Beer-articles 620
Nizlopi Recalls Ed Sheeran’s Work Experience Days and the Making of the JCB Song
‘We’d get big, rugby-playing men coming up to us in tears and saying “I miss my dad” – or “I love my dad and I’ve never told him”’
John and I began songwriting together when we were 13. After university, we both moved back in with our parents in the Midlands and began writing an album. One day while my dad was cooking, I asked, “What should I write a song about?” He casually said, “Diggers.” He used to drive a Massey Ferguson digger for his father’s groundworks company and would pick me up from school in it. Compared to a bully at school, my dad felt so warm, safe and loving. In 90 minutes, I had penned down a song about these contrasting experiences.
Working at London youth centres, I used to commute from Leamington Spa a few times a week. The garage sound that was popular at the time inspired me. I had a rhythm in my head and it went like, “I’m Luke, I’m five and my dad’s Bruce Lee.” When I combined this double-timing rhythm, it felt magical.
People were a bit taken aback by the song’s quirkiness. One line that got many laughs was “The engine rattles my bum like berserk.” By the end, the audience would be laughing and nodding along. We included the song in our debut album and in early 2005, started to compile the hand-drawn video. We published it online in 30-second increments as the artist progressed. Soon, HMV wrote to us asking about the song’s release as customers wanted to purchase it.
It was No 1 just before Christmas 2005. In late January, we played a sold-out show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. And it turns out, Ed Sheeran was there. Ed would have been about 14 then. He just kept writing to us: “Could I do work experience with you?” He was very intense. He just wanted to rap-battle us all the time because Eminem’s 8 Mile had just come out. It was Ed’s vision and his gift to be a pop star, but at that stage it wasn’t what I was about.
We had been playing to 200 people a night with a certain vision, mission and purpose – then suddenly this one song just goes boom and we’re at Hyde Park playing to 20,000 people. It’s damaging to the integrity of a living system to grow that quickly. It caused a lot of rupture, stress and conflict and was part of what broke up the band. It’s almost like if a child is growing at a steady rate and that child grows 300ft in six months – it’s probably gonna hurt and it might even kill the child.
I taught Luke to play guitar so it’s my fault, really. When he played the song to me, I was going, “Er, JCBs? Er, really?” Once we’d played it a few times, changed a few things musically, I still thought it was a bit naff. I guess I didn’t quite get it until we started playing it live.
It was then that you’d get big, rugby-playing men coming up to you in tears, going: “I miss my dad” or “I love my dad and I’ve never told him.” Luke was very good at orchestrating the audience into a kind of choir. It’s a funny song because obviously it’s about Luke when he was five with his dad, but it’s amazing how many dads are builders and work in construction and let their sons sit in their diggers.
We used to take work experience kids: they got a week in the studio and a week on the road. Ed Sheeran stood out. I remember him being very enthusiastic, always asking questions. I do remember, in Bristol, him just drinking our rider. It was a full-on gig for me and I was like: “I could really do with a cold beer.” All gone. I said to Luke: “We can’t have him on tour.” In 2006, he opened a show for us in Norwich, not far from his home town, and he had the whole audience in the palm of his hand. I said: “Oh, we’ve created a monster here.”
I don’t think we believed we had a hit until we started doing things like Richard and Judy. When you’re a creative, you spend most of your time saying to aunties and uncles: “It is a proper job.” When you’re on Top of the Pops and you’re No 1, they get off your back for a while.
The JCB Song is almost totally separate from Nizlopi now. Luke and I had always talked about what we wanted – we wanted to be as big as U2 – but when we started tentatively going up that ladder, both of us had very different reactions. It put a lot of pressures on us. I think we forgot for a while that the band was a friendship, and that we were friends who played music together, not musicians that became friends.
Unreleased Nizlopi material is available on Patreon via www.lukeconcannon.com
Analyzing the Best and Worst Beer Logos
Beer enjoys immense popularity around the globe and has done so for hundreds of years. With a plethora of beer brands available, beer enthusiasts are certainly not left wanting. The vast range of beer types, each with its unique look, scent, and flavor, makes marketing and branding extremely crucial.
