Hoegaarden White, brewed by Interbrew, was named Grand Champion Beer of 2000 at the Liquorland Australian International Beer Awards in Melbourne. It beat 480 beers from 25 countries. Sydney’s Malt Shovel Brewery was named Champion Australasian Brewery and its brand James Squire Original Pilsener was awarded the title Champion Australasian Beer.

Life of a brewer

Founded in 1861 to brew beer for the British Empire’s thirsty soldiers, Pakistan’s only brewery, the Murree Brewery Co., has fallen on hard times since the military powers have closed the few licensed alcohol outlets in Karachi in October 1999. In the whole of the country there are only a handful places left where the brewer’s beers and spirits are on sale. Operating at half capacity, the brewery produces 14,000 hl of beer a year in a country in which 97% of the population is Muslim and where alcohol is formally banned. Small wonder that Cindy, the company’s non-alcoholic beer, is Murree’s best seller. The brewery is owned by a Zoroastrian Parsee who is exempt from the alcohol ban.

More trouble ahead

For some time life was good, profit-wise, for brewers in Malaysia. Carlsberg and Guinness even weathered the storm of the Asian Crisis remarkably well. Now it seems that their luck may be running out. In August, grenades were thrown into the Carlsberg plant causing little damage. Fortunately no one was injured as the grenade attack happened in the middle of the night. Although Carlsberg’s officials played down the significance of the attack by a militant Muslim group, there is no denying that non-Muslim institutions will have to face up to increased pressures arising from Islamic militants who aim at turning Malaysia into an Islamic state.
In the meantime, the government has raised the taxes on alcoholic beverages by 20%. Carlsberg’s pre-tax profit fell 7.6%..

Naked truth

Whether it’s a case of "sex sells" or not only the future sales figures of Guinness will tell. Guinness in Australia has released a TV spot called Decoy in which two Aussi mates take off their clothes in order to help their mate who is also in the nude and being chased by two angry, fully-dressed blokes. Now why on earth men would be running down lanes in starkers is up to anybody’s guess but Guinness Australasia’s Marketing Director Nick Stabback believes that Australians can instinctively relate to this ad. Ah, really?

Prost, Obersudsmeister

So he’s done it. In Adelaide at the Southwark Brewery (Lion Nathan), the "obersudsmeister" (head brewer) Tony Jones has come up with a traditional Bavarian style Weisse or wheat beer called White Beer which has been hailed by Australian connoisseurs as the "Gewürztraminer of ale". In typical wine-speak it is described as fruity and aromatic, yet lighter and more frivolous on the palate. Those in the know have issued the advise: "sock this down". Pardon? Bavarian wheat beers are enjoyed in dainty sips.

Foster’s profit up

For the year ended 30 June 2000, Foster’s announced a 16% increase in net profit to A$427.8 million. Strong growth from the wine and leisure businesses and high returns from the beer business contributed to the result. Profit before interest and tax from the wine division rose 28.7% to A$154.3 million; Australian beer generated a profit of A$384.6 million; Foster’s Brewing International achieved a first time profit of A$6.6 million compared with a loss of A$11.9 million last year. Leisure and Hospitality grew profit by 35.7% to A$110.2 million.
In his statement, Foster’s CEO Ted Kunkel called the Australian beer interests represented by CUB "the engine room" of the group which produced "increased cash to fund growth in other parts of the group".25 million hl for the first time..

Californian love affair

What a week it was, that last week in August. Gossip had it that the leading US wine producers, Beringer and Kendall-Jackson, were in merger talks. But, surprisingly, it was Australia’s Foster’s Brewing Group that announced on 29 August that it had entered into a merger agreement with Beringer, with Foster’s valuing Beringer’s equity at A$2.0 billion. In addition Foster’s would assume net debt of about A$560 million. Foster’s gearing (net debt/equity) is expected to increase from 56% as at 30 June 2000 to approximately 99% this financial year.
On the same day, Canada’s Vincor International bought R.H. Philips for US$92 million. And only 48 hours later, The Wine Group took home half a dozen of Sebastiani’s high volume brands in a deal worth an estimated US$300 million........

Focus on new plants: Efes Knyaz Ruruk Brewery Moscow Efes sets up new standards in Russia

The new brewery plant of Efes, Istanbul/Turkey, has been in operation in Moscow since May 1999. It has been designed for an annual capacity of 1.25 million hl. This will be extended to about 3 million hl within the next two years. The groundwork has already been done. This ultramodern brewery has already been visited by participants in a seminar which took place in Moscow at the end of March 2000.

Some 30 years ago, the Turkish Efes Group began operation in the first two brewery plants in Istanbul and Izmir. Today, the Group produces more than 9 million hl of beer in Turkey and in other countries. 77.5 million US dollars were invested in the first building phase in Moscow where 350 people, including 90 in the technical and 34 in the filling section, are currently employed.
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Did luck have anything to do with it? Foster’s Shanghai Beer won the Monde Selection Gold Medal at the World Selection 2000 awards ceremony in Luxembourg. The brew from one of China’s largest and best-known cities has been a favourite among the 13 million residents of Shanghai for decades, according to Foster’s. Dating back to 1936, the brand is establishing itself as an international beer brand capitalising on the appeal of Shanghai. Monde Selection which was founded in 1961 is an independent international institute concerned with testing the quality of products from all over the world.

Kaltenberg Castle Brewery, which is owned by HRH Luitpold Prince of Bavaria, has signed a consultancy contract with the Wuming Brewery in Zoucheng, Shandong Province, south-east of Beijing. The Wuming Brewery, which was founded 15 years ago, has an output of two million hl beer annually - and rising. Kaltenberg Castle Brewery has been engaged in know how transfer for more than 20 years. According to Kaltenberg Castle Brewery, the consultancy contract represents a first step towards a licensing agreement for Kaltenberg brands because it provides the potential licensor with the necessary technological means for the pro-duction of a high quality product. Negotiations for a licensing agreement between Kaltenberg Castle Brewery and Wuming Brewery will begin in the autumn.