At a time when many consumers are tightening their belts, Diageo believes that the demand for "affordable luxuries" remained. “People are not necessarily drinking more, but are wanting to drink better,” Paul Walsh CEO of the world’s largest drinks group said.

Following an in-depth analysis, the Swiss Competition Commission has approved the acquisition of Eichhof Getränke Holding AG by Heineken Switzerland Ltd. This means that Heineken can complete its successful tender offer and start the integration of Eichhof Getränke Holding AG into Heineken.

This newly designed indirect UHT pilot plant can reliably support the product development. Depending on the viscosity of the product, the plant is suitable for the heat treatment of liquid foodstuff at flow rates between 500 and 1,000 l/h. The plant easily handles different media with a wide range of viscosities from low to high. This plant can be used for indirect heating, but also for cooling. A modular design allows these processes to be implemented using plate heat exchangers or tubular heat exchanges, or a combination of both types.

Dutch brewer Heineken reported a slight dip in half-year profits announced on 27 August 2008 as a result of the cost of its part purchase of UK firm Scottish & Newcastle (S&N).

InBev’s second-quarter profit 2008 climbed 8.6 percent despite flat sales and higher costs. Why? Because InBev paid less tax.

For years now the world has looked to the French for their relaxed attitude to alcohol and their lean figures. Apparently, this is soon to be history. Increasingly, French teenagers are becoming fat and drunk. Rates of obesity among the young are rising at 17 percent per year and one report suggests that by 2020 the French will be “as fat as the Americans”.

The Varipure Sensor SMW 100 is a digital sensor for monitoring jets in cleaning systems. This is the first sensor worldwide that is able to detect every single jet in the cleaning process. It enables the user to control several monitoring processes in various expansion stages of the overall plant. An integration period of approx. 20 seconds allows us to monitor the operation of the cleaner. If no jet passes the sensor during this period, the sensor’s output signal switches off and the sensor signals that the cleaner is stationary.

Serving the brewing industry for 125 years

Based on the initiative of the brewing industry, the Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin (VLB) started working on January 1, 1883. Today – 125 years later – VLB still exists as one of the worldwide leading institutes in the field of brewing and beverage technology.

Achtung, Apple Attack

A man walks into a pub and orders a glass of cider. No joke. Magners, the Irish pioneer of the over-ice cider category took the United Kingdom by storm and transformed the image of cider in less than two years. Now men can be seen drinking cider instead of beer. Alas, copycat products followed hard on its heels and often sold at lower retail prices. This and a rainy summer last year forced Magners to cope with a decline in its fortunes. The financial markets were not amused. Therefore, holding its nerve will be hard for the brand in the short-term especially in the current tough trading environment as consumer confidence is put to test by the credit crunch.

First International Symposium in Malting, Brewing and Distilling

From 6th to 7th November 2008, the First International Symposium for PhD students and young professionals working in the field of malting, brewing and distilling, functional beverages as well as alternative fuels will take place at the University College Cork in Ireland in cooperation with the Technical University of Munich-Weihenstephan and the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. The aim of the Symposium is to attract young people, especially those new to the field, and to cover a broad range of malting, brewing and distilling related topics. The low cost Symposium also intends to facilitate the dissemination of research results and to stimulate the discussion about state-of-the-art topics in the field. It is specifically designed to initiate networking among the people, who will be the future of the malting, brewing and distilling community. Young researchers and PhD students are invited to actively participate by sending abstracts of their research results. Deadline will be 29th of August 2008. Please send your abstracts to . The Symposium Programme depends on the papers submitted and the themes that evolve from the submissions will be introduced by senior scientists.