Logos play a pivotal role for each beer brand. A number of beer brand logos have achieved iconic status, potentially ranking among the top logos of all time, adding immense value to their brand identity. Nonetheless, some logos fall short, either due to a lack of alignment with the brand’s image or simply because they aren’t visually appealing. Let’s delve into some beer logos that are at both ends of this spectrum.
An interesting backstory about a craft brewery ties back to rock ‘n’ roll roots. The brewery was established by Logan, the son of Lead Zeppelin’s vocalist, Robert Plant, in 2011. In 2022, it was taken over by Heineken. It even partnered with the American desert rock group, Queens of the Stone Age.
Beavertown’s logo uses a sans-serif font in crisp, legible block capital letters set in white. The logo sports a modern, slightly unconventional look. The skull, a key component of the logo and also the ‘o’ in Beavertown, has become a trademark symbol for the brand. The sketchy, cave drawing-like appearance of the skull contributes to the logo’s edgy aesthetic.
The popular tequila-infused pale lager is produced by a Slovakian subsidiary of Heineken, but its branding relies heavily on Mexican design. However, it doesn’t do so in a corny way, for an end result that is actually quite understated.
The name of the beer is written in red lettering with black stripes going across horizontally, and the letters are all surrounded by white to give them more emphasis. The letters are serifed but in quite an attractive way, while there are three red circles above them, each giving some quick information about the beverage. The phrase “Tequila flavoured beer” sometimes goes at the bottom in green cursive writing, using another colour from the Mexican flag.
This might be a controversial choice, but I’ve never thought much of Budweiser’s logo. The iconic American-style lager has been a popular choice for well over a century, but their logos throughout history have left a lot to be desired.
For me, the current logo, despite a nice retro nod, is just a bit plain and boring. It does what it needs to, but there’s nothing to set it apart from other logos which might have two or three colours – white and black and something else – and a classic, cursive-style typeface. It’s just a tad dull.
The Brooklyn Brewery logo, established in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1988, is laudable. Brooklyn takes a subtle approach to its marketing, relying primarily on word-of-mouth and philanthropic efforts. However, its logo, designed by the renowned graphic designer Milton Glaser, makes a quiet but significant impact.
The logo has a roundel design encompassing a large, cursive ‘B’ at its center with ‘Brooklyn Brewery’ etch around it. It is sandwiched between two circles beside the ‘B’. The most recognized color palette for the logo is black and green, although it is adaptable enough to accommodate various color variations for different Brooklyn beers.
Beck’s, a German brewery, has a rather mundane logo. Its broad serif letters fail to leave a lasting impression, and the utilization of black and white in the color scheme is lackluster. The key emblem, the other main component of the logo, is inspired from Bremen’s coat of arms, where the brewery is located and pays homage to St. Peter, the city’s patron saint.
Similar to many long-standing beer brands, there’s no glaring issue with their logos. The issue lies in their lack of depth and dynamism. However, a brand like Beck’s doesn’t need to rely on its logo for recognition, owing to its established reputation in the beer industry.
Some of Corona’s adverts might have divided opinion last year, but I do think its logo itself is quite a good one. This Mexican beer brand is best known for its Corona Extra pale lager, but it boasts a range of other beers as well as hard seltzers, too.
Its logo consists of its name in a bold, gothic-looking font, and it’s in a nice blue colour – something that feels quite unusual for big-name lagers. Under the lettering is a yellow medallion that says “the finest beer” in Spanish, while the crown above the lettering is a classy, elegant touch.
No matter your thoughts on the beer logos I’ve both praised and pilloried here, why not take a trip down memory lane and check out some of the beer labels we enjoyed back in 2015? Or, for an alcohol-free experience, take a look at our favourite Dry January ad campaigns this year.
Research Reveals: Liquor Stores Thrive Despite Beer Sales in Grocery Stores
Repealing “blue laws” and permitting the sale of alcohol on Sundays has a much smaller negative effect than what was anticipated by critics.
