The largest Czech brewery Plzensky Prazdroj sold more than 10.9 million hectolitres of beer in 2007, a growth of 2 percent year-on-year, chief executive Mike Short told CTK, January 29.

The growth was mainly thanks to sales abroad which grew by 7 percent to 2.76 million hectolitres. Prazdroj exports its beer to 56 countries.

Sales on the Czech market rose by 0.5 percent to nearly 8.2 million hectolitres, mainly on record sales in April and May. The group will make public financial results for the past financial year, ending on March 31, in May.

Results of the entire Czech market will be know in February. Czech Beer and Malt Association head Jan Vesely estimates the total output will reach a record 20 million hectolitres, a year-on-year growth of 1 percent.

Czech beer exports will probably grow to 3.7 million hectolitres from 3.54 million hectolitres.

Prazdroj's top-selling brand on the Czech market was Gambrinus, while Radegast retained the leading post in Moravia.

Sales of the Pilsner Urquell premium lager increased by nearly 3 percent despite a growth in its price on growing popularity of the premium segment. Prazdroj raised beer prices by around 6 percent in November last year.

Despite a huge increase in hops price and rising ...More Info

Efes Breweries International N.V. (“EBI”), 70% subsidiary of Anadolu Efes, announced that EBI and Heineken International B.V. (“Heineken”) signed an agreement to establish a Joint Venture (“JV”) to jointly invest in the Uzbek beer market through acquisition of breweries, EBI reported in a press release, January 28. Accordingly EBI and Heineken will have 60% and 40% shares in the JV, respectively, whereas EBI will also have the management control.

Uzbekistan has an estimated 2007 population of 27 million where the beer market is estimated to have grown by 27% on a compounded annual basis between 2001 and 2007. However the current per capita beer consumption is estimated to be only 11 liters. Currently neither EBI nor Heineken have beer production in Uzbekistan. In addition EBI and Heineken also announced their intention to collaborate in the Kazakh and Serbian beer markets.

Currently EBI is the second largest brewer in Kazakhstan with 25% market share and operates two breweries with an aggregate annual brewing capacity of 2.1 million hectoliters (“mhl”). Heineken is the 5th largest brewer in the market with 5% market share and currently has 0.4 mhl annual brewing capacity. The collaboration entails the restructuring of the operations in Kazakhstan following ...More Info

German beer consumption continued its steady decline in 2007, domestic sales falling 3.7 per cent on the year to 88.5 million hectolitres and almost 12 million hectolitres over the past decade, the federal statistics office reported, according to DPA, January 29. Beer production fell 2.7 per cent to 103.9 million hectolitres, the difference being tax-free production - beer destined for export or consumed by brewery staff under long-standing tradition.

The official beer figures do not include alcohol-free beers, which have gained in popularity in recent years, or beer imported from outside the European Union.

The statistics office noted that consumption of beer-based drinks, including mixtures of beer with lemonade, cola or fruit juice, had risen 18 per cent over the year to 4.2 million hectolitres, equivalent to 4.0 per cent of total sales.

Germans consumed more than 85 per cent of their own beer, with most exports going to other EU members.

While beer consumption has declined steadily in Germany, wine consumption has shown a steady rise over recent years.

Last year Latvian beer producers sold 1.46 million hectoliters of beer, which is 3.76% more than in 2006 (1.41 mil hl), according to Latvian Beer Union, Delfi News reported January 27.

The biggest Latvian brewery – Aldaris – produced 61.30 million liters of beer in 2007, 5.33 mil liters more than in 2006. Its market share in Latvia is of 41.94%.

The second brewery is Cesu alus, with a market share of 24.71%. It produced 36.11 mil liters of beer last year.

The third is Livu alus with 11.58% of market and a production of 16.93 mil liters, 3.17 mil liters more than in 2006.

InBev announces that, as of close of business on January 28, 2008, 6,277,001 Class B shares (including Class B shares held as ADSs) of AmBev’s subsidiary Quilmes Industrial (Quinsa), Société Anonyme (“Quinsa”), representing 71.3% of the outstanding Class B shares of Quinsa not owned by AmBev or its subsidiaries, had been tendered in and not withdrawn from the voluntary offer made by AmBev, which exceeded the threshold of 5,968,722 Class B shares (including Class B shares held as ADSs) at which AmBev agreed to increase the tender offer price, according to InBev’s press release, January 29.

AmBev announced that it has increased the tender offer price to U.S.$4.125 per Class A share, U.S.$41.25 per Class B share and .S.$82.50 per ADS pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Offer to Purchase.

