The future of draught beer

Europe | As the light at the end of the tunnel slowly becomes brighter and vaccination programmes progress, restaurants and bars can once again look forward to opening their doors to thirsty patrons. However, we should not forget that breweries and the hospitality industry have suffered greatly during the pandemic, above all brewers’ draught beer sales.

Covid turned off beer taps in Spain: sales declined 12 percent in 2020

Spain | The covid pandemic triggered an historic drop in beer consumption, sales and production in Spain last year. The closure of bars and restaurants during the months of lockdown, and the restrictions on hotels and tourism have hit the beer industry hard. Consumption fell 12 percent to 36 million hl, a loss of 5 million hl over 2019, thus putting an end to seven consecutive years of growth.

Test-and-trace rules wreak havoc at English pubs and restaurants

United Kingdom | In recent weeks, pubs and restaurants across England have had to close at short notice, as staff are forced to self-isolate after being alerted by the NHS test and trace app over coming into contact with someone with covid.

Pub chain Fuller’s expects to benefit from weddings

United Kingdom | Even before the pandemic struck, the London pub company Fuller’s was a very different business from the one founded in 1845. In 2019, it had sold its beer operations, including the London brewery in Chiswick, to Japan’s brewer Asahi for GBP 250 million (USD 330 million). In those days, the pubs proved far more profitable.

Staff call on Wetherspoon to double bank holiday pay

United Kingdom | A number of JD Wetherspoon staff have joined a campaign calling for double pay for those working on bank holidays. By early July 2021, more than 50,000 people had signed the petition, which is open to customers, staff, and members of the public.

US on-premise in straits as drinking occasions evolve

USA | The beer industry enters into the summer selling season with a stiff wind at its back, at least in terms of shipments. Brewers had a very solid start to 2021. Was 2020 just a passing storm with no lasting impact?

Hard times on the Czech tourist trail

Czech Republic | Well before the onslaught of the covid pandemic, beer was an integral part of the Czech national consciousness. After all, the country had come up with the names of Pilsner and Budweiser beers, regularly topped the international consumption charts, and even had a president write a one-act play about life in a brewery.

It’s the law: No e-commerce for Polish craft brewers

Poland | Craft brewers were caught between a rock and a hard place during the pandemic, when the Polish government put the country under two lockdowns, lasting from March to May 2020 and from October 2020 to May 2021. As hospitality venues were forced to shut, craft brewers could not pivot to e-commerce as they did elsewhere in Europe because of an ancient alcohol law from 1983, which does not mention internet sales (unheard of then). Despite their best lobbying efforts, the government insisted that this omission means e-commerce is illegal and refused to amend the law.

Beer consumption in Italy drops 11 percent in 2020

Italy | The covid pandemic hit Italy’s economy earlier and more severely than other large eurozone economies. In 2020, Italy’s economy shrank 8.9 percent, the second-largest contraction after Spain, and it still has further to go than Germany and France to recover its pre-pandemic scale.

fdt Africa 2021 cancelled

Further restrictions | food & drink technology (fdt) Africa, the premier trade fair for the processing, filling, packaging and logistics for Africa’s food and beverage industry, has been cancelled. Suzette Scheepers, CEO of event organisers Messe München South Africa, says the event, which had been scheduled to take place at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg from November 2–4 this year, will not go ahead this year due to uncertainty in the market and ongoing travel bans and restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Drinking al fresco: Dutch government eases lockdown restrictions

The Netherlands | After repeated threats from desperate publicans that they will reopen their venues regardless of the lockdown, the Dutch government relented. On 28 April 2021, outdoor terraces were reopened for guests from noon until 6 pm. Still, all sales of alcohol are prohibited from 8 pm until 6 am. This applies to hotels, takeout and delivery and all other outlets selling alcohol.

Beer hospitality to drive Europe’s recovery

Belgium | The figures make grim reading. Europe’s brewers lost more than 40 percent in on-premise beer sales in 2020, due to covid restrictions and bar closures. Last year, beer sold in the hospitality sector dropped to 75 million hl from 126 million hl in 2019.

ThaiBev shelves plans for Singapore IPO

Singapore | Given the worsening covid pandemic, ThaiBev, one of southeast Asia’s major brewers, announced that it is postponing its plans to sell a 20 percent stake in its regional beer business via a Singapore listing.

