United Kingdom | It makes you wonder why Heineken has decided to close its only brewery in Scotland, when all the world is talking about the environmental impact of “food miles” and manufacturers’ carbon footprint. Is not the concept of consolidating beer production in one or two breweries per market outdated, as it means that beer is shunted up and down the country to reach consumers?

Germany | Danish brewer Carlsberg may continue to claim its patent EP2575433 on malting barley. The European Patent Office, on 10 May 2022, overruled an objection submitted by the Munich-based NGO “No patents on seeds”. The NGO called the decision “incomprehensible” and said it will lodge a complaint against the decision.

United Kingdom | BrewDog is making headline news again. Not so much for its latest scheme, which will see half of the profit from its bars being shared with its 1,500 bar workers, who can expect to receive an extra GBP 3,000 to GBP 5,000 (USD 6,150) a year in cash.

United Kingdom | Dutch brewer Heineken said on 3 May 2022 that it will create more than 700 jobs across the UK as part of a GBP 42 million (USD 52 million) investment scheme into its pub unit. The brewer also said that 660 venues – or one in four of its Star Pubs & Bars pub company – will be upgraded.

Russia | When releasing its first quarter 2022 results on 28 April, Danish brewer Carlsberg said it was seeing buying interest. It did not name any potential buyers. However, Carlsberg admitted it was difficult to say how long the process would take and what price it could achieve for the Russian business it put up for sale.

Poland | 2021 was the third year in a row of decline in beer consumption in Poland and the deepest in a decade. Since 2018, the market has contracted by as much as 5 million hl beer. The first quarter 2022 saw the trend continuing.

Belgium | AB-InBev announced on 22 April 2022 that it will sell its stake in the joint venture it operates in Russia with the Turkish group Anadolu Efes, and probably to the latter, while taking a USD 1.1 billion hit. But it did not say what it plans to do with his brewing activities in Ukraine, which are also covered by the joint venture.

Ukraine | Russia’s invasion has wrought havoc on Ukraine, a country of 44 million people. By late April 2022, some estimated 5 million people had fled the country, while more than 7 million people had been displaced internally. Since Russia ended its siege on Kyiv at the end of March and shifted its troops to the east, more than a million Ukrainians are said to have returned to resume their lives, their businesses – and, not least, protect their properties from looting.

German beer exports to Russia take a dive

Germany | Over the past few years, Russia has risen to become the second-largest export market for German beer, behind Italy, and was considered one of the most promising growth markets. According to the German Brewers’ Association, around 2 million hl beer were exported to Russia in 2021. That was almost 13 percent of German beer exports.

Carlsberg flags USD 1.4 billion Russian writedown

Denmark | Carlsberg warned it will book a USD 1.4 billion writedown from the sale of its Russian business, as part of the exodus of western companies in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The writedown does not take into account any external offers for the business, Carlsberg said on 22 April 2022.