Mr Brito will be pleased. The business magazine Barron’s has named him one of the top 30 CEOs in the world among such notables as the investor Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs (Apple), Peter Löscher (Siemens) and Michael O’Leary (Ryanair). While 18 of the 30 CEOs run U.S.-based outfits, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Japan and several other countries are also represented.

Adieu, then, August Busch. At the end of March 2011, AB-InBev said that August Busch IV will step down as a director at AB-InBev in April, which brings the Busch family’s formal involvement in the brewing giant to a close.

For the world’s number one brewer, AB-InBev, spending USD 39 million on Chicago specialty brewer Goose Island is a joke. But the deal, announced on 28 March 2011, highlights a shift in consumer preferences that matters to the USD 91 billion brewer. In the U.S., sales of mass-market beers have been in decline while those of high-end beers are growing.

The Siebel Institute of Technology, America’s oldest brewing school, is pleased to announce their first ever Spanish-language course for professional brewers.

This course (11 – 14 April 2011) will take an in-depth look at beer styles and flavours, providing the most in-depth training available in both "old world" and "new world" beer styles.

Over-paid managers will throw themselves on their swords. Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor, said he rates businesses on their ability to raise prices and sometimes doesn’t even consider the people in charge. His cynical view on corporate suits and flunkies clashes with AB-InBev’s Carlos Brito, who likes to hammer home the message that the success of a corporation hinges on its managerial elites. ”Great companies are formed by great people,” not by popular products, cash flow or assets, Mr Brito told Stanford University graduates in November 2010. Who’s right? Mr Buffett or Mr Brito?

Mr Busch must have gone through a version of hell while he was being chewed over by the world’s press following the death of his girl-friend just before Christmas 2010. On 9 February 2011 the St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch said that cocaine and oxycodone were found in Adrienne Martin’s system as a result of an accidental overdose. However, no charges will be filed. Some relief for August Busch IV.

It could have been worse. Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo reported on 18 February 2011 that its net sales for the full year ended 31 December 2010 rose 3.9 percent to MXN 85 billion (EUR 5.1 billion; USD 7.0 billion), thanks to an increase of 4.0 percent in domestic sales. However, operating income dropped 0.2 percent to MXN 21.6 billion (EUR 1.3 billion; USD 1.7 billion) because of higher costs.

The World Brewing Academy partnership (WBA) of the Siebel Institute of Technology and the Doemens Academy are adding several of their advanced-level brewing courses to their web-based training offerings.

PepsiCo, Coke’s arch-rival reported on 10 February 2011 that last year net revenue grew 34 percent, while net income rose 6 percent.