The Big Disruption: Craft, Politics and the Beer Monopoly

Globalisation, like history, knows no end. How will it progress further? And which role can craft brewers play? Ina Verstl and Ernst Faltermeier, authors of the book The Beer Monopoly, discuss the state of the brewing industry with Michael Schmitt, the publisher of BRAUWELT International. Here are their key arguments.

World Beer Market 2015

Beer production worldwide declined in 2015 by 30 million hl (–1.5 %) compared to the 1933 million hl produced in 2014. This is given in the current Barth Report 2015/2016. Global beer production had already dropped in the previous year by 0.6 per cent to 1963 million hl.

Alpha acid values of hops of the 2016 crop and updated multi-year average values

The 2016 hop harvest is over. The AHA (Hop Analysis Working Group) announces the average alpha acid values as determined in freshly harvested hops. Members of the AHA include the laboratories of the German processing plants, LfL Hüll, BLQ Weihenstephan, VLB Berlin, TU Berlin, Labor Veritas Zurich and the Slovenian Institute of Hop Research and Brewing Žalec. These values are the basis of any modifications to supply contracts with “alpha clause”. To raise the informational content, some varieties have been added to this table: the newest German varieties and some others from the growing regions Slovenia and the Czech Republic.

Occupational Safety in Breweries

Brewers seem to be blessed with a sturdy health. This is no surprise as the endless change of climate zones between fermenting hall/storage cellar and brewhouse toughens up the human organism. But this is not as simple as it sounds: a brewery involves a multitude of hazards, from scalding to frostbites up until death by asphyxiation due to inhalation of carbon dioxide. In this article, the significance of occupational safety in general and the hazards in the daily work routine in particular are dealt with and recommendations are given to help brewers to keep safe.

Italy Sweeps the European Beer Star

Those under the impression that in the world of beer there is nothing new under the sun, must simply travel south to sunny Italy. In 1985 the first brewpub in Sorrento near Naples opened its doors. Though this region is known for its wines, something very intriguing began stirring in the country’s brewery landscape, and it has quite rapidly gained momentum. 30 years on, in the land of blossoming lemon trees, a brewing culture is flowering which has reached cult status like no other. Italian breweries now regularly win awards at international competitions, among them the prestigious European Beer Star in 2016.

At their sixth annual Beer Serves Europe event in November 2016, The Brewers of Europe presented two new publications, the 180-country study “Beer Connects Europe with the World” and the 2016 edition of “Beer Statistics”, highlight how beer is accompanying Europe’s economic recovery and flowing increasingly towards fast growing areas of the globe.

Writing globalisation

With the de-listing of SABMiller in October 2016 the era of globalisation in the brewing industry will be nearly over, simply because there are hardly any blank spots left in the world of beer where a heavyweight beer champion has not made its mark. All the majors appear to have settled into their seats, namely their dominant positions in their respective markets around the world. But this is not the end of history. No doubt, dealmaking will continue, even if only to help the big brewers pay down debts from past acquisitions.

The path towards world domination

The 91 billion EUR takeover of SABMiller is a done deal. However, this has not satiated AB InBev’s thirst for growth. By 2020, the conglomerate’s revenues should reach the 100 billion US dollar mark. To achieve this goal, further acquisitions are inevitable. In the brewing industry, AB InBev is almost out of options. There are compelling reasons to believe that the conglomerate will expand its portfolio to include other beverages.

International Cider Awards 2017

Over the last decade, a drinks revolution has been felt around the world. Cider has become a global success story, and its popularity and growth show no signs of abating. The roots of this revolution can be traced back to the UK, the world’s largest cider market, home to the world’s largest cider producer and arguably the spiritual home of cider. Once a drink of the agricultural classes, cider became a commercial proposition in the early 20th century and via breweries gained national distribution. It grew to become a significant, if small drinks category. It is little wonder, therefore, that the International Brewing Awards sought to create a platform solely for cider, and to do so in 2013.

CO2 recovery: What is the way forward?

Any drink manufacturer who falls into the CO2 supply trap, has a serious problem. Without CO2, beer, mineral water or soft drinks can neither be produced nor bottled at the required quality. As a consequence, brewers and bottlers worldwide consistently strive to secure their CO2 supply. Here, CO2 recovery from beer and other fermentation processes continue to be of very high importance. CO2 recovery enables beer and beverage manufacturers to receive the highest CO2 quality, be safe from logistic and supply uncertainties, and finally in many cases, the consumer regards natural CO2 from fermentation as positive and sustainable.