| Charles River Water Beer Boston-based Harpoon Brewery is using water from the Charles River to brew a new batch of beer. The river's water for decades was considered so dirty that it was dangerous to consume, but that was before years of cleanup efforts. Harpoon drew 300 gallons of water from the river to make a limited 18-keg batch of Charles River Pale Ale. However they put the water through a multiple purification process done by Newton-based Desalitech, . Harpoon President Charles Storey says the brewery would never make a beer that does not complywith its own quality control protocols..To further assure customers of the beer's purity extensive information on testing of the water was made available to the general public in social media. And as we all know if it's on the Internet it must be true. |
Beer In China China's recent slowdown is worsening a stubborn problem for brewer SABMiller PLC: Despite the massive amount of beer consumed there, turning a decent profit isn't easy. China accounts for a quarter of the world's beer volumes and a tenth of the revenue but makes up just 3% of the global profit pool. Even Chinese brand Snow, the world's largest-selling beer, gets just 2% of its operating profit from China, despite the fact that the region makes up fully 20% of its global beer volumes. Uncommonly intense competition among large brewers in China keeps a tight lid on margins. . In the U.S., major brewers enjoy margins of up to 38% on their earnings before interest and taxes. In China, however 70% of the is split among five competitors--SAB's CR Snow joint venture, Tsingtao Brewery Co., AB InBev, Beijing Yanjing Brewery Co. and Carlsberg A/S--whose earnings before interest and taxes margins range between 6% and 9%. Now, after decades of robust growth, beer volumes in China are slumping and turning a profit is set to get even tougher. Beer consumption, which had grown at more than 6% a year on average over the past decade, was flat last year, a Beer executives blame the drop on a range of temporary factors like the economic slowdown and two unusually cool summers. But analysts worry the slump could be longer-term as China's population ages and per capita consumption declines. Experts predict beer volumes in China could fall by as much as 2.6% a year. According to the firm, 75% of beer is consumed by people aged 20 to 35, a group that over the next decade will decline by 2% a year in China as the one-child policy continues to reshape the country's population. Recently, SAB has been trying to push more premium beers in China, embarking on a strategy long employed by AB InBev, whose more upscale portfolio of beers--in particular Budweiser--has held it in good stead. CR Snow has followed that lead is working to sell more premium variants of its core brand, raising average selling prices in a bid to widen margins. The company's Snow Opera Lady and Opera Gent beers--fresher brews with shorter shelf lives--sell for 25 yuan($3.93) a bottle, compared with 3 to 5 yuan a bottle for the mass Snow brand. -------------------------------------------- |
| Feature News from beernexus.com |
Edited by Jim Attacap
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| BEERNEXUS the crossroads of the beer world |
| Illegal Breakfast Cereal Beer Breakfast cereal has been banned from some boarding schools in Zimbabwe because pupils were using it to brew beer, The country’s Chronicle newspaper said at least three schools in the south of the country had warned parents that oats and cereal made of sorghum would be confiscated when term began for the fall semester. Pupils reportedly mix the cereals with brown sugar and yeast and leave the mixture to ferment in the sun, creating a potent alcoholic mixture which they drink before, after and even during classes. Under-age drinking is a growing concern in Zimbabwe. Last month police in Bulawayo arrested 224 pupils – some as young as 13 – attending a “vuzu” party in which mainly cereal alcohol is consumed on the outskirts of the city. The students allegedly found the full recipe online and passed it on to their peers. |
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