Brewers of Europe launch diversity database

DEI | The Brewers of Europe are delighted to announce the launch of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) database, which will serve as a hub for showcasing best practices from European brewers and value chain partners. This database will allow others within the sector to take inspiration and drive further and more effective uptake of DEI practices across the industry.

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Many contestants in the Brazilian Beer Competition

Promising outlook | The 11th edition of the Brazilian Beer Competition will take place from 6–8 March 2023 in Blumenau, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. 4,085 samples (12 % more than last time) have been entered by 565 breweries from 25 Brazilian states – the largest participation in the history of the event. The Brazilian Beer Competition is organized by the Blumenauense Association of Tourism, Events and Culture (ABLUTEC).

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Belgian lawyer cleared of charges in AB-InBev inheritance scandal

Switzerland | Belated justice. A Geneva appeal court acquitted Farida Chorfi, the Belgian ex-lawyer of the Bailo de Spoelberch family, from money laundering and forgery charges.

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Carlsberg warns of “challenging” 2023 whilst Russia exits drag on

Denmark | Carlsberg said that it intends to raise prices this year in response to higher input costs but warned that the move may impact sales in some of its key markets.

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Heineken banks on premiumisation strategy as volumes grew in 2022

Netherlands | The Dutch brewer’s volume sales returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, with premium brands outperforming the rest of the portfolio, Heineken reported on 15 February.

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Russian beer market 2022: flat or in decline?

Russia | Even Russian beer sales data have become political. In recent press reports, there was no mention of the drop in sales in the 4^th quarter, nor the decline in imports. Only this much: 2022 beer production was said to have been flat over 2021.

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Vietnam’s Sabeco earns USD 235 million in after-tax profit in 2022

Vietnam | The beer and beverage industry was hit hard by the pandemic, when restaurants, bars and hotels were forced to close. However, the brewing industry has seen a rapid recovery.

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Mexican Governor of Nuevo Leon hopes to secure Heineken’s investments

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.

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Larry Nelson has passed away

Obituary | The brewing industry personality and journalist Larry Nelson has died after a short illness aged 61. Larry will be missed dearly by family, friends, and colleagues.

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“Golden beer can” promo cost BrewDog nearly GBP 500,000

United Kingdom | All that glitters is not gold. James Watt, CEO of Scottish craft brewer and pub operator BrewDog, has paid out more than USD 580,000 from his own pocket to winners of a bungled “solid gold” beer can promotion. The treasure hunters were peeved when they found out that the golden cans were not made of solid gold as they had been led to believe.

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Beer&Food Attraction and BBTech expo to take place in February

International trade fair duo | The Italian trade fair Beer&Food Attraction will take place at the Rimini Expo Centre, Italy, from 19–22 February 2023, together with BBTech expo. The show presents a comprehensive national and international offer of beers, beverages, food and trends for the out-of-home (OOH) sector.

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Heineken exiting Russia: “It’s endlessly complicated”

Netherlands | Heineken’s full exit from Russia is dragging on. Like Carlsberg, the Dutch brewer had wanted to be out of the country by the end of 2022. But it seems Heineken was too optimistic when it set itself this date.

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Carlsberg buys Waterloo brewery in Canada

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.

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Limiting the packaging

Protection guidance | Europe’s brewers support minimising packaging’s impact on the environment and will now work together with the European Parliament and Member States to ensure a final Regulation that is proportionate, well-targeted, non-discriminatory and coherent.

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Nigeria’s International Breweries sees debt pile rise to USD 86 million

Nigeria – The country’s third largest brewer, International Breweries, which is majority-controlled by AB-InBev, has faced several challenges in the past five years since it launched a major offensive for market share in Nigeria’s beer market.

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And the winner is … beer in all its diversity!

Within the brewing industry, Belgium boasts a prime international reputation, so what could be more legitimate than for it to host one of the world’s most influential international beer competitions? The Brussels Beer Challenge, which this year is celebrating its 11th anniversary, has just released its results at an awards ceremony which took place on Monday 21 November at the Horeco Expo exhibition in Gand.

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Beer Serves Europe returns in December

Save the date | After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic and the restrictions placed on large social gatherings, the Brewers of Europe recently announced the long-awaited return of #BeerServesEurope.

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ASBC and MBAA Brewing Summit 2022

Extensive programme of talks | Every four years the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) and Master Brewers Association of the Americas hold their joint Brewing Summit. This year the brewing industry met in beautiful Providence, Rhode Island (USA), from 14–16 August 2022, to discuss the latest trends, developments and challenges in brewing today.

