As if to counter the analysts’ currently divided opinion whether to hold on to SABMiller’s shares or sell them, the world’s second-biggest brewer, reported on 16 April 2015 that lager volumes were up 2 percent on an organic basis in the three months ended 31 March 2015. Soft drinks volume grew 8 percent in the quarter. This increase came on the back of growing consumption in Africa, Latin America and a rebound in China.

With all the hype around Millennials and GenerationYs, brewers can be forgiven for having left a consumer cohort underserved: women. After all, who knows what women want? While handbag and shoe makers always seem to know the answer, brewers in the past mostly failed to get their offerings right: Or does anyone remember Animee (Molson Coors), let alone Eve (Carlsberg)?

Broaching the Swedish retail bottleneck

Holy cow! Did the earth shake and no one noticed? In Sweden a microbrewer is nominated for the award “entrepreneur of the year” by the independent conservative newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. In other parts of the world this accolade would hardly raise an eyebrow because the most talked-up entrepreneurs in recent years have either been craft brewers or internet whiz kids. But in Sweden the nomination of Björn Falkeström, who set up the Oppigårds Brewery in 2003, indicates that something close to a cultural revolution has taken place.

Not bad for a brewer that was only founded in 2007 and started out with two employees and one dog. Scottish brewer BrewDog has posted profits and revenue up over 60 percent in 2014.

Heineken has shaken up its executive ranks in a bid to boost flagging sales. On 31 March 2015 the Dutch brewer said that a number of its executives, including the company's chief strategy officer, would leave the group as it re-organises its business into four geographic regions.

The beer duty escalator, a system whereby beer tax was increased above inflation year on year, was the bane of UK brewers. However, after much lobbying from the brewers, the UK government saw sense and on 18 March 2015 the British Chancellor George Osborne announced that beer taxes will be cut for the third year running.

Is this the Brave New World? An industry group for ad agencies in the United Kingdom is calling for a “strike” against AB-InBev over what it calls “despicable” business practices, St Louis media reported on 19 March 2015.

It’s probably one of the best kept secrets that a glass of orange juice has more calories than a glass of alcohol-free beer. In view of Europe’s expanding waistlines, The Brewers of Europe, a lobby group, announced on 26 March 2015 that its members would voluntarily list ingredients and nutrition information on their brands per 100 ml. This is in line with the legal requirements for all non-alcoholic drinks, including non-alcoholic beer.

Is it something in the water? Brits like eccentrics – think Boy George and David Bowie. By the same token they passionately dislike labels. This applies to the country’s recent crop of small brewers too.

It was an interesting admission made by SABMiller. At their recent Quarterly Seminar on Africa (9 March 2015), they acknowledged that they did a less effective job when they “overfocused” on women as the primary target group for their flavoured alcoholic beverages. The apple-flavoured beer mix Redd’s is a case in point.