A new research paper put forth by Cristina Connolly and Alyssa McDonnell from the University of Connecticut, Marcello Graziano from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Sandro Steinbach from North Dakota State University, showcases this. The research published in the Journal of Wine Economics by Cambridge University Press, investigates “the effect of implementing changes to Sunday blue laws on alcohol sales and retail competition, particularly in relation to Connecticut’s 2012 policy shift that allowed the sales of beer in grocery stores on Sundays.”
The prohibition on Sunday alcohol sales in Connecticut, a law that was more than a century old, was revoked in 2012. This occurred thirty years after the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled the majority of the state’s other Sunday sales prohibitions unconstitutional. The changes also permitted liquor stores to operate on Sundays, and grocery stores were allowed to sell beer on the same day.
Despite the changes to the blue laws, there are some who object to them. As per the Tech Talk newspaper from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a study in 2008 suggested that “the revocation of America’s blue laws resulted not only in a decrease in church attendance, donations, and spending, but also led to an increase in alcohol and drug consumption among people who were religious.”
Connecticut’s repeal was opposed at the time by liquor store owners themselves, who expressed concern about everything from the “social costs” of more alcohol sales to the extra expense incurred from being open an extra day.
“Proprietors of liquor stores in Connecticut and store association lobbyists claimed that allowing Sunday sales would negatively impact their livelihoods,” write the authors of the new study. “Not only would they need to pay operating costs for an extra day of the week, but there was also a concern that consumers would shift to purchasing beer at grocery stores as Sunday is one of the most popular grocery shopping days. Specifically, Connecticut’s liquor store association claimed that, as a direct result of this policy, liquor stores would lose sales and reduce employment, or close.”
The authors examined Connecticut’s sales figures for grocery and liquor stores both before and after the repeal, using other states without Sunday alcohol laws as a control group. They found “no evidence of negative impacts on beer sales in liquor stores.”
“Despite repeated claims by liquor store associations,” the report concludes, “repealing these laws did not harm liquor stores, suggesting that it is possible to repeal Sunday blue laws without negatively impacting smaller businesses.” Incidentally, the study also contradicted claims by grocery store lobbyists, who said Sunday alcohol sales would “have large, positive economic impacts.”
The same data also provides comfort for those who worry that being able to buy alcohol one additional day per week would lead to an explosion in alcoholism and addiction. “Our estimates indicate that repealing these laws significantly increased beer sales at grocery and liquor stores directly after the policy shift, but these effects disappeared afterward.”
“There is an initial bump in sales, possibly due to the novelty of the policy,” they found. “This impact levels off after the initial month, with no discernible effect on sales after the seventh week.”
As it turns out, the repeal benefited both consumers and vendors while proving the doomsayers wrong. But it was also a net positive for economic liberty as another piece of Prohibition falls by the wayside.
The post Study: If You Let People Buy Beer at Grocery Stores, the Liquor Stores Still Survive appeared first on Reason.com.
Opinion: The Tale of a Wisconsin Beer Town — A Glimpse into the Struggles and Solutions for Rural America
POTOSI, Wisconsin − It seemed as if a bomb had detonated in the brewery.
Following its closure, the structure was pillaged, with individuals taking whatever they could transport, possibly as keepsakes or goods to sell. This was indicative of the harsh loss of 1972 when Potosi descended into an extensive economic ice age. Gradually, the brick walls of the building came tumbling down and debris was scattered all over.
This loss wasn’t merely about a single enterprise in a quaint town nestled within the towering bluffs of Wisconsin’s Driftless region near the Mississippi River. It appeared to be the final nail in the coffin. Local farms had been vanishing for years, and now, major industrial employers were following suit. Residences were abandoned, specifically by the youth who were the community volunteers and taxpayers. Schools saw a decrease in child enrollment and a critical shortage of new ideas to help reverse the decline. This vision of the future was fading with every passing moment. “What would be the outcome?” former Village President Frank Fiorenza remembered pondering. “We staunchly refused to let this community die.”
Once a thriving mining and farming town with a population of 5,000 in the 1800s, the numbers dwindled over the years to a mere few hundred. Mic Walsh remembered losing the brewery, and a series of machinery vendors at the same time as the local agriculturist community was floundering. The proprietor of a local Ace Hardware store witnessed his client base dwindling, and the distress permeated the community. The local pharmacy was shut down. The town’s two barber shops followed suit, and many more establishments faced a similar fate.
