Things are rough all over, but the world’s fourth-largest brewer, Carlsberg, is hoping they will at least get a little better in northern and western Europe as well as Russia to help boost its sales. That's the guidance Carlsberg is giving to Wall Street, as it adjusts its financial outlook and warns investors that “operating profits would stall this year,” Reuters reports.

"We have taken a cautious view for northern and western Europe, and assume a slightly declining market in 2012," Carlsberg CFO Jorn Jensen stated at an investor presentation. "Consumers in Europe are assumed to remain under pressure from the macro economic situation." The beer market in Russia, where Carlsberg earns almost of its sales, should see “modest growth” in 2012 after a serious falloff last year.

Carlsberg CEO Jorgen Buhl said that the brand is working hard to build up its market share in Russia again. That plan includes taking “full control of Russian unit Baltika through an offer to buy the 15 percent it does not already own.”

While that would help its position in Russia immediately, the company admitted that the “challenging environment" in northern and western Europe would make things difficult there. The company is also looking for acquisitions in Asia, according to Bloomberg, where China is seen as the company's "growth engine."

James Bond has long been known as a martini drinker – shaken, not stirred, Moneypenny – but it appears that he may be continuing his fascination for another alcoholic beverage in his next film, Skyfall. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Bond film, Dr. No, though Ian Fleming’s famed books started hitting shelves in 1953 when Casino Royale was published.

Don’t be shocked If you see Bond, as played by Daniel Craig, tipping back a Heineken when Skyfall hits screens. Heineken has announced that it “will introduce an unprecedented and innovative global marketing campaign to support the launch of the new film.”

While this is the sixth Bond film that the beverage will be associated with, it will be the first time that Craig will be directly involved — for instance, co-star Eva Green did the honors for the beer's tie-in with Casino Royale.Continue reading...

About 5-10 percent of America has celiac disease, a condition that causes them to have trouble digesting food and drink that has gluten in it. This has led to a slow growth in gluten-free products. Beer is one of those things that folks who suffer from celiac disease can’t generally have. 

However, in recent years, smaller brewers have started to make gluten-free beers to help satisfy this market. Two celiacs started Bard’s Tale Brewery to help serve the thirsty, gluten-rejecting masses, and in 2006, the United Kingdom hosted the first gluten-free beer festival.

And now the Delaware-based Dogfish Head Beer is getting into the act.Continue reading...

As we noted last month, Starbucks has been quietly testing beer and wine sales in a handful of markets including Portland, Oregon, in order to woo customers during quieter "day parts" (read: after the coffee rush tails off in the mid-afternoon and into the evening). Today the brand confirmed the expansion of its U.S. locations introducing alcoholic beverages along with small plates of artisanal food such as dessert and cheese pairings (more details in its press release below).

Spiking its coffee menu with alcohol “makes sense if you think of the way that McDonald’s grew its business by going into breakfast” and specialty coffees, Interbrand SVP Bill Chidley commented to Bloomberg. “At a certain point, you need to grow revenue, you need to give people other reasons to come in.” The challenge: getting customers to expand their perception of Starbucks; and selling alcohol may turn off some families with children, he said. “It certainly is going to be controversial," Chidley added.

How Starbucks competitors respond will be closely watched. Can Drunkin Donuts be far behind?Continue reading...

If there is one thing a soccer fan likes to have at the match, it’s a beer. And if there’s one thing that big-event organizers love to have, it's major corporate sponsorship.

The former is what led FIFA to inform the next two countries scheduled to hold the men’s World Cup to “drop restrictions on beer sales in stadiums,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Alcoholic drinks are part of the FIFA World Cup, so we're going to have them. Excuse me if I sound a bit arrogant but that's something we won't negotiate," FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke commented at a press conference in Brazil, the BBC reports.Continue reading...

Beer me! Or, as they are saying in Ohio, "Yuengling Me!" The Dayton Business Journal reports that Ohioans have been gulping down so much of the Pennsylvania-made beer that D.G. Yuengling & Son is now America's largest brewer. (Suck it, Boston Beer Co.)

But Ohio boozehounds appear to be the outliers. Last year was a sobering year for beer sales, with shipments at their lowest level in the US since 2003. Global beer shipments flattened out by 2.9 million barrels, a drop of 1.4 percent from 2010. So brewers are looking to that same group everyone looks to for a bailout: China. Continue reading...

Contraband, an thriller about a New Orleans smuggler with a heart of gold, topped the box office this weekend. The film, starring one-time Calvin Klein underwear model "Marky Mark" Mark Wahlberg, attempted to quietly smuggle a little beer advertising into the minds of audiences as well. It did not work. Or did it? Continue reading...

When the teen-heartthrob band of brothers Hanson appeared on Saturday Night Live back in 1997, Will Ferrell and host Helen Hunt dressed up as terrorists, kidnapped the trio, and forced them to listen to their outrageously infectious and overly sappy hit tune MMMbop endlessly in hopes of making them all insane.

Well, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac came out of the studio alive and kicking that night (after performing the tune) but their latest venture may make some think they are slightly out of their minds.

Rolling Stone reports that the band next year plans to release a new brew, an India Pale Ale called (of course!) MMMHop IPA. Might as well take advantage of the one song that millions of people worldwide actually remember from the band that is still churning out tunes. The song, by the way, went double platinum and up to No. 1 in 27 countries. (Dang the Finnish! It only hit No. 4 there.)Continue reading...