You know that something is very wrong if chocolate Santa Clauses appear in supermarkets in August. Although international trade and advances in farming mean that seasonal food supplies are definitely a thing of the past, there are some traditions that should be upheld, even if only for the sake of tradition.

Only in America. In September 2016 Pabst Brewing started distributing Dog Tag Legacy Lager, a beer in cans that pays tribute to America’s fallen soldiers. Dog Tag Lager is different because consumers will be drinking it with purpose, reinventing the toast and reflecting on the dead.

With US craft brewers you can always be in for surprises. Greg Koch to all intents and purposes could become the next Walt Disney or Richard Branson (he who founded the Virgin empire) as he already sports three hats: that of brewer, publican and hotelier.

Thinking that streets must be paved with gold and they only needed to collect it, Scottish brewer BrewDog has launched a USD 50 million (EUR 45 million) crowdfunding round in August 2016, this time in the US, to help fund its new brewery in Ohio. It hopes to raise the money in six months.

The long-established Munich jeweller J.B. Fridrich GmbH & Co. KG cherishes values like authenticity, quality and trust –that’s why they’ve come up with something special to mark this year’s Bavarian anniversary of “500 years of Reinheitsgebot”, as the company reported in July.

Why, oh why? An attorney for the U.S. craft brewer Boston Beer on 24 June 2016, the day after Britain voted to leave the European Union, filed a trademark application for the term ‘Brexit’ to be used for a hard cider. The trademark petition was first brought to light on www.tantalizingtrademarks.com.

It’s a new kind of philanthropy: Lagunitas’ founder Tony Magee, 55, announced on 29 June 2016 he will open venues in two of the nation’s brewing hotbeds — Portland, Oregon, and San Diego, California — to be used exclusively by non-profit agencies for fundraising.

You may have been wondering, while watching television during the Euro 2016 soccer tournament, what the word “Probably” – posted on the perimeter advertising boards in all nine stadiums in France – refers to. Is it a mistake? And who’s behind it?

The festival season is upon us. This means overflowing porta-loos, four people in a small tent, and queuing for hours to buy a soggy burger. Music festivals in northern Europe are only for the hardy and the dedicated who don’t mind paying the equivalent of USD 10 for a deodorant stick. That’s why organisers advise punters to take with them reusable water bottles, sunscreen, toilet paper, wet wipes and condoms.

Clever marketing. London’s craft brewer Meantime has partnered with various designers and craftsmen in six UK cities over a six-month period in a bid to grow its presence outside the UK’s capital.