USA | The analysts must be desperate for a big beer deal. Or why would Bernstein, an investment firm, out of the blue, discuss the potential benefits of a tie-up between brewers Heineken and Boston Beer?

USA – As the Big Brewers move with the market, strategy swings are to be expected. But AB-InBev’s recent cuts to its craft brewing personnel suggest that a major “portfolio rebalancing” is underway.

USA | The Brewers Association (BA) generated USD 23.4 million in total revenue in 2022, surpassing the USD 20 million mark for the first time since 2019, the website brewbound.com reported on 16 February.

USA | What happened to Truly? That is a good question. The brand is struggling and has taken Boston Beer’s stock down with it. From a high of nearly USD 1,300 in April 2021 the stock has tumbled to USD 330 per share at the end of February 2023.

USA | Since 2011, AB-InBev has bought some ten fast-growing regional craft breweries. After the purchase, these brands inevitably changed. Platform brewery from Ohio is a case in point.

Brazil | The Swiss were in for a shock. Two of the richest Swiss, whose fortune is partly made from beer, are embroiled in scandals. First it was Pierre Castel. Now it is Jorge Paulo Lemann.

Mexico | Amidst the country’s water crisis, the President wants the Big Brewers to relocate to the south, but a northern Governor wants Heineken to stay.

Canada | This sounds desperate. As US cannabis legalisation has not progressed as hoped, the Canadian cannabis firm Tilray has to change its strategy to weather the financial storm. It may make more acquisitions in the alcohol space, or even grow vegetables at its cannabis facilities, CEO Irwin Simon said during an earnings call on 9 January 2023.

USA | It was a tough year for US brewers: domestic beer production is believed to have dropped by 5 percent in 2022, a loss of 5.9 million barrels (7 million hl) over 2021. This was reported by the website beerinsights.com on 6 January.

Canada | Low valuations for craft brewers must have finally lured Danish brewers Royal Unibrew and Carlsberg to Canada. The past few years have been a fight for survival in the Canadian brewing industry, as beer sales are still below 2019 levels, and prices for craft brewers are showing it.