Norway | Pursuing more ethical investments, the country’s largest pension fund, KLP will divest from companies that generate revenues from alcohol and gambling, a further push by KLP to drop so-called “sin stocks” from its portfolio. This was reported by The Financial Times on 28 May 2019.

United Kingdom | A Twitter spat has chipped away at BrewDog’s holier-than-thou image. After BrewDog launched its non-alcoholic beer, Punk AF, in early May 2019, Alex Myers of the London marketing firm Manifest took to Twitter and accused BrewDog of cribbing their idea.

United Kingdom | Embattled Indian drinks tycoon Vijay Mallya has lost a court case against Diageo. He was ordered to pay USD 135 million within 28 days by the High Court on 24 May 2019. 

Austria | After a tumultuous week, which saw the country’s conservative-nationalist coalition government collapse on 18 May and the Chancellor Sebastian Kurz ousted on 27 May over the so-called “Ibiza scandal”, the energy drink Red Bull is ironically emerging as a winner.

Belgium | A sweet deal between AB-InBev and the Belgian government has fallen foul with the country’s tax man. For five years, between 2011 and 2015, AB InBev only paid EUR 11.2 million (USD 12.6 million) in taxes on a profit of more than EUR 280 million in Belgium.

Belgium | Some pundits were quick to interpret AB-InBev’s EUR 200 million fine by the European Commission as a shot against manufacturers, who use their strong market positions to unfairly command higher prices in some EU countries as opposed to others.

The Brewers of Europe announced on 28 May 2019 that 60% of beers sold in Europe are now labelling calories.

United Kingdom | To celebrate the football club’s Premier League title win, water technology company Xylem has teamed up with Man City and Heineken to produce ‘Raining Champions’ – a limited edition beer made with purified rainwater.

Ireland |Guinness’ parent company, Diageo, has announced that the iconic Irish stout will no longer use plastic rings or shrink wrap. Instead, the company will invest USD 21 million to replace plastic with 100 percent recyclable and biodegradable cardboard.

United Kingdom | Is BrewDog finally going mainstream or just subverting conventional advertising? BrewDog has launched what it claims is “the most honest ad you’ll ever see.”