This is not a beer on sale at an art show, it literally is a piece of art. Made specifically for documenta 14, one of the most important shows for contemporary art, Sufferhead stout was conceived by the Nigeria-born artist Emeka Ogboh.

We know that microbes in sewage plants work more effectively when blasted with Mozart’s music. But does music do wonders for yeast cells too? Embarking on a sort of school science project, the Danish producer of high-end consumer electronics Bang & Olufsen (B&O) teamed up with fellow Danish brewer Mikkeller to create Beobrew – a beer that is infused with music.

Camden Town Brewery, the London craft brewery acquired by AB-InBev in December 2015 for about GBP 85 million (USD 128 million), has invested GBP 30 million (USD 38 million) in a new brewing facility in London.

Tesco is not alone in betting on craft beer. Tapping into the GBP 100 million in annual craft beer sales (2016), the supermarket chain Asda extended its craft beer offering in May by adding over 100 new beers, including several exclusive products.

Consolidation among the mid-tier UK brewers continues as the real ale producer Charles Wells is to sell off its Bedford brewery to Marston’s in a GBP 55 million (USD 70 million) deal. The transaction was reported on 18 May 2017.

The brand unveiled its new Open Your World campaign at the end of April 2017, which challenges Brits to overcome prejudices and find common ground with others who have opposing views.

BrewDog celebrated ten years in the industry with a GBP 213 million (USD 275 million) investment by private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners. Selling a 22 percent stake to outside investors in April 2017 did not quite make BrewDog the pariah of craft brewing – a fate that befell Wicked Weed – but it still made commentators wonder whether BrewDog’s punk behaviour was not more image than essence.

That backfired. At AB-InBev’s AGM on 26 April 2017, a representative from NN, a large Dutch insurer, complained to AB-InBev’s board that at AB-InBev “we see little diversity, insufficiently independent directors and especially a bonus culture for employees and managers that are not in line with international standards.”

AB-InBev reported a sharp rise in net profit during its first quarter 2017 but said it continued to struggle in the US and Brazil, its two largest markets.

A stronger ruble and consumers switching to more expensive beer options have benefited Carlsberg in the first quarter. As the Danish brewer reported on 4 May 2017, volumes in Russia and Ukraine declined 2 percent in the quarter, but net revenue in eastern Europe region grew 10 percent organically to DKK 2.3 billion (USD 340 million) thanks to consumers buying smaller but pricier smaller pack sizes following the ban on 1.5 litre PET bottles for beer.