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3rd VLB Africa Brewing Conference to take place online

Varied program | Africa is very important for the beer sector. For this reason, VLB organizes a conference dedicated to the particularities of this continent, offering an extremely varied program. Since the possibilities of mobility in Africa are still limited, the 3rd VLB Africa Brewing Conference (ABC) will take place from 27–29 September 2022 as an online event at “VLB Virtual Campus”, the VLB’s exclusive platform for virtual conferences.

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Conference report: Brewers Forum in Madrid

Spain | Take it as a sign of the times that ESG targets will dominate brewers’ lives for years to come: The Brewers Forum, the annual shindig organised by the Brewers of Europe, which took place in Madrid (30 and 31 May 2022), devoted one of its four lecture tracks to the “E” (Environment) in ESG.

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Craft Beer China 2022 postponed again

New date, new venue | To ensure the safety and interests of exhibitors and professional visitors as well as to obtain better exhibition effect and visiting experience, after comprehensive study and deliberation, NürnbergMesse China and Beer Link have decided that the Craft Beer China Conference and Exhibition 2022 (CBCE 2022), originally scheduled for July 27–29, 2022 at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center, will be postponed to Sept. 7–9, 2022. The exhibition venue will be changed to Nanjing International Expo Center (No. 300, Jiangdong Road (Middle), Jianye District, Nanjing).

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European Beer Star 2022: Registration ends July

Beer competition | The registration deadline for the European Beer Star 2022 is approaching: Breweries can still submit their beers until 1 July 2022.

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Kombucha and other acidic-fermented beverages

Exciting topic | VLB Berlin invited attendees to the International Symposium for Acidic-fermented and Non-alcoholic Beverages taking place on 24 and 25 May 2022 in Berlin. This is the third time this gathering has been held, and compared to the inaugural event in 2019, the number of participants has steadily increased each time.

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IGN Bavarian Hopfenfest 2022

Well-attended | During the Craft Brewers Conference in Minneapolis, IGN organised the “Bavarian Hopfenfest by IGN” together with Schwarz Logistik. Around 300 guests attended the event, which took place at the local brewery "Utepils Brewing Co." in Minneapolis.

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The long read: Ukrainian brewers in times of war

Ukraine | Russia’s invasion has wrought havoc on Ukraine, a country of 44 million people. By late April 2022, some estimated 5 million people had fled the country, while more than 7 million people had been displaced internally. Since Russia ended its siege on Kyiv at the end of March and shifted its troops to the east, more than a million Ukrainians are said to have returned to resume their lives, their businesses – and, not least, protect their properties from looting.

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Brewing Summit 2022: Abstract submission now open

Brewing a sustainable future | The Brewing Summit 2022 will take place in Providence, Rhode Island from 14–16 August 2022. Master Brewers and the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) will explore the emerging issues facing researchers and innovators today.

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UC Davis “Pour it Forward” Brewing Scholarship winner announced

Supporting diversity | In January 2022, Mariana da Silva Schneider, a brewer at Amager Bryghus (Brewery) in Denmark, was selected as the winner of the UC Davis “Pour it Forward” scholarship. The crowdfunded scholarship, designed to support diversity, leadership and cross-cultural understanding in the brewing industry, provides full enrollment into the prestigious online UC Davis Master Brewers Certificate Program. Schneider was selected from 31 applicants for the first annual Pour it Forward award.

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Europe needs to keep up its support for the beer sector

Call for support | As Europe continues to battle the pandemic, it must maintain its support measures for the beer sector, The Brewers of Europe said at the end of December 2021. The call comes as The Brewers of Europe, the voice of more than 12 000 breweries, released its 2021 European Beer Trends Statistics Report, which revealed how overall beer sales had collapsed in the first year of the pandemic.

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Brasil Beer Cup awards best beers in Latin America

Brasil Beer Cup | The Brasil Beer Cup took place in Florianópolis from 22–24 November 2021. A total of 1216 beers were submitted from Brazil, Uruguay and Mexico, and judged by categories in 157 different styles.

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The 2nd VLB International Brewing Web Conference is coming!

Digital events are here to stay, says the Managing Director of the VLB Institute, Dr. Josef Fontaine. After more than one year of pandemic, the digital event format has yielded very good results and will be incorporated as a complement to the successful VLB portfolio of events.