From Forbes.com Once a magnet for those looking for a free beer, brewery tours have gotten much more sophisticated in recent years. Along with that gratis beer, breweries the world over are offering everything from in-depth tours to lessons in beer-making. Some have even built restaurants or brewpubs where visitors can lunch on a Kobe burger and wash it down with a German-style ale. Add it all up, and you have more than just a free beer; you have a perfect Saturday afternoon.  read more »

The Morning Advertiser gives the news today of a European Beer Consumers Union constitution which will be signed on 24 June. It sounds rather official: The over-riding aim of the organisation is to ensure there will still be a wide choice of craft brewed beers available for future generations. "In a climate where the big brewers continue to get bigger and bigger and lose all contact with their original routes, axing local beer brands and closing breweries it is essential that the beer drinkers of Europe stand up for local quality beer and fight to protect and promote Europes beer heritage," said ECBU chairman Terry Lock. Why has there not been a beer drinkers' consumer organization arise in North America?  read more »

Brewpub
Date and time reviewed: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:13:02 EST

Overall Score: 73.3
Selection: 4.25 | Service: 3.75 | Atmosphere: 3 | Food: 3.5

Reviewer: Curmudgeon

Fremont is a small community neatly tucked in between downtown Seattle and the University of Washington. (I include the "U" as a township since it has its own police force & post office!)

It has become a haven for the eclectic & artistic full of pubs, restaurants, book & music stores, costume shops, their very own gay pride parade & bathtub races every year (although not at the same time!)

It's also home to Hale's Ales, the only brewpub remaining from the enterprising mind of Mike Hale who, after traveling through Europe by bicycle was so impressed with the beer, decided to try his hand in his native Washington. The little town of Colville saw his first brewery open 25 years ago, followed soon by a second on the shores of Lake Washington in Kirkland. Eventually the Colville "store" closed its doors & the Kirkland location moved to Fremont where "the main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing."  read more »

"We have a situation where the big brewers are now paying attention and learning from their smaller counterparts."

Seemingly small beer brands are becoming increasingly big business in the US, as a growing number of major brewers move to enter or consolidate their positions in the craft brewing category. via Food And Drink Europe

Femsa brands grow. Heineken NV today reported that Heineken USAs shipments and sales to retailers slipped during the first half of the year. The declines reflected weakness in Dutch portfolio. The Femsa family of Mexican beer brands grew, with Dos Equis and Tecate leading the way. From the release: Sales volume at Heineken USA was 2.4% lower. Beer sales volume (excluding the FEMSA brands) was 5.8% lower, partly due to strong sales in 2007, when the Heineken Premium Light can and the DraughtKeg were rolled out nationally, and reduction of inventories at distributors level in 2008. Depletions of the Dutch portfolio sales by distributors to retailers were 3.7% lower. Heineken Premium Light outgrew the light beer category (+2.2%), thanks to new pack types, a strong performance in the food and liquor channels and the launch of the new Share the Good marketing campaign. Depletions of the Heineken Lager brand were 3.5% lower, as a result of less promotion and weak on-trade. Heineken Lager continues to grow in Central USA and on the West Coast but it was lower in the East. Amstel Light depletions were 12% lower; in May Heineken launched a new marketing campaign a dam good beer. Newcastle Brown Ale has already been integrated into the Heineken USA portfolio. The FEMSA portfolio grew 6.1% in sales volume and 7.6% in depletions, gaining share in the import segment. This strong performance was driven by Dos Equis (+18%) and Tecate (+5.3%). During a press conference, the brewer noted that it passed higher input costs on to consumers in every market except the United States. From the Financial Times: The brewer raised prices by 4 per cent in Europe and said more would follow in all of its markets. However, in the US, Heineken has to pay much more heed to domestic brewers before passing on costs. In the USA our competitive position is what counts and is paramount, so investing in the brand and not losing our competitive position is high on our agenda, Jean-Francois van Boxmeer, chief executive said. Here's the Heineken earnings release . Here's the Financial Times story . Correction: Corona Lights volume share in supermarkets has been flat for the 12 weeks ended August 16, not up 1 point as stated in yesterdays post.  read more »

"Central and Eastern Europe continued to drive our growth, reflecting the significant opportunities in these developing and emerging beverage markets"

This week, PepsiAmericas reports profit success following developments in emerging markets, Adnams launches a green beer in the UK, and InnoBev US forum plans to open its doors. via Food And Drink Europe

In my previous visits to Myanmar I have only ever encountered Myanmar Beer in 640ml bottles but thanks to a recent export drive cans of the brew are now making their way across the continent to friendly markets such as Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The beer is just as good in a can and is well-suited to the Southeast Asian climate with a dry yet balanced full-bodied taste with a healthy level of carbonation. Despite international sanctions from America and Europe most Asian countries could not care less about Myanmars domestic shenanigans and are more than happy to trade with the country. Myanmar Brewery Limited is now an established corporate entity and also brews a number of international beers under license including Tiger Beer, ABC Stout and Anchor Beer.  read more »

I don't know what it is like where you are, but here in the rainy eastern end of the Great Lakes it's the year of the bumper crop, with Ontario's wheat crop set to be a record . That got me thinking about last spring's talk about price increases for brewers. Here are some stories harvested from around the world on the summer's beer ingredient: In July, it was reported that Coors set base price for malting barley in Montana and Wyoming at at $11.50 for 100 pounds , a $4 increase over last year's price. But by a week later on August 1, average prices for barley were dropping in North Dakota due to the failure to reach the required malting barley standards - just like in Hungary as it happens.  read more »

Yet another brewery that I haven’t yet seen around NC!  read more »

Heineken says it hopes to consolidate its position within the high growth Romanian beer and mineral water market by acquiring Transylvania-based brewer Bere Mures for an as yet undisclosed fee. via Food And Drink Europe