Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings said on May, 7 its consolidated sales reached just 442.772 bln yen in the first quarter of this year versus 487.287 bln yen a year ago.

Operating income surged to 23.846 bln yen (9.454 bln yen in Q1 2009). The company achieved a net income of 6.157 bln yen, versus a loss of 6.172 bln yen in the same quarter last year. Consolidated ordinary income increased by 56.3% to 20.6 bln yen.

While beer and happoshu markets shrank due to a heightened sense of frugality among consumers in the first quarter of this fiscal, but primary product sales remained strong, Kirin said.

Kirin’s Alcohol Beverages business reported a 5.8% increase in consolidated sales (236.4 bln yen), and a 15.2% growth in consolidated operating income to 15.8 bln yen.

For the full fiscal year, Kirin kept unchanged the earnings outlook it released earlier this year. The company continues to predict a group net profit of 48 billion yen, an operating profit of 133 billion yen and sales of 2.2 trillion yen.

London-based drinks giant Diageo plc issued on May, 6 an interim management statement for the nine months ended 31 March 2010.

In the nine months ended 31 March 2010 net sales were up 2% on an organic basis against the comparable period. In the quarter ended 31 March 2010 organic net sales growth was 12%, the owner of the iconic Guinness beer said.

On a reported basis net sales grew by 4% in the nine months ended 31 March 2010 and by 9% in the quarter ended 31 March 2010, against the comparable prior period in each case. Growth for the year to date was driven broadly equally by organic growth and the impact of exchange rates movements since the comparable period. Net assets were £4,418 million at 31 March 2010, having been £4,591 million at 31 December 2009. The only material change in the financial position of the group was the liability in respect of the interim dividend partially offset by foreign exchange movements.

Paul Walsh, Chief Executive of Diageo commented: “As we had anticipated we delivered strong organic net sales growth for this third quarter. While we have seen some signs of recovery, albeit fragile in the mature markets and ...More Info

India’s largest brewer, United Breweries (UBL), said on May, 5 its sales volume grew by 20% against a total industry growth of 10% in the year ended March 31, 2010.

Through the market outperformance, the brewer reinforced its position as market leader in both the mild & strong categories with Kingfisher Premium & Kingfisher Strong continuing to dominate their respective segments.

The strong beer market grew 13% versus a decline in mild beer by 2%.

UBL’s overall market share now stands at twice that of its nearest competitor. Key contributors to the company’s growth were Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Orissa. This growth is all the more significant as UBL discontinued supplies to Andhra Pradesh in the height of summer, and given the slump in Karnataka beer consumption because of severe increases in the Government’s taxation of beer. In the last month of the financial year, the Karnataka market has shown signs of recovery.

UBL’s gross margin increased by Rs. 159 crore in the financial year, despite the fact that recycled bottle prices have increased substantially. The company has lowered costs of power and fuel by 15% in absolute terms through efficiency improvements and the increased use of biomass ...More Info

Czech beer maker Kralovsky pivovar Krusovice, bearing the name Heineken CR since the beginning of this year, posted Kc176 mln profit in 2009 after a loss of Kc44 mln in 2008, CTK reported on May, 7.

Heineken CR is the third biggest player on the Czech market.

According to the company’s financial statement, its sales grew from Kc1.195 bln in 2008 to Kc3.092 bln last year, partly thanks to a merger with brewery Starobrno, whose sales reached Kc1.627 bln in 2008.

On the other hand, the firm ended operation in the Znojmo brewery.

Heineken entered the Czech market in 2003, when it bought Starobrno. In 2007 it acquired Kralovsky pivovar Krusovice and Drinks Union in 2008. Drinks Union has four breweries.

Domestic breweries of the Heineken group last year brewed 2.62 million hectolitres of beer, down 5.2 percent year-on-year. Beer sales on the domestic market fell by 1 percent, exports decreased by almost 5 percent.

According to Heineken's estimates, its market share in the Czech Republic last year rose to 12.4 percent.

