As from 1st July, the beer will be taxed according to its alcohol percentage, Bluewin published June 11. Switzerland is going to apply the same system existent in European Union, but consumers will not be forced to pay more for a beer.

The tax will increase to 16.88 francs per hl for light beer (2.4 -2.8%), 25.32 francs for normal or special beer (4.8 – 5.2%) and 33.76 francs for strong beer (more than 5.8%). The beer with alcohol percentage less than 0.5% is exonerated from tax.

After the reform, only strong and special beers could be 1% more expensive. Tax facilities could reach 40% for breweries which yearly production is under 55,000 hl.

The beer tax yields 100 mil francs per year for the Confederation. The system change is not supposed to bring other incomes.

Domestic shipments of beer and beerlike beverages rose in May for the first time in four months thanks to a rise in "third-category" beer, according to industry data, Kyodo News reported June 13. Overall shipments rose 5.2% compared with a year ago to 40.94 million cases, according to beer producers and the Brewers Association of Japan.

Shipments of third-category beer, mostly nonmalt sparking drinks that taste similar to beer, soared 70.5% compared with the previous year, when sales slumped after the government imposed a higher tax levy on them. In contrast, shipments fell 4.2% for real beer and 4.7% for the low-malt quasibeer known as "happoshu."

Beer sales in Bulgaria reached 1.959 million hectolitres from January to May 2007 according to Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB) statistics, Sofia Echo reported June 15.

These levels represent an 18.4 per cent increase in comparison to data for the same period of 2006, when sales totaled 1.655 million hectolitres, investor.bg reported.

Beer consumption growth slowed down in the end of the period.

Bulgarian brewers sold 592 934 hectolitres in May 2007, 10.71 per cent less than in May 2006.

UBB statistics are made on the sales of brands Zagorka, Kamenitsa, Carlsberg Bulgaria, Bolyarka, Lomsko Pivo and Agrima.

Zagorka registered highest sales figures fro the five-month period totaling 621 590 hectolitres. The company sold 171 572 hectolitres in May, which placed it second for the month after Kamenitsa.

Kamenitsa ranks first in beer sales for May. It sold 188 068 hectolitres beer in May and 558 518 hectolitres for the entire period.

Beer sales registered by Karlsberg Bulgaria for the entire period total 531 165 hectolitres and 149 232 hectolitres for May.

To further concentrate on its beer production, France's leading brewery Kronenbourg, part of Scottish & Newcastle, has sold its restaurant chain 'Maître Kanter' to the Flo Group, Flexnews reported June 12.

Flo Group already owns famous French restaurant chains such as Hippopotamus, Bistro Romain and Tablapizza.

The Group intends to continue opening new ‘taverns’ in France, it said in a statement. The Group adds that Kronenbourg will continue to supply the restaurants with its beer.

Meanwhile, activities in Scottish & Newcastle's Kronenbourg brewery in Obernai, eastern France, were resumed on Friday after workers ended a 4-day strike over compulsory overtime hours.

After two years of steady consumption on the local beer market, French brewers became concerned about the increasing barley prices estimated to grow 50% in next months, AFP reported June 14.

“The tensions over barley prices will make them grow”, Gerard Laloi, President of French brewers said at a conference. Due to a sunny summer, the French market has remained quasi-stable in 2006, for a second year in a row, at 20.2 mil hl, after a continuous decrease of 25% in 25 years. The beer consumption in France constitutes 33 liters per capita, one of the weaker in Europe.

France is the 8th beer producer in Europe, with more than 16 mil hl, including 1.6 mil hl exported. With around 100.000 employees, the beer branch yields a global turnover of 12.6 billion euros. French Brewers Association unites 64 brewers and represents 99% of the market.