With the hop harvest coming up in Germany, farmers are getting restless. August’s weather can prove to be a giver or a taker. It can ruin a harvest or give it an extra boost. That brewers are hoping for a good harvest, that’s for sure. After last year’s less than average yield, this year’s harvest has to do better or brewers’ hop requirements cannot be met.

Please be advised that as July 4th 2008, the call for papers for the 32nd EBC Congress in Hamburg is open. The congress will take place from the 10th to the 14th May 2009. EBC is moving with the times and we are offering a comprehensive submission tool to facilitate a user-friendly abstract submission process, accessible through the EBC congress web-site: http://www.ebc2009hamburg.org

The announcement that InBev and Anheuser-Busch are to combine will create a new leader in the global beer industry. With sales volume of over 370 mhl (pro forma 2007, beer only, not including equity volume), the new entity will be comfortably the world’s largest brewing group.

The Christ Water Technology AG (ISIN AT0000499157 / WKN A0F6DU) takes over further 49 percent of today’s KF Engineering GmbH, former KF Service GmbH. Together with the already ac-quired shares of 51 percent in March 2006 the Christ Water Technology AG now holds all interests of KF Engineering GmbH and expands significantly its division Food & Beverage.

Following the decision by the European Commission on 17 July 2008 to authorise Pernod Ricard to acquire all of the shares in V&S in accordance with the agreements concluded between the Kingdom of Sweden and Pernod Ricard on 30 March 2008, Pernod Ricard has completed the EUR 5.69 billion transaction, which brings the Absolut vodka brand into Pernod Ricard’s fold.

SABMiller announced that it is expanding its European export operations into several additional markets, with the intention of significantly increasing volumes over the next five years. New operations will be created in Sweden and Austria, with an expansion of the group’s existing facilities in France and Spain already underway.

Germany – König Ludwig wheat beer “the world’s best wheat beer”

After talks over a severance payment have failed, Warsteiner’s former CEO, Gustavo Möller Hergt has brought charges of false statement against Albert Cramer, the owner of Warsteiner Brewery in an effort, obviously, to force Mr Cramer back to the negotiating table.

In the end, only a private equity company was willing to spend any money on Germany’s drinks company Berentzen. In July, private equity company Aurelius acquired 75.1 percent of common shares in Berentzen-Gruppe AG from family shareholders and has launched a EUR 2.68 euro per share offer to buy the preferred shares of the company which are stock market listed.

How is the anti-alcohol lobby going to respond to this? Scientists believe that removing street furniture to allow drunken punters an easy way home could help reduce conflict and violence.