That mythical German thing called Reinheitsgebot

As German brewers prepare to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot this year, taking pride in the fact that for five centuries their beers have only been made with water, barley, hops and yeast, the rest of the beer world will politely acknowledge this achievement and move on. No doubt, the Reinheitsgebot has contributed to brewing culture but times are changing. The old battle cries “German beer versus chemical beers” do not resonate any longer with consumers abroad as the global beer discourse has already shifted to “big brands versus craft”.

A country on the move – let’s go Switzerland!

Citizens of Switzerland have asserted their desire for more “Swissness” in the past twelve months, particularly in the political arena. As a result of recent political developments in the European financial sector, the effects range from noticeable to severe, depending on the branch of industry or commerce. Although the disadvantages associated with this development will not be far-reaching for consumers over the interim, appreciable effects on wage levels and purchasing power are elements of concern.

Clever AB-InBev. With consumer interest for U.S. craft beers rising in many parts of the world, they did not wait for their competition to fill the shelves, they did it themselves. After launching the Goose Island craft beer brands in The Netherlands and Belgium last year, they are now taking the Hawaiian Kona beer to Australia and Latin America.

Bad timing. Two of the world’s major brewers released their annual results on the same day. And they could not have been more different. While Dutch Heineken benefitted from rising demand for premium beers in Latin America, the Danish brewer Carlsberg continued to suffer from declining demand in Russia.

Should Jim Koch, the founder and public face of Samuel Adams beer ever seek a career change, he should consider becoming a motivational speaker.

The Brewers Association may boast that craft beer exports are growing by double digits, but on close inspection one can see which brands are actually benefitting from foreign markets’ pull: they are AB-InBev’s “crafty brands”. Last year already its Goose Island beers were sitting prominently on Dutch and Belgian supermarket shelves.

The 40th anniversary of the introduction of the Jacob’s Creek range by Orlando Wines in 1976 was marked by a feature in the Adelaide press which related the history of this now very popular Australian brand.

Call it frontier spirit. A company owned by Western Australian grain growers and the Indonesian billionaire Anthony Salim is currently constructing an AUD 90 million (USD 64 million) malting plant in Vietnam that is likely to change the face of the local brewing industry.

It’s a miracle. In 2015, German brewers are estimated to have sold as much beer as in the previous year (95 million hl), without there having been a special “beerable” event like the World Football Championship in 2014. Actually, it’s not a miracle at all. German brewers just did what they have been doing for long: they notched up the promotion rate. During the first half of 2015, Germany’s top 10 pils brands sold 76 percent of their volume on offer. In 2010, only 60 percent of their volume was sold at a discount.

All is fair in love and war. Company auctions are usually hush-hush affairs. But not for ThaiBev. It let it be known on 25 January 2015 that it has used its Singapore listed unit Fraser and Neave (F&N) to “bid without condition” for SABMiller’s Peroni and Grolsch beer brands. One day later F&N confirmed on its website that it has expressed an interest.