“It all just multiplies,” Walsh said. “It’s hard to see.”
Across America, there are scores of places just like Potosi that have collapsed as the economy shifted from rural to urban. After the most recent U.S. Census in 2020, America’s population was only 14 percent rural, the lowest on record and a steep drop from 57 percent in 1940, according to research by University of New Hampshire rural demographer Kenneth Johnson.
Wisconsin deer hunting is dying. That should worry you even if you don’t hunt.
While that shift might seem unstoppable, there are times when the flow reversed. One was during a global economic crisis when jobless people retreated from cities to the shelter of family farms during the Great Depression. Another was a global pandemic, where they fled from crowded offices amid COVID-19 to remote work in sparsely populated places far from the city. In just the past two years, two-thirds of Wisconsin counties gained population, far away from fast growing places like Dane County.
In the wake of COVID-19, as many organizations usher staff back to offices and city centers aim to rejuvenate eerily vacant downtown areas, rural America stands at a pivotal junction. This situation is deeply personal to me, as I, a farm boy who moved away, continue to grapple with finding a way to contribute to the solution. I discovered some potential strategies in Potosi, a region demonstrating how a strong sense of identity, a culture of volunteering, and enterprising spirit could potentially offer a blueprint for reviving rural parts of the country.
The scope and magnitude of the issue—decreasing rural populations and the accompanying loss of economic activity, prospects, and accompanying sense of despair—is overwhelming.
Johnson, the demographer, highlighted that for years the main driver of rural decline was that rural regions were not growing as rapidly as urban ones. However, this trend shifted between 2010 and 2020, during which rural populations actually decreased. The problem worsens when a community not only experiences more departures than arrivals but also higher death rates than birth rates.
This is an important issue regardless of where you reside. Rural communities, that provide our food, natural resources, affordable labor, among other things, are crucial to our national economy. Their diminishing state contributes to further concerns, such as our rural-urban divide and the ongoing national drug crisis.
Rural states like Wisconsin are often home to isolated communities that struggle to survive. But is it possible for these communities to completely disappear?
According to historians, the answer is yes. One example is Gratiot’s Grove, a former mining town that has since vanished but is remembered in the book “Ghost Towns of Wisconsin” by William Stark.
“Some towns just vanished into thin air, while others kept fighting for survival,” says Jerry Apps, a well-known author and historian from Wisconsin. He has a new book, “On Farms and Rural Communities,” scheduled to be published this spring.
The vast impact of the economic disruptions plaguing Wisconsin is apparent from a few statistics, which show how sectors from farming to paper mills to manufacturing are having a tough time:
135,000: This is the number of farms Wisconsin has lost since its peak in 1935, which represents a decrease of more than 67 percent, as stated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
8,200: This figure represents jobs lost in the wood and paper industries, which notably includes Wisconsin’s renowned paper mills, in just one decade from 2006 to 2016. According to state data, small towns like Wisconsin Rapids are facing difficulties following the closure of their mills, such as Verso’s closure in 2020.
3,200: This is the number of jobs at the Janesville GM plant and its associated suppliers that were lost following the plant’s closure in December 2008. According to Janesville Gazette’s reports at that time.
Despite such hardships in the industries, there are signs of hope. Wisconsin continues to lead consistently in cheese and cranberry production. Many jobs and communities are tied to the agricultural sector. Partial recovery and reorientation have stirred up demand for paper industry workers in the recent years. Regardless of the impact of the GM plant closure on the city and rural areas, Janesville is striving to diversify its economy.
Many rural communities are also turning toward tourism and working to find a unique identity to continue luring people back to places once dismissed as dying ghost towns. The ongoing resilience of rural areas and small communities, through decades of change, mean rural Wisconsin isn’t even close to done, Apps said.
“The revolution in rural America is not complete,” he said.
I don’t remember the first time I thought about leaving home, but I remember the first time I said it out loud.
