US craft beer in 2021: what the numbers say

USA | It was mostly good news for craft brewers in 2021, according to data released by the Brewers Association on 5 April 2022.

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Heineken’s outlook dims as inflation pinches consumers

The Netherlands | Heineken said the longer-term outlook has become cloudier as inflationary pressures squeeze consumers, raising the risk that they will cut back on beer.

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Carlsberg expects cost inflation to be a burden on its business in 2022

Denmark | Carlsberg warned that organic operating profit could grow between zero percent and 7 percent in 2022, down from a 12.5 percent hike in 2021, citing higher costs and continued coronavirus restrictions. In other words, if the worse comes to the worst, operating profit could be flat this year.

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Dutch beer consumption up slightly in 2021, but still below 2019 levels

The Netherlands | There is no light at the end of the tunnel, the Association of Dutch Brewers complained in mid-January 2022, having just emerged from a snap lockdown, which lasted from Christmas 2021 until 14 January 2022, and forced the hospitality industry into hibernation.

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German brewers post huge losses again in 2021

Germany | The covid pandemic also led to massive losses for the German brewing industry in 2021. According to the German Brewers' Association, beer sales dropped 3.4 percent in 2021, compared to the previous year's record decline of 5.5 percent.

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Boom of Czech minibreweries is over

Czech Republic | Over the past decade, the Czech Republic has seen a veritable upsurge in small breweries. There are now about 500 minibreweries operating across the country, with more than 30 being established in 2020.

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Thailand reopens to vaccinated tourists but most bars remain shut

Thailand | Tens of thousands of tourists, escaping the northern winters, are expected to arrive in Thailand as the country reopened to tourists on 1 November 2021 after 18 months of covid restrictions. Vaccinated visitors from more than 60 “low-risk” nations are allowed to enter without having to quarantine.

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Intensifying competition in China’s premium beer segment

China | China’s beer production has been on a downward slope since 2013. In 2020, the domestic beer output stood at 341 million hl, which is a 7 percent decline over 2019. If this downward trend continues, the market leader, China Resources beer, which makes Snow beer, will be lucky to achieve flattish volume sales, observers say.

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Brewers warn against another alcohol ban in South Africa

South Africa | No jobs, no electricity and no booze? South Africa is facing a joyless festive season. In late October, the energy supplier Eskom laid out its load shedding forecast for the next 18 months. It expects rolling blackouts to feature heavily in South Africa for the foreseeable future.

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Beer sales continue to decline in Germany and the worst is not over yet

Germany | In the first nine months of 2021, German beer sales dropped 3.9 percent to 65.6 million hl, compared with 68.2 million hl in the same period in 2020. This year’s decline could be deepening, as during the first half of 2021, German brewers sold 2.7 percent or 1.1 million hl less beer than in 2020.

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Australian craft brewer with thirty-year history in liquidation

Australia | As the pandemic and lockdowns take their toll, Southern Bay Brewing has collapsed into liquidation. Southern Bay, which was among the first wave of craft brewers in Australia, has been operating from the regional city of Geelong, 70 km south of Melbourne, for some 30 years. It was previously known as Geelong Brewing Company.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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”.

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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!”

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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.