Category: International
Coverage of the international alcohol beverage scene
News Greene King Gets Final Approval to Build New Brewery in UK
With excess brewing capacity at an all-time high across the globe as beer consumption declines, building a new brewery from the ground up is almost unheard of in the industry. Almost. Greene King has received final approval for its new $49 million brewery in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK and construction will begin by the middle of this year.
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News Asahi to Help Fund Research Project Aimed at Stemming British Hop Decline
Asahi UK has announced it will help fund two research projects looking into the development of sustainable solutions to protect British beer hops, as hop production in the UK has halved in size over the last decade.
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News New SIBA Campaign in UK Allows Consumers to Identify Independent Craft Brewers
A new campaign in the UK, launched by the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA), includes a “brewery checker” tool to find out if a brewery is independently owned or owned by a “global company.”
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News Scottish Brewery Makes Claim of ‘World’s Strongest Beer’ – But There’s a Catch
88 Brewery in Edinburgh, Scotland has claimed that their Scottish Ale Beithir Fire is the “World’s Strongest beer,” weighing in at 75% abv. But there’s a catch. The beer is blended with Scottish spirits, so that not all of the alcohol in the “beer” is derived from fermentation of the beer itself.
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News Pub Closures in England Continue at Rapid Pace
There has been a 51% increase in the number of pubs that have closed in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year across England and Wales. A total of 239 pubs have closed or been converted to other uses in the region.
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News Garrett Oliver Helps Save Historic British Brewing System ‘Burton Unions’
Two brewers in the UK have agreed to save what is perhaps the last remaining Burton Unions fermentation set. Burton Unions have been used in brewing British-style ales for well over 150 years. It is an odd ‘set’ of wooden barrels that are tied together in ‘union’ to create a unique method of fermentation.
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News Greene King to Close Historic 200 Year Old Westgate Brewery and Move to New Modern Facility
Greene King will be moving out of its historic Westgate Brewery in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk to a new site in the same town. The British brewer has brewed beers such as Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale at the Westgate Brewery for over 200 years.
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News UK Brewery Closures Increase by 82% in 2023
The number of breweries in the UK breweries that closed in 2023 grew by 82%, rising from 38 in 2022 to 69 by the end of December. The reasons for the sudden spike in closures seems to mirror those in the US where an increase in cost of goods, reduced consumer spending due to inflation and changing consumer drinking habits all had an impact on craft breweries.
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News Asahi to Close Meantime Brewery in UK
Asahi announced that it is closing Meantime Brewery in Greenwich, UK and will move the brewing of Meantime beers to its Fuller’s site in Chiswick. The move is becoming familiar as large brewers close small craft breweries that they acquired in order to consolidate production.
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News Britain Puts the Freeze on Alcohol Tax Increases for 12 Months
Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt today announced a freeze on any increase in alcohol taxes until February 2025. The announcement was met with mixed reviews as many in the alcohol industry have been pushing for a reduction in taxes.
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News Asahi Looks at More Acquisitions to Meet Demand
Asahi Group Holdings is looking for a brewery to buy. After the huge growth of Asahi Super Dry across the globe in 2023, the Japan-based brewer is looking to acquire a brewery in the US or elsewhere to increase its brewing capacity to meet demand.
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News Carlsberg Buys 20% Stake in Mikkeller
Global brewing giant Carlsberg has purchased 20% of fellow Danish craft brewery Mikkeller, known for its distinctive marketing campaigns and sometimes controversial business approach. The deal will allow Mikkeller founder Mikkel Bjergsø to maintain controlling interest and remain as CEO.
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News Kestemont Brewery is Newest Belgium Lambic Brewer
The Kestemont Brewery in Dilbeek, Belgium, has become a new member of the High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beers (HORAL). The council now has a total of 11 Belgium breweries which collectively account for 80% of traditional lambic production.
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News Carlsberg to Sell Famed Ringwood Brewery
Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company plans to close the famed Ringwood Brewery in Ringwood, England and move production of the brands such as Old Thumper to other Carlsberg plants. The company announced that the brewery would close in January 2024.
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News Britain Freezes Tax on Beer Until Next Summer
British chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced last week that the government would freeze taxes on alcohol until at least summer of 2024. “I have listened to defenders of the great British pint, and I have decided to freeze all alcohol duty until August next year”, he said during his fall budget statement.
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News American Craft Beer Sales on the Decline in Europe
Sales of American craft beer in Europe is declining, likely a product of a ‘drink local’ trend and consumers migrating into non-beer beverages. Overall craft beer volume exported to Europe declined by about 20% from 78,994 barrels in 2021 to 63,755 in 2022.
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