just-drinks authors and correspondents

Columns by Stephen Beaumont

Comment - Beer - Beaumont's Brews

Award-winning writer and author Stephen Beaumont gives us his monthly thoughts on what is keeping the global beer industry busy.

Articles by Stephen Beaumont

What can the brewing industry learn from Anheuser-Busch InBev? - Comment 29 May 2018

If there is a single overriding lesson to be learned from just-drinks' analysis of Anheuser-Busch InBev's performance over the last five years, it is one more obvious than a pint of IPA at a Champagne tasting. Put bluntly, that lesson is: Global expansion + cost reduction = increased profitability.

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Why a growing craft brewer isn't always a takeover target – Comment 17 May 2018

Last month, the US trade organisation for craft brewers, the Brewers Association, released a most interesting list. just-drinks' resident beer commentator, Stephen Beaumont takes a closer look at the chart of the fastest-growing US craft brewers in 2017.

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What can the beer industry learn from Molson Coors? - Comment 5 April 2018

Without question one of the more interesting drinks companies to watch over the past few years has been Molson Coors. From the 14% drop in sales posted in 2015 to the boost provided by the acquisition of the 58% of MillerCoors it didn't already own in 2016, from the surprisingly-high cost savings of US$200m in 2017, to the loss in share price value of 21% during the same year, the past half-decade has been nothing short of a rollercoaster for the world's third-largest brewer by value and fifth-largest by volume.

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What can the beer industry learn from Carlsberg? - Comment 22 March 2018

If the principle lesson learned from just-drinks' analysis of Heineken's performance in the last five years is "don't panic", the overarching theme of Carlsberg's last half-decade of struggles might be the even more clichéd "don't put all your eggs in one basket". Said basket being, in this case, Russia.

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What can the beer industry learn from Heineken? - Comment 6 March 2018

Heineken has released its 2017 results and, despite the generally-depressed state of the global beer market today, the group reported some very positive trends. It therefore merits consideration with an eye towards what others in the brewing business and, indeed, the drinks industry, in general, can learn from the world's number two brewer.

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What's coming up in beer in 2018? - Predictions for the Year Ahead - Comment 23 January 2018

Our 2018 category previews continue. Here, beer industry commentator Stephen Beaumont shares his predictions on how the brewing world will weather the year ahead.

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Why Asia is the latest front in the craft beer battle - Comment 23 November 2017

We're off to Asia with beer commentator Stephen Beaumont this month. Vietnam, to be specific, with the country serving as an example of how the continent is becoming the next battleground for beer's higher-end players.

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Is 'innovation' a dirty word in the beer industry? - Comment 17 October 2017

This month, our beer industry commentator, Stephen Beaumont, looks at the innovation record of the brewing multinationals and finds them heavily reliant on the smaller, craft players out there.

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Will the latest attack on the big brewers stick? - Comment 21 September 2017

Rarely a week goes by without the multinational brewers being given a hard time by someone or other. However, the latest flare-up, in the UK, has caught the attention of our regular beer commentator, Stephen Beaumont.

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Where is Molson Coors today and where will it be tomorrow? - Comment 24 August 2017

Following on from just-drinks' analysis of Molson Coors' performance over the last five years, just-drinks' beer commentator Stephen Beaumont, considers the takeaways for the wider brewing industry.