It was 2008 on Broadway Avenue, Nashville’s famous thoroughfare known for country music streaming from bars up one end and down the other. We were on a rare family vacation visiting Tennessee’s Music City. I was standing under the neon lights, a few too many drinks singing in my head as the honky tonk music poured onto the sidewalk, when my dad walked out and saw me.
“I’m gonna live here someday,” I said.
There was an immediate distance in that moment, even though we were standing right next each other.
Growing up on our family farm, I always felt like I was falling short — deeply loving our way of life but lacking the innate talent for managing cattle and maneuvering tractors like my father. My dad had spent his entire life on the farm and knew nothing else. He supported my decisions, yet I could always sense a part of him wishing I had chosen his path. Stumbling upon writing, I realized it brought out my strengths. This discovery led me to college and to various newsrooms around Wisconsin, where I finally felt valued and competent.
To me, Nashville didn’t just mean a better economy or job opportunities. It represented a place where a simple farm boy could feel proud. It was a big city, sure, but it was also the home of country music, a place where my roots and profession could merge. But for my dad, Nashville was merely a distant, noisy place, over 600 miles away from everything he knew and loved. The sadness in his eyes was palpable — as if a crack had formed in a whisky glass.
Experiencing a personal, challenging moment illustrated the struggles faced by rural communities across Wisconsin. A variety of economic opportunities could have made it possible for me and many other rural children to resist the allure of opportunities elsewhere, particularly when there seems to be a decline at home.
Potosi, on the other hand, didn’t succumb to ghost town status. It was the collective effort of many individuals that reversed the trend. Fiorenza, for example, rejected the role of being a “caretaker” as village president in the 90s; local businessman Gary David bought the decaying brewery building because he and others recognized its historical value; and countless volunteers like Walsh, Larry Kalina and his wife, among others.
In the end, the community raised millions, including $2.4 million from individual contributors, and re-established the Potosi Brewing Co. which is today run by the nonprofit Potosi Foundation. An empty building in a dwindling town was transformed into a unique location for both locals and tourists. The old brewery was converted into a tap house and restaurant in 2008, designed as an old beer hall – a beautifully crafted wooden bar spanning the main wall, with a long row of wooden Potosi-brand beer taps set up behind it. Beer is still brewed there and there’s a museum upstairs, with much more being produced in the newly constructed larger facility nearby.
Along with the job creation and the attraction of approximately 70,000 tourists annually, came an increase in economic activity bolstering other businesses. Today, a woodworking shop stands across the street from the brewery, with a special event space and a cabin builder situated close by.
Through all the adventures and explorations, what drew me back was something different, something unique.
Five years were spent in Nashville, then Washington, D.C., where my journey as a journalist pivoted to public policy. Then, I decided to return. The event that nudged me to make this decision was the birth of my second nephew, but of course, there were other compelling reasons that had always been there; including the beckoning of family ties, the allure of outdoor adventures, and the comfort of familiar local destinations that had endured the passage of time. Above all, it was about reconnecting with my roots.
Having moved back, I found myself involved in the establishment of a consulting firm in Madison, spending my weekends on the farm. Time was invested in bonding with my sister and her lovely kids, reminiscing with my parents, and reconnecting with friends from my childhood. I found myself assisting my father and sister on farm tasks whenever I could manage, and rediscovered my skills in operating a tractor. Together, my dad and I made a spot of land ready for a cabin, right beside our family farm. I began to find a sense of restless peace, accepting my role as someone who had left but didn’t need to remain away.
The pandemic greatly amplified this dynamic. Regardless of its harsh effects and the ensuing economic downfall, there is one aspect it certainly highlighted – the potential of working from different locations. More people working in cities are now capable of living in the countryside or small towns. Simultaneously, it’s evident that more people in rural settings can become part of the remote workforce, adding to the traditional farming, factory, and construction jobs.
More from Brian Reisinger:
Fighting a fire. The blaze that could have sunk our family farm.
My best friend is on the frontline: Wisconsin’s rural drug addiction crisis in my hometown
That positions places like Potosi better than ever. With the brewery humming, the town becoming a destination spot, and new small businesses coming in, Potosi is as ready as any community to benefit from the new mobility of the American population.
