June
Ghosts of Blue Sky past haunt brewery investors
Before it collapsed, the ASX-listed asset manager had put millions into a private equity group that owned the Boston beer operation. It hasn’t gone well.
Konvoy Kegs auction has a winner, one that will make the ACCC nervous
McGrathNicol has picked Kegstar, owned by American giant Microstar Logistics, as the preferred bidder, and is expected to formally sign a deal next week.
May
How Heineken bucked the trend and surged in China
The country’s biggest brewer is using its Dutch partner to reach more of the growing premium segment.
Why teetotallers are such a drag (on the economy)
From an economic thinker’s point of view, teetotalism is an incoherent and damaging ideology.
Small business says Labor’s card surcharge ban will be inflationary
Hotel and cafe lobby groups will meet the RBA’s head of payments to raise concerns about plans for the surcharge ban this week.
April
US trade player, Tanarra lob bids for Konvoy Kegs
Kegstar is said to be among a handful of parties being ushered through to the second round of the auction.
Endeavour’s Ari Mervis gets the broom out amid portfolio review
Ari Mervis is using the oldest trick in the book to placate shareholders – cutting costs, starting with staff.
March
Sydney Beer Co owes creditors $10m
Sydney Beer Co owes the Tax Office $1.3 million after collapsing on March 11.
Dark Emu beer with native grains at this destination brewery
A couple has built a farmhouse-style brewery in East Gippsland and intend to make it a destination.
Cricketer Brett Lee’s Sydney Beer Co goes bust
The beer company part-owned by the former Test fast bowler has been put into administration amid tough times in brewing.
Konvoy Kegs shuffles deckchairs as FTI Consulting lands
FTI will spend this week reviewing Konvoy’s capital structure, amid a liquidity crisis created on March 6 when private credit player AquAsia walked.
February
Beer sales have slumped. Here’s what Asahi’s CEO is doing about it
Beer consumption is a third lower than it was 20 years ago, prompting Asahi Beverages’ first female CEO to take the company beyond the amber nectar.
January
The beer company that quit the ASX and never looked back
Australia’s fourth-largest beer group, Good Drinks Australia, chose to delist after it felt the sharemarket wasn’t giving it a good deal.
Coopers Brewery appoints its first non-Cooper boss
Tim Cooper says drinkers are tiring of paying $17 for a pint of craft beer, and sales are rising at Coopers as people return to better-value mainstream beers.
It’s beer o’clock as craft brewers White Bay and Hawkers team up
The new group, dubbed Social Drinks, will hit the ground running on February 1 with an additional $1.5 million in the bank.
December 2024
‘Abomination’: Aussie schooner at centre of UK pint row
Do you prefer your beer by the pint or another measure? A House of Lords debate on a seemingly innocuous technical bill has reignited an age-old dispute.
Why this beer maker (and Nick Kyrgios) are all in on Gen Z drinkers
Low-carb beer group Stryda is raising capital. It says the percentage of Millennial and Gen Z drinkers will overtake Baby Boomers by 2026 – just don’t call it craft beer.
November 2024
The surprising sales helping Coopers defy a struggling beer market
A jump in home brewing kit sales and a new Australian lager from Australia’s largest family-owned beer company meant profits still rose as drinkers cut back.
October 2024
Ever heard of a beer farm? This paddock-to-pint brewery is onto something
Provenance is all around you at Devilbend Farm Beer Co, where Mike Shaw grows his own ingredients, from barley to hops – even the yeast.
How Australia challenges Japanese brewer and vitamins group Kirin
Beer is as old as time. But serving up the same products to the same customers is a recipe for failure.