Warsteiner brewery’s strategy swing to contract brewing

Germany | Is this the way forward? Warsteiner seeks to expand its contract brewing business this year. It already brews the Polish beer brand Tyskie (Asahi) at its main plant in Warstein and hopes to add some more. Warsteiner which is privately owned by Haus Cramer Group, thus concedes that its brewery is at best utilising 30 percent of its capacity with its core brands.

Brewers Forum: Member engagement is key

France | It seems there are few things people like to complain about more passionately than the EU – as if Europe could be reduced to the shorthand “Brussels Bureaucracy”. In the EU, the parliament is an equal legislator together with the national governments, so that the major political currents on the continent are reflected there, not least the generational issue of tackling the climate crisis. The decision to hold the Brewers Forum together with the EBC Congress shortly before the EU parliamentary elections was therefore auspicious.

Beer output of global top 40 brewers declines in 2023

 Germany | Hop firm BarthHaas estimates that the beer output of the world’s 40 largest breweries fell by 2.2 percent to around 1.62 billion hl. Still, they controlled a staggering 86 percent of global production. It is also striking how concentrated global beer production is: The top 3 brewers alone – AB-InBev, Heineken and China Resources Snow Breweries – account for more than half of the top 40’s output.

Heineken acquires stake in Dutch hard seltzer brand Stëlz

The Netherlands | It is a bit surprising that Heineken would buy a minority stake in the hard seltzer brand Stëlz, considering that these beverages have not exactly taken the European market by storm. This is not for the big firms’ lack of trying. During the pandemic, Coca-Cola launched Topo Chico and Heineken its own Pure Piraña, following what the brewer called “a successful trial” in Mexico and New Zealand.

Nordic Technical Meeting 2024: The road ahead

Denmark | Hosted by the Danish Brewers Guild, the 29th Nordic Technical Meeting in Copenhagen (15-16 May) focused on a wide range of social and technical issues which will impact, one way of another, the brewing industry in Europe in the coming years.

BrewDog: the next chapter

United Kingdom | James Watt, who founded the craft brewer and bar operator with business partner Martin Dickie 17 years ago, said on 8 May, he would step down from his role as CEO and hand over the reins to current chief operating officer James Arrow.

Diageo announces plans to decarbonise home of Guinness

Ireland | Decarbonisation will come at a cost. Drinks company Diageo said on 16 May, that it will invest more than EUR 100 million (USD 110 million) towards decarbonising St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin.

United Kingdom | Dutch brewer Heineken seeks to transform its tired pubs across the UK. The firm is spending GBP 39 million (USD 49 million) to reopen 62 pubs that were closed in recent years and refurbish some 600 sites, the BBC reported on 6 May.

AB-InBev had a “bruise free” first quarter 2024

Belgium | AB-InBev showed a strong first-quarter performance, indicating that the impact of the ongoing Bud Light boycott in the US is diminishing. Revenues of USD 14.5 billion increased 2.3 percent from the year-ago quarter, in line with expectations, while EBITDA and volumes grew better than forecast, including in North America, its largest region by revenues, analysts said.

Corona’s comeback as world’s most valuable beer brand in 2024

United Kingdom | The Heineken brand did not carry the crown for long. Corona Extra reclaimed the title as the world’s most valuable beer brand, after its brand value increased by 40 percent and it surpassed Heineken, according to the 2024 Brand Finance Beers 50 report, published in early May.