A French exception | The Meteor family brewery in Hochfelden, at the heart of the hilly Kochersberg hops-growing region in Alsace, has begun the 21st century with the eighth generation of the Haag family at its helm. These Protestant captains of industry for whom beer is the fruit of human labour have not forgotten Luther’s principles; in 2017, Meteor brought out a special edition beer to commemorate 500 years since the Reformation, with the Protestant Church of Alsace-Moselle.

Hard seltzers | The hard seltzer craze has gripped the US. So much so, that White Claw’s shortage in the autumn caused a panic. How could an alcoholic drink that intentionally tastes like fizzy water with hints of flavour, explode into the drinking public’s consciousness and fuel a meteoric sales growth? The answer is: because hard seltzers are refreshing, have fewer calories than beer and appeal to all genders. But will they have staying power?

Consolidation | 2018 saw a number of changes in the Polish beer market. New breweries were founded and consumers were able to choose from a total of 853 new beers. However, there was some consolidation among producers. BRAUWELT International takes a closer look at the Polish market.

USA | Shipping beer and glass over long distances scores poorly on sustainability. Rabobank analyst Francois Sonneville favours a hybrid model, inspired by the wine industry, whereby beer is produced in the country of origin, shipped in bulk, and bottled in the market.

Craft lagers | Something strange is afoot in the American craft brew market: Almost every brewery is now making at least one blond lager! Why? Well, it offers new opportunities for both artisanal breweries and quality raw materials suppliers.

Beer in Ireland | Call it the luck of the Irish? While Ireland’s craft brewers have been struggling to build a local base by taking on the almighty duopoly of Guinness and Heineken, their bulging portfolios and deep pockets, consumers have moved on to drinking wines and spirits instead. And worse is to come. Once the UK leaves the EU, the whole industry will need to face up to its devastating consequences.

A taste revolution | Dating from the 1990s, the new generation of Quebec breweries is now represented by over 100 companies across a province that has been crowned as “New Belgium”. Journalist Julien Abadie de Slate sums up this recognition as follows: “Having emerged barely 25 years ago, québécois microbreweries are now among the most inventive in the world. This proves that brewing terroirs are not invented – they are built!”.

Bioriet V.O.F. | With the vision to free the European market from plastic straws even before 2021, a Dutch Start-up developed a premium paper straw in 2018 and brought it into production. In doing so, the two entrepreneurs behind Bioriet especially focus on resistance and sustainability.

Germany | AB-InBev has bought a 20 percent stake in Munich craft brewer Crew Republic, which, at 9,000 hl in annual beer sales, is among Germany’s largest. But over the past few years it has seen its spare capital shrink while it has struggled to hike sales.   

Germany | As of March 2020, several dozen Bavarian breweries will increase the deposit on beer crates from currently EUR 1.50 to EUR 6. This is meant to persuade tardy consumers to return crates more quickly rather than throw them away or store them in their basements.