 jobs.

Grippy lightweights | The water market is growing worldwide. How beverage producers are meeting the increasing demand and preparing themselves for future growth in this segment is illustrated by the example of the Butsifal Group in Uzbekistan. With a high-performance KHS filling and packaging line for PET bottles the beverage producer founded in 2009 is challenging the supremacy of local market leaders and even doing business beyond its own national boundaries.

Hungry for more | With a population of more than 94 million, with a median age of 30.9 years, rising disposable income and huge popularity of beers, Vietnam has emerged as the largest Southeast Asian beer producer and consumer. Explosive growth in beer consumption has put the country on the radar of international brewers. The country’s beer market grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about seven per cent from 1999 to 2015 and reached in the proximity of four billion litres in 2016.

Now in its 10th year, the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beer poll indicates the trends, brands and breweries shaping the craft beer industry. Described as “the largest and most influential people’s choice poll in the land,” this year’s poll attracted tens of thousands of craft beer lovers to vote for their five favourite craft beers.

The rising trend among Turks brewing on the sly has hit the sales of a range of drinks in the country, including beer. Anadolu Efes Group, which owns Turkey’s top beer brand, Anadolu Efes, recently reported that in 2017 its domestic sales slumped 3.2 percent year-on-year.