About InBev

InBev is a publicly traded company based in Leuven, Belgium. The company's origins date back to 1366, and today it is the leading global brewer. InBev’s strategy is to strengthen its local platforms by building significant positions in the world's major beer markets through organic growth, world-class efficiency, targeted external growth, and by putting consumers first. InBev has a portfolio of more than 200 brands, including Stella Artois®, Brahma®, ...More Info

The Closed Joint-Stock Company “Pivovarennaya Kompaniya “Syabar” (The brewing company “Syabar”) (Mogilevskaya Oblast) in 2007 produced 0.558 million hectoliters of beer which is by 45.4% higher than in 2006, according to Interfax, January 25.

"Growth of production was based on the total growth of consumption of beer in the country, extension of production capacities of the company and production of new beer brands", - clarified the specialists.

In accordance with the information received from the concern “Belgospischeprom”, the share of the company among the Byelorussian producers of beer, based on results of 2007, was 15.7% (ranks second). According to analytical agencies, in 2007 the share of the company in the total volume of retail sales of beer on the Byelorussian market was 14%.

According to received information, in July this year Production Complex “Syabar” finished the next stage of restructuring of production, thanks to which its production capacities on beer production grew twice up to 12 million deciliters per year. Extension of capacities also allowed start of production of new beer “Syabar” and “Bobrov Ice".

At present the enterprise produces two beer brands “Syabar" ("Samobytnoye" and "Svetloye"), and, in addition, four beer sorts “Bobrov” ("Svetloye", "Krepkoye" and "Klassicheskoye" and "Ice"). The product is bottled ...More Info

The world's biggest brewer InBev could hold the key to any further big deals in the global beer market, with links to Anheuser-Busch and SABMiller often hinted at after Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) succumbed to a takeover, Reuters reported January 29.

Belgium's InBev NV grew rapidly with the acquisition of Brazil's AmBev in 2004 and is expected by analysts to be at the centre of any potential mega-deal planned after S&N agreed to be broken up by Carlsberg and Heineken last week.

The world's top three brewers InBev, SABMiller and Anheuser-Busch are all suffering from the soaring price of barley and aluminium cans and so would look at deals that could trim their own costs and boost sales of their high-margin beers like Stella Artois, Peroni and Budweiser, analysts said. But with most of world's top ten brewers controlled by families or blocks of shareholders, deals are difficult to predict and the only certainty was the demise of S&N as it had the only true open share register among the top ten brewers.

Analysts say St Louis-based Anheuser will come under pressure as its two biggest U.S. domestic competitors SABMiller and MolsonCoors move closer to forming a U.S. joint venture -- so the Budweiser-brewer ...More Info

Canada's Agriculture Minister, Gerry Ritz, says he'll bring in legislation to end the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on barley sales and allow western farmers to sell their crops privately, CBC News reported January 29.

The idea of so-called optional marketing was endorsed at a meeting of farm and agribusiness groups on Tuesday in Ottawa. Ritz said he hopes the wheat board will embrace the idea at its own meetings in Winnipeg this week.

Ritz said having the board onside will make it easier for the federal government to pass the necessary legislation, but adds he's ready to go ahead even without the board.

It's time for change and the status quo isn't an option, Ritz said.

The question of barley marketing has split the ranks of Prairie farmers in the last year, with some embracing it and others seeing it as an attempt to dismantle the wheat board.

The National Farmers NFU's Glenn Tait said the meeting included representatives of Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland, Rahr Malting and Viterra but excluded those opposed to Ottawa's plans. Continue Article

"I think it's more of a bully session," he said. "Everybody intent on destroying the Canadian Wheat Board lined up on one side and two or three brave souls from ...More Info

In 2007, Russia sharply reduced the harvest of barley, according to AgriMarket, January 30.

According to the Federal Statistics Service of Russia, in 2007 the production of barley decreased by 13.8% to 15.6 mln tonnes.

The agricultural organizations remain the main producers of grain and industrial crops in 2007. Their share in the total yield of grain totalled 78.5%, unchanged as compared to 2006.

Arja Laitila
Academic dissertation in Microbiology presented, with permission of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry of the University of Helsinki, for public criticism in the Auditorium of Helsinki University Museum Arppeanum, Snellmaninkatu 3, on the 31st of August 2007, at 12 o’clock noon.

Abstract
Malted barley (malt) is traditionally used in the production of beer and distilled spirits. In addition, it can be processed into ingredients for different areas of the food industry. Malting, the controlled germination of cereal grains, is a complex biological process involving a wide range of biochemical and physiological reactions. The diverse microbial communities naturally colonizing barley grains play a crucial role in this process. Therefore, the malting process can be considered as an ecosystem involving two metabolically active groups: the germinating grains and the diverse microbiota. It is evident that the multitude of microbes greatly influences the malting process as well as the quality of the final product. The main goal of this thesis was to study the relationships between microbes and the germinating grain during the malting process. Furthemore, this study provides a basis for tailoring of malt properties with natural, malt-derived microbes....

Keywords barley, malting, malt quality, bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi, microbiota, management, biocontrol
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