Global beer sales down

October 8th, 2009 LONDON - Cobra Beer founder and chairman Lord Karan Bilimoria has vowed to spend several years repaying creditors 70 million pounds after his company went into a pre-pack administration earlier this year. Bilimoria said Wednesday he hoped to reach a settlement with the majority of unsecured creditors, including more than 300 small trade creditors, The Times reported Thursday.

September 15th, 2009 LONDON - A new libido-boosting beer, which is said to be more effective than Viagra, and has an "instant" effect, has been launched in Europe. Juergen Hopf, the brewer of the erotic tonic, claims that he made the uplifting discovery by accident when machines at his automated brewery in Schoenbrunn in Bavaria, Germany, broke down.

September 7th, 2009 LONDON - Defence chiefs in the UK are planning a "chilled" reception for the boys returning from a tumultuous Afghanistan to their homeland after a gruelling six months, by handing them beer cans as they board the flight back home. A "Beer for the boys" campaign has been started to collect cans of lager or bitter for men and women of the returning armed forces.

August 20th, 2009 Pizza shop worker, 72, foils robbers with beer canLANCASTER, Pa. — Police said a 72-year-old pizza shop employee foiled a shotgun-point robbery by throwing a can of beer at the perpetrators.

July 31st, 2009 As anticipate, on Thursday evening White House Rose Garden witnessed the "Beer Summit" and the taste of the president and three other guests. But who ever thought that non alcoholic Buckler beer would be a choice in the prestigious list of Beer Summit, it was never showed up in the probable lists of the experts.

July 31st, 2009 Africa helps SABMiller weather European beer dropLONDON — SABMiller PLC, the world's second-largest brewer, said Friday that it managed to withstand a sharp fall of 7 percent in second-quarter beer sales in Europe thanks to a strong performance in Africa and Asia. U.S. sales to retailers eased 0.8 percent but were boosted by better sales of craft and import brews.

July 6th, 2009 LONDON - A beer festival, called the Beer on the Wye festival, in Herefordshire had to close before time, because customers drank the bar dry. The festival, which was to run until July 5, had to close after running out of beer, cider and perry on Saturday.

June 26th, 2009 LONDON - Corona Extra has been voted the world's favourite beer in a new poll. The Mexican-brewed lager - usually served with a segment of lime - topped the list of more than two million Facebook users, reports The Sun.

June 13th, 2009 Amsterdam is famous for the love of bicycles (among other things) and its unique beer bike. However city officials may be drawing a line after two accidents in April & May.

May 30th, 2009 LONDON - Indian-origin entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria is to stay involved with Cobra Beer as its chairman after setting up a joint venture with an American brewer Friday to save the financially troubled company, a media report said. Molson Coors acquired the brand in Britain, where Cobra Beer is sold in 6,000 restaurants, mostly Indian curry outlets, The Times reported Saturday.

May 12th, 2009 Amish teen ticketed for having beer in buggyLEON, N.Y. — Police cracking down on rowdy Amish youths ticketed a teenager for having beer in his horse-drawn buggy when they pulled him over on a western New York road.

April 30th, 2009 German beer sales down 6.8 percent on year in 1QBERLIN — German beer sales were down 6.8 percent on the year in the first quarter, with exports to other European countries showing a particularly sharp decline, according to official figures released Thursday. Germany's brewers sold 4.37 billion pints, or 2.07 billion liters, of beer from January to March, the Federal Statistical Office said.

April 15th, 2009 LONDON - A brewing company in Britain has been told by the Advertising Standards Authority that its beer ad with the slogan "Take Courage My Friend" constitutes a serious breach of rules, which say alcohol cannot be seen to promote confidence. Wells and Young's brewing company has been asked to remove the billboard posters that feature a man sitting on a sofa with a can and glass of beer beside him, and a woman standing with her back to him wearing a figure-hugging dress that had its sales label still attached.

March 31st, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Unfazed by the global economic crisis, tipplers in the state will have consumed an estimated Rs.4,600 crore worth of liquor this fiscal - a record - to clock the highest ever annual sales in Kerala's history. According to a senior official of the Kerala State Beverages Corp (KSBC), the sole wholesalers of liquor and beer that is promoted by the state government, sales this fiscal are expected to touch Rs.4,600 crore by end of Tuesday - the last day this fiscal - as against Rs.3,669 crore the previous financial year.

February 24th, 2009 VIENNA - The Czech Republic leads the world in drinking beer with Austria in the second place, the Austrian brewery association said Monday. Each Czech on an average drank 159 litres of beer in 2007, according to the latest available figures.