In 2001, a microbrewery is to open in the Northern Thai resort city of Chiang Mai. The local investor and chain res-taurant operator Chiang Mai Brew House has obtained US$ 500,000 in soft loans from the Small Industry Financial Corporation and an additional US$1.0 million for the project. Chiang Mai Brew House intends to set up a 600 to 800 seat outlet, selling 5,000 hl of draught beer annually to domestic and international tourists. Apart from draught beer, the brewery will also produce a "soft beer" for female patrons.

In a move to boost sales, the Carlsberg brand in Thailand has undergone a serious make-over. What once was a standard brand, packaged in a brown bottle, presents itself now as a premium brand in a green bottle. In line with the external make-up change, the taste of the product has become smoother, less bitter. More importantly, the retail price has gone up to premium heights from US$ 1.19 to now US$ 1.34 per 625 ml bottle.
Carlsberg lays claim to a 35 % to 40 % market share of the premium beer sector, which itself accounts for 6 % of the total beer market. The Tiger brand by Thai Asia Pacific Breweries is the current market leader in the premium segment. The Sura Maharas Group, Carlsberg’s Thai partner, operates two breweries: one in Ayutthaya with a annual capacity of 1..

Who else but the usual suspects would be interested in acquiring Switzerland’s brewer and soft drinks bottler Feldschlösschen Getränke Holding AG from Feldschlösschen-Hürlimann Holding AG? Ultimately, Carlsberg Breweries clinched the deal, thus taking over with effect from 1 July 2000 the beverage business for CHF 870 million including external debt. As Norwegian Orkla and Danish Carlsberg AS announced in November (their joint company Carlsberg Breweries is still subject to approval by relevant authorities), Feldschlösschen is the largest brewer in Switzerland with 2,600 employees, 2.4 million hl of beer output in 1999 and a market share of 45 %. It owns four breweries and four bottling plants, where it packages 3. In 1998/99 its 12-month turnover was CHF 1. Per capita consumption was 58..

Two new cultivars have been released from the New Zealand Hop breeding program in the past two years, which has been an outstanding result for Dr Ron Beatson and his team at the Hort + Research, Hop Research Station.
The initial release was a new cultivar named "Nelson Sauvin" which has an excellent aroma type essential oil profile, with low cohumulone, and a good humulene/caryophyllene ratio, whilst still producing a 13 to 14 % alpha, but this new variety of hop gives a beer flavour similar to the now internationally famous New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wines.
One large Brewery has already produced a commercial beer with this hop, and another major International Brewer is in trials, that may take this hop directly into full commercial production..

From the year 2002, Korea could permit the construction of microbreweries. To date, an alcohol taxation regime has prohibited the construction of microbreweries on the basis that alcohol production plants have to have a minimum storage capacity, which is way in excess of any average microbrewery. The revision of the law has been brought about by the Office of Investment’s assessment that craft beers would increase the value of Korea’s tourist facilities. Therefore the OIO has requested the co-operation of the Finance Ministry to change the alcohol taxation law.

China’s largest brewer, Tsingtao Brewery, Shandong, seems determined to drive hard in the race to consolidate the Chinese beer market. Last year, Tsingtao bought 15 breweries, thus nearly doubling (+ 92 %) its production to 10.7 million hl beer. It also started a new plant in Shenzhen. Net profit stood at US$ 4.9 million, up 3.7 %. Its mounting debt load has caused some worry but Tsingtao decided to move on. Throughout 2000, it continued its spending spree although at a slower pace. In August, Tsingtao splashed out US$19 million in cash to relieve Carlsberg AS of its 75 % stake in Carlsberg’s Shanghai Brewery, which has an output of one million hl of beer annually. from the Asian Strategic Investment Corporation (Asimco) for a total of US$ 22.5 million. China currently imports between 2..

The brewing scene in the Peoples’ Republic of China will undergo major changes within the next five years. Large local breweries will buy up smaller operations to consolidate their brands. This will also push quality up because local producers of cheap products will be either taken over or eventually forced to shut down. This trend will also have repercussions for the international barley market as imports will rise in line with increasing demand for high-quality malt from large Chinese brewers. There are currently over 800 breweries in China, down from 1200 four years ago. According to Ken Wu, Marketing Manager of Foster’s Brewing Shanghai, a subsidiary of the Foster’s Brewing Group of Australia, this figure will drop to 200 in the next three to five years as consolidation progresses..

Australasian soft drink bottler Coca-Cola Amatil (C-C Amatil) has rejected an initial offer for its operations in Indonesia, South Korea and the Philippines. The Coca-Cola Co. and San Miguel Corp were reported to have offered at least A$ 3 billion. Both bidders are also C-C Amatil’s major shareholders, owning 37 % and 21.5 % respectively. C-CAmatil’s Asian businesses have a book value of A$ 3.9 billion. Analysts believe that a revised offer is likely. The Philippines which accounts for almost 30 % of C-C Amatil’s sales, has continued to undermine the company’s performance and its share price. The 2000 pre-abnormal result of A$ 190 million was hit by a A$ 66.7 million abnormal cost for restructuring the Philippines business.

The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council has agreed to a labelling regime for genetically modified foods in a Standard which - Requires labelling of food and food ingredients where novel DNA and/or protein is present in the final product; - Requires labelling of food ingredients where the food has altered characteristics. The Standard allows an ingredient to contain up to 1 % of unintended presence of genetically modified product. The revised Standard will take effect 12 months from gazettal. For further information, visit www.anzfa.gov.au

Tasman brewer Lion Nathan plans to restructure its loss-making Chinese operations. In November Lion announced a A$ 120 million write-down which triggered speculation that the brewer would sell its beer interests in the tough Chinese market altogether. Last year Lion Nathan lost A$27.6 million in China. The abnormal charge sent the company’s 13-month profit to 30 September down to a mere A$3.7 million. Lion Nathan, which is moving its balance date to 30 September, reported a slightly improved profit of A$ 124 million on revenues that had risen 12 % to A$ 1.61 billion. In New Zealand and Australia, better pricing and a consumer shift towards higher-margin premium beers had helped to bring up earnings before interest and tax by 4.7 % to A$311 million.