And the winner is … Constellation

That’s it, then. And what a saga it has been. It’s taken Anheuser-Busch and its successor, AB-InBev, a total of twenty years to acquire the Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo. However, it’s not been so much a case of “patience pays off” (the Brazilians) as of “patience worn thin” (the Mexicans). Ever since the Brazilian-Belgian brewer InBev bought its U.S. competitor Anheuser-Busch in 2008, a full takeover of Modelo was merely a matter of time. The final three-way transaction between AB-InBev, Modelo and Constellation Brands had some surprising twists and turns, especially when Constellation Brands became the white knight that saved AB-InBev from the fangs of the U.S. antitrust watchdogs. How could this happen? Indeed, the question is: how did U.S. wine company Constellation manage to turn itself from twice-saviour of Modelo into Modelo’s ultimate gravedigger?

A bright future for craft brewing in China

The history of brewing in China is similar to many other countries around the world in that “beer” was brewed in ancient times and became a staple part of the culture. The modern breweries of China developed in the early 20th Century and focused heavily upon European standards for lager brewing. Without the Reinheitsgebot (German Purity Law) the Chinese beer brands have shifted over the decades to become a much different beer using adjuncts while also lowering the alcohol content to adapt to the drinking culture. This trend has continued with the global beer companies as the premium brands introduced into China are often scaled down in alcohol and flavor from their storied history in Europe or North America.

Lost in tradition

German beer loses its importance worldwide, especially in the United States of America. The best German style Beer is not brewed in Germany – essentially, old traditional German beer styles such as Pilsener, Alt, and Hefeweizen come from the award-winning champions from the U.S. West Coast in California. For us Germans, it is hard to imagine that the best brewer in the World is from the U.S (see. fig.1). The best brewer in the world? In our perception it should be a brewer from Germany, since we have invented the best beers and brewing styles! In Germany, we still think Americans have no clue how to brew high quality beers. We know Budweiser, Miller and Coors Light and think of flavored water, but not of flavorful beers. But at this point we can see evolution in reverse.

Pumps: Identifying and replacing energy wasters in the brewing process

Commercial examples from breweries underscore the value of a professional “pump audit”. They show that a savings potential of oftentimes 50 percent, in exceptional cases up to 80 percent, is possible when using more efficient new technologies. Those plant owners who purposefully embrace the concept of life cycle costs, turning their attention to the question of stoppage risks of various types of pumps, get information on how well a pump is suited to a plant. In summary, it may be stated that a “pump audit” is a worthwhile investment.

Global beer market 2011: +3.3 percent

The volume of beer produced on a global scale in 2011 increased by 61.7 million hectoliters to 1.925 billion hectoliters over the previous year, according to the Barth Report for 2012. This amounts to growth of 3.3 percent in the beer market worldwide. Every continent exhibited growth but at very different levels. China continues to hold on to first place as the largest beer-producing country, far ahead of the USA in second place, followed by Brazil, Russia and Germany.

Balancing quality assurance with the pressure to minimize costs

The law dictates that consumers be protected from health hazards and exploitation, and therefore demands are placed on retailers not only to guarantee the safety of their products and to fulfill their own high standards of quality, but in the end, because consumers expect pure, unadulterated foods. All of these are compelling motivation for food manufacturers to perform a multitude of tests, analyses and procedures that will satisfy such demands. The necessity of documenting each step in the manufacturing process – starting at the beginning of production until the product reaches consumers – requires that food manufacturers monitor their raw materials, the production process and the finished, packaged goods in a careful and detailed manner. A circumspect and thorough quality control program is an essential tool in addressing and meeting these demands and requirements.

Cask ale volumes grew in 2011 for the first time in 20 years, recording a 1.6 percent uplift, says The Cask Report 2012-13, published at the end of September. Around 2.2 million barrels of cask, equating to some 633 million pints, were sold last year (according to the British Beer & Pub Association).

Introducing a tasting test for general use – Part 3

In the third part of this series of articles, the basics of the tasting test according to Sommer and the resulting tasting method described will be tested and validated based on actual tastings. In addition, the suitability of the test in terms of its value as a tool for process optimisation is discussed and assessed, based on investigations carried out.The tasting test comprising implementation and mathematic evaluation is validated in several tastings using different beverages and with different targets. In this part, the soft drink Cola and the associated light variant, subsequently referred to as Colalight, are compared. Two identical samples of Cola are used as reference sample. In addition, a blend of 50 percent Cola and

In fine spirits

Drinks companies are raising glasses to the American consumers. Their homes may be worth less than their cars and their jobs prospects dim, but when it comes to trimming the fat from their budgets, Americans would rather eat less than drink less. In fact, they continue to show an unabated interest in high-end spirits. How better to enjoy a presidential campaign that’s turned into a tit-for-tat-mudfest on the telly than with a glass of booze?

The Brewers Association (BA), the trade association representing the majority of U.S. brewing companies, has released strong mid-year numbers for America’s small and independent craft brewers this summer. Dollar sales were up 14 percent in the first half of 2012, while volume of craft brewed beer sold jumped 12 percent during that same time period.