AB-InBev forced to dump millions of litres of beer

Belgium | AB-InBev, the world’s major brewer, in early April, had to dispose of millions of litres of beer into the River Meuse from its brewery in Jupille, near Liege.

Irish beer consumption down 17 percent in 2020

Ireland | Covid-19 has significantly impacted the drinks industry, as a result of the closure of the hospitality sector. Per capita alcohol consumption declined by 6.6 percent last year.

Brewers condemn government’s heavy-handed halt on alcohol sales

South Africa | It was another blow to the country’s brewers that the government decided to curtail alcohol sales over the Easter weekend – especially as they were only given two days’ notice. The Beer Association of South Africa (BASA) criticised the decision, saying it is “unnecessary” and has “no valid basis”.

Aggrieved Platform taproom workers walk out

USA | After months of mounting frustration over wages, working conditions, and what they view as management’s deficient pandemic response, on 27 February 2021, workers at Platform Beer Co.’s Columbus, Ohio, taproom walked out. This was after putting a sign on the door, saying that “the entire Platform Columbus crew has quit. The taproom is closed until further notice. Thank you!”

The US on-premise: will it recover and, if yes, how quickly?

USA | The on-premise represented 17 percent of total alcohol sales in 2019. The closure of bars and restaurants during the pandemic saw its share drop to 9 percent in 2020. The IWRS, a research outfit, forecasts that it will only be back at 12.4 percent of US volume in 2024.

Belgium’s on-premise sales of beer drop 50 percent in 2020

Belgium | What a shock: With bars and cafés being shut for almost six months in 2020, on-premise sales of beer fell 50 percent.

Heineken slips to a loss in 2020

The Netherlands | The pandemic even brought Heineken to its knees. The world’s number two brewer reported a net loss of EUR 204 million (USD 248 million) for 2020, compared with a net profit of EUR 2.2 billion in 2019. Global beer sales dropped 8 percent organically to 222 million hl, the firm said on 10 February 2021.

Wie geht es für die Brauereigasthöfe weiter?

German beer consumption hit record low in 2020

Germany | The country’s 1500 breweries sold 87 million hl beer in 2020 – a decline of 5.5 percent over 2019, the Federal Statistical Office reported on 1 February 2021.

South Africa lifts prohibition again

South Africa | President Cyril Ramaphosa has eased some restrictions imposed due to coronavirus, including lifting an unpopular ban on alcohol sales. The announcement came as Mr Ramaphosa hailed the arrival of the first shipment of vaccines – one million AstraZeneca doses – on 1 February 2021, the BBC reports.

When will pubs reopen in continental Europe?

Europe | As coronavirus cases spiral and highly contagious variants spread, European governments have prolonged lockdown measures.

When will pubs reopen in the UK?

United Kingdom | Pubs could be shut for months to come, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a third national shutdown on 6 January 2021.

Thousands of UK bars and pubs closed in 2020

United Kingdom | Over the course of three nationwide lockdowns and various coronavirus restrictions, Britain lost around 6,000 pubs and licensed premises in 2020. This is nearly three times as many as in 2019, according to the Market Recovery Monitor by consultants CGA and business advisory firm AlixPartners.

New prohibition pushes South Africa’s craft brewers to the brink

South Africa | The third national lockdown could devastate the craft brewing industry. But even the Big Brewers are not immune: AB-InBev-owned SAB laid off 550 temporary workers, due to the associated ban on the sale of alcohol, media reported on 24 January 2021. SAB also abandoned investments to the order of USD 165 million for 2021.

Russian beer market proved resilient despite covid-19

Russia | Brewer Anadolu Efes said that the Russian beer industry showed improvement during 2020, as the covid-19 related restrictions were relatively light during the summer months. But on the pricing side, competition was very high throughout the past year, which actually boosted volume growth.

Vietnam beer market could take years to recover

Vietnam | After decades of beer consumption only going up, it suddenly came to a screeching halt in 2020, after the Vietnamese government introduced Decree 100, its drastic anti-drunk driving laws in January. And then came covid-19.

Korea’s on-premise suffers as punters flog to the supermarkets

Korea | Before covid-19, South Korea was one of the leading markets for booze. Beer and soju were consumed the most. What is more, one in two beers was sold in bars and restaurants. As the pandemic has prevented people from enjoying get-togethers and socialising, the beer market is undergoing a dramatic change.