Shipments of beer and beer-like alcoholic drinks by five Japanese brewers rose 2.5 % in October from a year before for the third straight monthly increase as higher temperatures stimulated demand, industry groups said Friday, November 11, according to Kyodo News.

The shipments by Kirin Brewery Co., Asahi Breweries Ltd., Suntory Ltd., Orion Breweries Ltd. and Sapporo Breweries Ltd. totaled 39.96 million cases during the period. One case holds 12.66 liters, or the equivalent of 20 633-mlliliter bottles.

Shipments of so-called "third-category beer" -- beer-like sparkling alcoholic beverages subject to lower liquor taxes --jumped 3.2-fold to 6.83 million cases, accounting for 17.1 percent of total shipments in October.

Beer shipments posted a 2.0 percent rise to 22.60 million cases. The shipments increased for the first time in two months, helped by brisk sales of beer for restaurant use.

"Happoshu" low-malt beer shipments fell 28.4 percent to 10.53 million cases, hit by explosive growth in sales of the beer-like sparkling alcoholic beverages. Happoshu shipments fell below the year-before level for the 15th straight month.

Fraser & Neave, a Singapore conglomerate that brews beer, owns shopping malls and prints magazines, posted on Friday, November 11 a 2.6 percent rise in full year net profit to S$299.5 million ($176.3 million), according to Reuters.

The group, which co-owns Singapore's most popular beer brand Tiger, said profits would rise in its next financial year but warned that its business faced higher costs.

Shares in the firm, founded as a printing business by Scotsmen John Fraser and David Neave in Singapore in 1883, have risen 4.3 percent since the start of the year, valuing the group at around $2.4 billion.

F&N shares trade at 15.4 times forecast 2005 earnings, slighty more expensive than Taiwanese snack maker Want Want Holdings , which is valued at 13.6 times, Reuters data shows.

Fraser & Neave and Dutch brewer Heineken jointly own Tiger beer maker Asia Pacific Breweries holding 38 percent and 42.5 percent, respectively.

According to the latest forecasts of World Grain Council, the world trade of malt for 2005/06 will decrease continuously in the third season mainly in connection with the continuous reduction of malt imports of Japan and Russia.

It is forecasted, that the Russian malt import in 2005/06 will be lowered by 70 thousand tons, which reflects the increase in the internal malt production replacing the imports.

As a result Russia will reduce almost twice the imports of malt in comparison with 2002/03, when into the country were imported 800 thousand tons.

With lower rates, but the reduction of Japan’s malt import will also continue, where an increase in the demand for the beer substitutes with the low malt content can be noted.

Brazil as before remains the most important importer of malt. For 2005/06 it is forecasted that the import of malt into this country will grow by 3% to the record figure of 930 thousand tons.

In spite of the forecasted decrease in the malt exports, EU keeps confidently its dominating position in the malt world trade. With a noticeable gap after EU come the malt exporters from Australia and Canada.

Polar, Venezuela, is reported to have purchased 188,000 tones of malt for 2006, 118,000 tones of two-row spring varieties at prices between € 225,- and € 230,- and 70,000 tones of six-row winter barley malt at € 208/ € 210 FOB in bulk, origin EU.

Analysts report that Ambev (Inbev) booked a total of 100,000 tones, of which 40,000 tones to Brazil, 25,000 tones to Venezuela, 12,000 tones to Cuba, 10,000 tones to Peru, the balance for Ecuador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. At least all Pacific coast destinations were apparently covered from Canada.

CIF-prices differed, of course, according to parcel size and destination, the rumoured resulting FOB levels are US $ 260 FOB Canadian Pacific for two-row malt and € 215 FOB EU ports for a 50/50 mix of winter and spring barley malt.

Kaiser and Schincariol of Brazil are in the market now, but have not concluded their purchases yet. Costa Rica is said to have bought 6000 tones at undisclosed terms. SAB has entered the market to cover next year's demand for its new acquisition in Panama.

ONIC (Office National Interprofessionnel des Cereales) has increased its forecast for French barley production with 54 thousand metric tonnes for the market-year 2005-2006 up to 10.54 million metric tonnes, compared to 11.04 million metric tonnes in 2004-2005, according to ONIC’s communication from November 9.

ONIC forecast as well 4.4 million metric tonnes of French barley exports to European Union for 2005-2006 (+180,000 tonnes compared to the last month forecast) thanks to the dynamic sales to Spain and Portugal.

France’s barley exports to third countries were forecast at 1 million metric tonnes of barley and 1.5 million metric tonnes of malt, stable figures compared to the last month forecast and compared to exports realized in 2004-2005.

Research at Oregon State University shows that beer contains a micronutrient that inhibits cancer-causing enzymes, United Press International (UPI) posted on November 7.

The compound, xanthohumol, was first isolated by Oregon State 10 years ago and an increasing number of laboratories across the world have begun studying the compound, said Fred Stevens, an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry at Oregon State's College of Pharmacy.

The substance comes from the hops plant used to give beer its aroma and flavor, ABC News reported.

Most beers made today are low on hops, however, and so don't contain much xanthohumol. But beers such as porter, stout and ales have much higher levels of the compound. Mice studies show that the compound is metabolized quickly by the body, so it's hard to get a large amount in the body at one time, Stevens said.

"It clearly has some interesting chemo-preventive properties, and the only way people are getting any of it right now is through beer consumption," he said.