If pupils are fidgety and restless, teachers say, it’s often because they are on a legal high: energy drinks.

Doing their bit to save the planet from a deluge of plastic garbage, drinks companies Pernod Ricard and Diageo have announced plans to eliminate the use of plastic straws and stirrers.

After twelve months of negotiations, Molson Coors announced on 8 January 2018 that it has bought Aspall, the British cider brand founded in Suffolk in 1728 by Clement Chevallier. The firm, which is still run by family members, had an enterprise value in excess of GBP 40 million (USD 55 million), it was reported.

For AB-InBev, it may just be a measure to stop cheaper parallel imports of its brands. But the antitrust body of the European Commission disagrees. On 30 November 2017 the European Commission informed AB-InBev of its preliminary view that the company has abused its dominant position on the Belgian beer market, by hindering cheaper imports of its Jupiler and Leffe beers from the Netherlands and France into Belgium.

For the Big Brewers a London craft brewery has become a must-have. After AB-InBev bought Camden Town, Asahi took on the Meantime Brewery, and Carlsberg acquired the London Fields Brewery, it was finally Heineken’s turn.

With Brexit negotiations to be resumed in December 2017, both the UK and the EU are accused of dragging their feet over an issue – an Irish border – which has emerged as the biggest hurdle.

Despite protests by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), the UK Supreme Court ruled on 15 November 2017 that Scotland can set a minimum price for alcohol.

Wine lovers had better stock up on their favourite tipple quickly as a slump in Europe’s wine production this year will likely lead to higher prices. Making matters worse is the Brexit-related hangover, which has weakened the currency and pushed up prices.

After Scotch Whisky and chocolate, beer is the largest food and drink export from the UK worth around GBP 600 million (USD 795 million) per year, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) argues in a recent report.

Think of all the wonderful things you can do with money given freely. In October 2017 BrewDog launched its fifth round of crowdfunding. Since 2009, its previous four rounds have raised around GBP 41 million (USD 55 million), enlisting over 53,000 shareholders and making it one of the most successful investment crowdfunding offers of all time.