Growth in the world beer market picked up to reach 2.7 percent in 2011, thanks to increased beer consumption in emerging markets, industry research group Plato Logic reported on 8 February 2012.

In the recent spat with Petr Bendl, the Minister of Agriculture, Budweiser Budvar’s Jiří Boček may have won a round – but not the fight. The long-time manager of state-owned brewery Budějovický Budvar (Budweiser Budvar) cleverly played the political card – Budweiser Budvar falling into the hands of Anheuser-Busch if it were to be privatised – to fend off criticism of his managerial style.

Drinks group Diageo has reported a rise in half-year profits as demand for its global brands continues to grow in emerging markets. Pre-tax profits were GBP 1.86 billion (USD 2.95 billion) for the six months to 31 December 2011, up 15 percent on the same period a year earlier.

With a sales increase of 2.2 percent to 22.1 million hl Bavarian brewers did significantly better in 2011 than brewers in the rest of Germany, not least because they managed to rev up beer exports. Nevertheless, their best efforts could not stem a further decline in German beer sales which dropped 0.1 percent year-on-year, the Bavarian Brewers Association reported on 7 February 2012.

After almost 35 years of service with SABMiller, Professor Barry Axcell, Group Chief Brewer, will retire from the company at the end of July 2012. SABMiller announced on 8 February 2012.

Haven’t we seen this before – a small business losing out to big business? On 1 February 2012 the founders of Bionade, Germany’s eco-soft drink label, sold their remaining 30 percent stake to food giant Dr Oetker, a EUR 2 billion food company best known for cake mixes and frozen pizzas.

AB-InBev are not the only one to adjust (read: lower) the alcohol content of some of their products. As of February 2012, one of the major Australian wine brands, Jacob’s Creek, has introduced a range of four wines with lower alcohol contents: sparkling or still sauvignon blanc, vermentino, and shiraz rosé, which sit between 9.5 percent and 10.5 percent ABV. The wines are sourced from vineyards noted for lower sugar levels at early ripeness with grapes picked in the early hours of cooler nights.

At the height of Bionade’s success, you could be forgiven for thinking that Germany’s youth had seen the light: they could enjoy a soft drink while saving the planet. Bionade was politically correct, environmentally friendly, almost healthy (well, it was still a soft drink) and ultra cool. After all, Bionade had put mortal fear into Coca-Cola’s executives that they launched their own healthier version of a soft drink called The Spirit of Georgia in 2008.

The CEO of Carlsberg, Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen, will deliver the keynote address at Canadean’s 8th International Beer Conference, being held in Copenhagen on 29 and 30 May 2012.

As of 1 March 2012 Carlsberg has appointed Benet Slay, formerly Managing Director Northern Europe for Diageo, as its new CEO for Carlsberg UK.