At home in one’s past

Beer and nostalgia | As the deadly pandemic wears on, many of us can be forgiven for feeling nostalgic, pining for the times when life felt normal: when we got together as a family, when we had an after-work beer with colleagues, when we hugged our friends and kissed our grannies. Who can blame brewers for tapping into the value of sentimentality to provide exhausted, anxious consumers with emotional escapism?

American hard cider – diversity without cohesion

Category building | The new cider wave really got going only in the second decade of the new millennium. Between 2010 and 2014, seven of today’s ten market leaders in hard ciders, along with a plethora of specialty cideries, were founded.

International beer market 2019: slight growth

BarthHaas Report 2019/2020 | In 2019, world beer production increased for the first time in five years. Production rose by 9.1 million hl or 0.5 % to reach 1.913 billion hl after falling five years in a row.

The year that was

2020 review | We failed to see it coming, the death toll, the lockdowns, the job losses, the economic malaise. And we still do not get the full picture. The United States and the United Kingdom, two countries hit hardest by covid-19, show the full impact the coronavirus crisis had on the brewing industry.

Economic and strategic issues | BRAUWELT International is hosting a new series of podcasts, which will feature the award-winning authors Ina Verstl and Ernst Faltermeier, whose book The Beer Monopoly was published by Fachverlag Hans Carl in 2016.

Enjoy the flavor of exceptional beer with a good conscience. This is possible when savoring one of the outstanding beers distinguished with the Slow Brewing Quality Seal.

AB-InBev in choppy waters

MegaBrew | In October 2015, the globalisation of the brewing industry drew to a close. The long-awaited takeover of SABMiller by AB-InBev, dubbed MegaBrew, was to render AB-InBev the unassailable leader in the race to global domination. However, five years on, AB-InBev finds itself in an unenviable position. Burdened with debt, it can no longer rely on deals to boost its growth.

Beer industry in Myanmar

Huge untapped potential | Considered as a pariah state for a long time while under the rule of the military junta from 1962 to 2011, Myanmar (also known as Burma) is emerging as one of the most interesting beer markets for domestic and global brewers. A number of foreign brewers have entered the country in recent years. This article presents an overview of Myanmar’s beer market and its major players.

Literature | Charles “Charlie” Bamforth, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at UC Davies, California, like no other understands how to impart brewing knowledge in an instructive and entertaining way.

COVID-19: Are American craft brewers ready for a one-two punch?

Changes | Of course, nobody knows the future, but there are a few observations and predictions that we can make with some degree of confidence: The COVID-19 virus has disrupted traditional consumer buying patterns in all segments of the food and beverage industries, and beer is no exception. Most breweries now have their backs firmly pressed against a wall. Many will fail, but many others will survive because of their strong financial foundation, market foothold and a ton of ingenuity and grit; and these will be stronger once we get to the “new normal.” Importantly, the consumer will have changed, too.