The Netherlands | January’s electronics sales are upon us. So why not use the discounts and splash out on one of Heineken’s draught systems? The discounts available are wide-ranging, though.

Germany | A hot summer is no longer enough to boost sales. In 2019 beer sales are forecasted to have dropped more than 2 percent to 85.2 million hl. This equals the shuttering of a large German brewery.

Germany | The one and only Jürgen Klopp, Manager of the Champions League winner Liverpool FC, has become Erdinger’s brand ambassador.

Germany | If Hell beers and other specialties increase sales in an overall shrinking market, something has to give. In this case, wheat beers. Long ranked second most popular beer style behind pils, wheat beer has seen its position snatched away by Helles in 2019.  

France | The 2019 word of the year is “climate emergency”, according to Oxford Dictionaries. Thanks to Greta, Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion, many people have been thrown into abject gloom. In escalating crisis mongering, climate warriors have told us that “We probably don’t even have a future anymore.”

Germany | Germans are a tidy lot. They separate their garbage and take their return-refill bottles back to the shops to reclaim the deposit. Hence brewers see more than 80 percent of the country’s 3 billion beer bottles return to source. Some bottles are refilled up to 30 times.

Belgium | Thanks to the rise of craft beer, there were more than 10,000 breweries operating in the European Union in 2018, up from 4,800 in 2012, according to figures released by the Brewers of Europe in December 2019.

United Kingdom | To encourage more people to vote on 12 December 2019, Scottish craft brewer BrewDog is offering a free pint to every voter at its bars, regardless of who they voted for. The offer is only valid on the day the UK goes to the polls.

United Kingdom | Business in London must be good for Mikkeller to move forward with a second London taproom in conjunction with 1980s pop star Rick Astley. The Exmouth Market site, previously a rotating pop-up space, will allow Mikkeller to also brew beer on site.

Germany | Read and weep. Krombacher is one of Germany’s most popular pils brands. Since May 2017, Krombacher in cans has been available at Aldi. This must have boosted Krombacher’s sales. But at a price.