The Boston Beer company reported on May, 5 a first quarter core product depletions increase of approximately 14% as compared to the first quarter of 2009. Net income for the first quarter was $6.3 million, or $0.44 per diluted share, an increase of $4.9 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, from the first quarter of 2009, primarily as a result of increased core shipment volume, partially offset by increased investments in advertising and expansion of the company's sales force. Net revenue for the first quarter of 2010 was $94.0 million, an increase of $12.9 million, or 16%, over the same period last year, mainly due to core shipment volume gains, with minor improvements in pricing, partially offset by a decrease in non-core revenue of $3.6 million, due to the termination of the Packaging Services Agreement with Diageo North America, Inc. in May 2009.

Core shipment volume for the three months ended March 27, 2010 was approximately 454,000 barrels, a 19% increase versus the same period in 2009.

Jim Koch, Chairman and Founder of the company, commented, "Our wholesaler and sales force execution in the quarter propelled us to a record first quarter for depletions. The introduction of our new spring seasonal, Samuel ...More Info

For 2010-11, Canada’s barley seeded area is expected to fall by 4% to 3.38 mln ha and harvested area is expected to fall by the same amount to 2.8 mln ha, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada reported on May, 5.

Production is forecast to decline by 7% to 8.83 mln tonnes as yields fall to trend levels. Total supply is forecast to fall by 1% to 11.1 mln tonnes due to lower carry-in stocks.

The nation’s total barley exports are forecast to be unchanged at 2.3 mln tonnes, while carry-out stocks fall by 27% to 1.6 mln tonnes.

The CWB malt barley PROs are about 4% lower than 2009-10. The non-board price of feed barley is forecast to fall slightly from 2009-10. For 2010-11 the US, China and Japan should remain Canada’s largest export destinations for malt barley.

Australia and Ukraine have replaced Canada as the feed barley supplier to Saudi Arabia which had been an important market. Canadian feed barley exports are expected to remain very low, similar to 2009-10. The livestock feed market in Western Canada continues to be one of the world’s highest priced feed barley markets. This, in combination with high shipping costs decreases the competitiveness of Canadian feed ...More Info

The Czech Republic exported 4,144 tonnes of hops to 44 countries last year, which was 5.37 percent less than in 2008 and the lowest amount in the past ten years, Michal Kovarik of the Czech Hop Growers Association was quoted as saying by CTK on May, 5.

Czech growers last year harvested 6,616 tonnes of hops, down by 2 percent on the year.

After the poor harvest results in 2006 and 2006 the situation on the hops market is turning to a global overproduction, Kovarik said.

Among the largest buyers of Czech hops are Japan, Germany, Poland, China, Russia, Belgium and Britain. Breweries in Finland, Peru, Columbia, New Zealand, Ukraine, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary are among important clients as well.

Japan, traditionally the biggest buyer, took up over 43 percent of the exports last year.

There were two new buyer countries in the year - Taiwan and Zambia.

"The total number of countries to which Czech hops have been exported since the year 1998 thus grew to 77," Kovarik said.

Hop yields reached 1.25 tonnes per hectare last year, while in 2008 it was 0.02 tonnes more.

The Czech Republic ranks fourth in the world in terms of hop fields, right behind Germany, the USA and China.

A. VAN LANDSCHOOT, N. VANBENEDEN, D. VANDERPUTTEN AND K. PIENS

ABSTRACT In 16 case studies the traditional infusion mashing method was compared with isothermal mashing at 60-65°C combined with short mashing at half of the normal mashing time. Also, the effect of mash pH adjustment (5.4-5.6) and application of exogenous enzymes (proteases, glucanases, amylases, and amyloglucosidases) was studied. The results indicated that isothermal short mashing is a potential economic mashing process. Adjustment of the mash pH had a positive effect on the mashing performance. The use of exogenous enzymes in infusion mashings gave an increase in the amino acid concentration but this is not essential for the later fermentation process since basic wort free amino nitrogen (FAN) levels are already high enough.
Cerevisia, 34(3) 2009 http://www.cerevisia.eu