Despite retiring, many of those who contributed to Potosi’s rebirth continue to give their time and energy, serving as role models for younger generations. Walsh, a previous hardware store proprietor, volunteers his services as a brewery gardener and handyman, while Fiorenza, a former village president, along with the Kalina family, lends a hand to upcoming community initiatives like the revival of downtown.
Larry Kalina, a member of the committee managing Potosi’s continued renewal efforts, along with his wife, has four children who are all teachers. He is proud of his children and is thankful that they are all approximately two hours away. However, he has also encountered his children seeking job opportunities far away, highlighting the need for Potosi to offer inhabitants new livelihood options and visitors with tangible reasons to visit.
He was quoted saying, “The trick is to stir people’s enthusiasm.”
My personal situation underwent a shift as my wife and I relocated to California due to a job opportunity that put us in close proximity to her family. Nevertheless, we retained the benefits I had reclaimed. As my employment permits me to work from any location, but necessitates regular returns, I divide my time between our small town in Northern California and rural Wisconsin, where I reside on the family farm, a place I hadn’t lived in since I was 18. I contribute to the farming business, preferring to spend my money and time in small towns, or with local businesses rather than large chains whenever feasible.
As I traverse the divide between the relentless pull of the urban economy and the rural economy I’ve reestablished connection with, I can’t help but muse over the potential of areas like Potosi as a guide. Times of upheaval are often when people hark back to rural regions; this is a testament to their intrinsic need. Despite having two distinctive economies in this nation, it isn’t a necessity for regions such as Potosi to settle for the leftovers. Perhaps more individuals can retain their roots or better manage the balance between our dual economies to unite them.
Fiorenza posed the question, perched in the beer hall of times old and new, “How do you persist?” The response was simple. “You adapt.”
Brian Reisinger is a writer originating from a family farm in Sauk County, with an extensive portfolio across various media outlets, uncovering the concealed tales of rural America. From the drug crisis to the histories and prospects of Wisconsin farmers, to outdoor escapades, Reisinger provides insights and understanding. Reisinger is currently engaged in public affairs consultation with Platform Communications based in Wisconsin. An alumnus of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he studied journalism and political science, he has been the recipient of accolades from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Seven Hills Review literary magazine, Wisconsin Newspaper Association, among others.
Originally featured on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, you can read the complete article here.
Exploring Top Global Beer Stocks: A Review of Brewing Giants
In this article I utilize A+ Investor Stock Grades offered by AAII to offer an insight into three beer stocks. Coming to the point, should you mull over the beer stocks of Anheuser-Busch Inbev S.A. (BUD), Heineken N.V. (HEINY) and Molson Coors Beverage TAP?
Although the brewing industry has been experiencing an upsurge in diverse niche players such as microbreweries and craft breweries, it’s still the domain for a select few influential corporations. These dominant corporations often have multinational presence and play a key role in determining market trends and catering to consumer needs due to their vast resources and wide market reach. These industry giants have been embracing the trend of product portfolio diversification in order to cater to the growing consumer interest in nonalcoholic and low-calorie beer options. It’s evident from the competitive landscape of the industry that whether it’s big or small, companies need to constantly adapt to changing consumer habits and regulatory requirements to sustain or increase their market shares.
The brewing industry is a vibrant and evolving subgroup within the global beverage market. According to Straits Research, beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage worldwide, ranking after water and tea. The industry is multi-faceted, catering to diverse consumer preferences and production scales. It includes macrobreweries that operate on a global level, microbreweries that emphasize on crafting small batches of beers, and craft breweries that strike a balance between mass production and artisanal qualities.
As per Straits Research, the estimated size of the global beer market was $721.1 billion in 2022, and it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9% to reach a whopping $1.32 trillion by 2031. Factors driving the market growth are the rising number of breweries coupled with a consistent increase in demand for alcoholic beverages due to rising standards of living and evolving lifestyles.
When analyzing a company, it is helpful to have an objective framework that allows you to compare companies in the same way. This is why AAII created the A+ Stock Grades, which evaluate companies across five factors that have been shown to identify market-beating stocks in the long run: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions (and surprises) and quality.
