UK brewers are taking “huge steps” to be more environmentally friendly with an expanded, targeted roadmap being launched to help the sector decarbonise at pace to reach net zero.
Craft brewers are starting to think of themselves as beverage companies rather than breweries, writes Maria Pearman, Beverage Practice Leader at US accounting and advisory firm GHJ.
Independent craft brewers in the UK dramatically expanded their routes to market through online webshops, taprooms and independent off-trade during the pandemic: all likely to become a ‘permanent additional string to independent brewers’ bows’.
Premiumization has been key in the low and no alcohol category to date. With the cost-of-living crisis, does this open up opportunities for the low and no-alcohol category to develop products in the economy space?
Heineken Vietnam has unveiled its largest brewery in Ba Ria Vung Tau: which has become the region’s largest after multiple expansions over the last five years.
Brewers have long been at the forefront of environmental causes and sustainable initiatives. From recycling to energy-efficient equipment, craft breweries have long worked to leave a minimal footprint in a very resource-heavy industry. The recent shock on fuel prices and rising energy costs along with an aging power grid in many states has caused breweries of all sizes to think about alternative energy sources or bringing equipment in-house to keep the lights on and taps flowing.
Small breweries with a niche stylistic focus have undertaken what is likely to be a years-long effort to create more direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping permissions for beer makers, similar to laws that already apply to wine. A victory would mean expanded sales opportunities for breweries and long-term potential to sell to new customers across the country. With a lawsuit filed against the state of Oregon, three Washington State breweries hope to show a courtroom can be more effective than legislators to even the playing field for beer producers.
Beer is a truly international beverage, with lagers, stouts, and ales consumed throughout the world. But which countries drink the most of it? The data, from Kirin Holdings (which oversees Kirin Brewery Company), was published in January of this year and shows the estimated country-by-country beer consumption levels for 2020.
With Australia looking to the US for beer style trends, will the latest business trend – breweries putting up the For Sale sign – also take hold here? Kate Bernot of Good Beer Hunting’s Sightlines looks into what’s driving the growing move towards breweries looking to sell in the US, and whether buyers are there…