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.

Modern Filling Technology in the Uzbek Water Market

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.

The Vietnamese Beer Market

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.

AB-InBev is thirsty for your dollar and data. The world’s number one brewer has acquired the Israeli beverage analytics start-up WeissBeerger, media reported on 26 January 2018.

Brewers have long struggled to lure tipplers away from domestic rum and whisky. Despite the proliferation of bars and microbreweries across urban India, the country still has one of the world’s lowest per capita rates of beer consumption at just 4.6 litres. Heineken, AB-InBev and Carlsberg together control about 90 percent of the 26 million hl beer market.

Another exciting year for Australia’s family-owned Coopers Brewery from Adelaide. As said Managing Director Dr Tim Cooper, “in the 2017 financial year, we enjoyed further growth in our beer volumes of 2.9 percent. Our Coopers brands have continued to show some improvement, but we have also enjoyed good growth in our partner brands of Carlsberg, Sapporo, Brooklyn, Olympic and Thatchers.”