Using AAII’s A+ Stock Grades, the following table summarizes the attractiveness of three beer stocks—Anheuser-Busch, Heineken and Molson Coors—based on their fundamentals.
AAII’s A+ Stock Grade Summary for Three Beer Stocks
Anheuser-Busch Inbev S.A. (BUD) is a producer, distributor and marketer of beer, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks. Its brand portfolio includes global brands such as Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois; international brands, including Beck’s, Leffe and Hoegaarden; and local champions such as Bud Light, Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, Quilmes, Victoria, Modelo Especial, Michelob Ultra, Harbin, Sedrin, Klinskoye, Sibirskaya Korona, Chernigivske, Cass and Jupiler. The company’s soft drinks business consists of both its own production and bottling and distribution agreements with PepsiCo PEP. Ambev, which is a subsidiary of the company, is a PepsiCo bottler. Brands that are distributed under these agreements are Pepsi, 7Up and Gatorade.
The company ranks D in Value Grade due to its high Value Score of 37. Its Value Grade is derived from various factors like price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, price-to-book-value ratio, price-to-free-cash-flow ratio, shareholder yield and the ratio of enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization aka Ebitda. With a price-earnings ratio of 20.8, a price-to-book ratio of 1.73 and a price-to-free-cash-flow ratio of 22.7, it sits in the 57th, 52nd and 59th percentiles accordingly.
Growth Composite Score takes into account a firm’s year-over-year and long-term sales growth, and its effective generation of stable cash from core operations. At present, Anheuser-Busch has a Growth Grade of C with a Growth Score of 57. Over the past five years, it achieved a sales growth rate of 0.5% and recorded year-over-year sales increase twice. Consistent positive cash generation from operations is another positive attribute over the last five years.
Anheuser-Busch has a Momentum Grade of B, attributed to its Momentum Score of 65. This indicates that the stock has shown impressive weighted relative price strength over the previous four quarters. Factors contributing to this score include above-sector-median relative price strengths of 3.6% in the recent quarter, –2.5% in the penultimate quarter and 7.5% in the fourth most recent quarter. This is slightly dampened by the below-sector-median relative price strength of –19.3% in the third most recent quarter. The subsequent ranks end up as 66, 62, 25 and 84, in order from latest quarter. The overall weighted four-quarter relative price strength is –1.4%, yielding a final rank of 65. The calculation applies a 40% weighting to the most recent quarterly price change, and 20% each to prices from preceding three quarters.
Earnings estimate revisions provide an insight into a firm’s short-term prospect as perceived by analysts. For Anheuser-Busch, this figure stands at an unimpressive Grade of F, based on its score of 20. Factors leading to this score include the statistical significance of the firm’s latest two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage variation in its consensus estimate for the present fiscal year over the past one and three months.
Anheuser-Busch reported a positive earnings surprise of 3.6% for the third quarter of 2023, and in the prior quarter reported a positive earnings surprise of 6.5%. Over the last month, the consensus earnings estimate for full-year 2023 declined to $3.03 per share based on two upward and three downward revisions. The 1.8% decline in its earnings estimate ranks in the bottom 11th percentile of all stocks.
Heineken N.V. (HEINY) is a Netherlands-based company engaged in the brewing and selling of beer. Heineken’s product range mainly consists of beer, soft drinks and cider. The company operates through five segments: Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe; Americas; Asia-Pacific, Europe and head office and other/eliminations. The Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe segment includes brands such as Heineken, Primus, Amstel, Walia and Goldberg. The Americas segment includes brands such as Heineken, Tecate, Amstel, Sol and Dos Equis. The Asia-Pacific segment includes brands such as Heineken, Anchor, Larue, Tiger and Bintang. The Europe segment includes brands such as Heineken, Cruzcampo, Birra Moretti, Zywiec and Strongbow Apple Ciders. The company owns, markets and sells in more than 190 countries.
The company has a Value Grade of D, based on its Value Score of 25, which is expensive. The company has above-sector-median measures for its price-to-book and price-to-free-cash-flow ratios, which are 2.68 and 32.7, respectively. Additionally, the company has a below-sector-median price-earnings ratio at 20.3.
