Early warning

Just as well Beck’s financial year 1999/2000 ended 30 June 2000. Thus the German brewer reaped the awards of unexpectedly high spring sales and avoided entering the figures for the rest of the year into its books. In 1999/2000, Beck’s Brewery sold more than 5.36 million hl of beer, of which 4.4 million hl were the Beck’s brand. Only 1.86 million hl of Beck’s were sold domestically (+ 3 % over 1998/1999). Almost 2.6 million hl were exported.
In Italy and the United Kingdom, Beck’s performed well; in the US, sales increased 3.5 %. While export volumes went up 7 %, volumes of Beck’s produced under licence declined dramatically to 163,000 hl from 481,000 hl in 1998/99. Now that got us wondering..

It’s a funny old world

Judges for the European Court of Justice ruled that breweries and vineyards that have established a brand named after the town or locality in which it is made, can be banned from using this geographic marketing if it expands production to other locations. The case involved Warsteiner Brewery, located in Warstein, Northwest Germany, which started production of its Warsteiner brand at another town, Paderborn, 40 km away. Warsteiner Brewery was taken to court by a German consumer’s organisation. The judges maintained that European law allows such a ban even if there is no link between the characteristics of the product and its geographical origin.

The year that was

If brewers have not already been beating their flesh with twigs and rattlesnakes and donning the sackcloth and ashes, they soon will be and ad infinitum. The new millennium has proven an unmitigated disaster so far. Mind you, the time-honoured excuse rings true enough that last year’s weather did brewers in. While the warm spring temperatures gave rise to some cautious optimism, the summer that was not and the so-so autumn drove home the point that all is not well in Germany, at least as concerns beer consumption. Last year German brewers sold less than 100 million hl of beer domestically.
In the first three quarters of 2000, taxable domestic beer consumption fell 1.7 % to 75.3 million hl. Total beer sales dropped only 0.2 % to 84 million hl because exports to EU countries rose 17..

Beer sector still expanding

All 13 Bulgarian breweries have been privatised between 1994 and 1998. All belong to the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB). The brewing sector has been among the fastest growing industrial sectors in Bul-garia since 1997. According to UBB, 3.37 million hl of beer were produced in the first nine months of 2000, 5 % more than in the same period of the previous year. A total of 4 million hl are expected to have been produced in 2000. In contrast to other countries, per-capita consumption of beer in Bulgaria has been rising annually. It was 35 l in 1997, 44 l in 1998, 46 l in 1999, and UBB expects it to be 49 l in 2000. Domestic brands account for over 90 % of consumption, these measure up very well in terms of taste and quality compared to Western and Central European beers.2 %..