United Kingdom | Seems like anyone and everyone is afraid of offending anyone and everyone: A brewery decided to change the name of an award-winning beer, which was inspired by the name of a hare, after racism concerns.

Russia | Russian police busted an illegal plant bottling counterfeit Johnnie Walker as well as other whisky, rum, and cognac brands outside Moscow. Apparently, the booze they found was unsafe to drink.

Germany | Danish brewer Carlsberg agreed to a EUR 50 million (USD 55 million) settlement with German authorities over its alleged involvement in price fixing between 2006 and 2008.

Czech Republic | Czech brewers defied the challenges of the pandemic to produce 20.5 million hl beer in 2022, an increase of 950,000 hl over 2021. Despite the positive trend, 2022 output still fell 1 million hl short of the 2019 volume, the national Brewers Association reported.

Denmark | Carlsberg said on 27 April that the first quarter of the year showed a strong improvement in revenue per hl, covering the significant increase in its cost base.

Belgium | AB-InBev’s CEO Michel Doukeris addressed the Bud Light controversy during the company’s first quarter 2023 earnings call on 5 May. He said it is “too early to have a full view” of the impact of sponsoring an Instagram post by transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Netherlands | As of 1 April, the Netherlands has expanded its national deposit return system for beverage containers to now include aluminium and steel cans. Eligible cans have a deposit of EUR 0.15 (USD 0.17).

Netherlands | Heineken reported a steeper than expected decline in first-quarter beer sales, with weaker volumes recorded in all regions except the Americas. But it maintained its forecast for profit growth by a mid- to high- single-digit percentage in 2023.

Sweden | Too clever by half, Pernod Ricard was forced to stop exporting its Absolut Vodka to Russia after a backlash in its home country, Sweden. The company had ceased exports in March 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, but had recently resumed them.

Russia | The Dutch brewer has found a buyer for its business in Russia, the company said on 19 April. Heineken is currently expecting an approval from the Russian government.