The company currently has a Growth Grade of A, based on a Growth Score of 89. The company has a five-year sales growth rate of 5.9% and has seen sales increase year over year in four out of the last five years. Cash from operations has also been positive for five consecutive years.
The company showcases a Momentum Grade of C, traced back to its Momentum Score of 55. This score is calculated from relative price strengths exceeding the sector-median at -2.9% in the latest quarter and 11.9% in the fourth previous quarter. However, it is somewhat balanced by a lesser than sector-median relative price strength of -11.2% in the second previous quarter and -14.3% in the third previous quarter. The ranks come out as 54, 46, 33 and 88, from the latest quarter sequentially. The aggregated four-quarter relative price strength stands at -3.9%.
Heineken presently holds no Quality Grade due to null values for five out of the eight variables that underly the Quality Score. To receive a Quality Score, stocks need to showcase a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding rank for a minimum of four out of the eight quality measures.
Molson Coors Beverage Co. (TAP) is classified as a holding company. Its operations are divided into two segments: Americas and EMEA and APAC. The Americas segment primarily involves the production, marketing, and sales of its brands and other owned/licensed brands in the U.S., Canada, and various Caribbean, Latin, and South American countries. It oversees around nine main breweries, nine craft breweries, and two container functions. Additionally, it features a partnership associated with beer distribution in Ontario, Canada, and Brewers’ Retail Inc. The EMEA and APAC segment involves the production, marketing, and sales of primary and other owned/licensed brands throughout various European countries and chosen countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. This segment operates 11 main breweries, six craft breweries, and one cidery.
Molson Coors showcases a Value Grade of C, which is tagged to its Value Score of 58, an average rating. The company’s price-to-sales, price-earnings, and price-to-book ratios, which are 1.17, 54.0, and 1.02 respectively, rank below average. On the other hand, one above-average ranking contributes to its Value Grade: a shareholder yield of 2.9%.
The current Growth Grade for the company is C, with a Growth Score of 48. Over the past five years, the company has seen a sales growth rate of -0.6% and has witnessed an increase in sales for two out of the past five years. Positive Cash from operations has been consistent for five successive years.
An Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade of C is held by Molson Coors. This is based on a neutral score of 59. In the third quarter of 2023, the company reported an earnings surprise of 21.9% and in the previous quarter, a positive earnings surprise of 8.9% was reported. The consensus earnings estimate for Q4 2023 over the last month has been steady at $1.116 per share, with three upward adjustments and two downward revisions.
Molson Coors has a Quality Score of 76, awarding it a Quality Grade of B. This is quite strong. The Quality Grade A+ is given as the percentile rank of the average percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), ratio of gross profit to assets, buyback yield, the change in total liabilities to assets, ratio of accruals to assets, and the F-Score. If any of the measures are invalid, the score is variable and considers the valid remaining measures.
The company has a weak ranking in terms of return on invested capital and the ratio of gross income to assets, but its F-Score is strong. Molson Coors has a 13.4% return on invested capital, 16.0% ratio of gross income to assets, and an F-Score of 8 (with 9 being the highest possible score). The sector median return on invested capital is 18.8%, median gross income to assets is 23.3%, and median F-Score is 4. Other metrics for Molson Coors that rank below the sector median include return on assets, change in total liabilities to assets, and Z-Score. Apart from the F-Score, the only metric where the company ranks higher than the sector median is its buyback yield, which stands at 0.3% in comparison to the sector’s median of -0.2%.
The stocks meeting the criteria of the approach do not represent a “recommended” or “buy” list. It is important to perform due diligence.
If you want an edge throughout this market volatility,become an AAII member.
Madison Beer Shares Her Favorite Glossy Lip Combo
Take notes.
@madisonbeer/Instagram
If you’re anything like us, you have spent hours starring at
Madison Beer’s perfectly curated Instagram, wondering if there’s anything you could get your hands on to make your life all the more aesthetic. What digital camera she snaps her pics with, where she gets her home decor, and what makeup products she uses for her signature sultry look are all top of mind when we scroll—and we just found at least part of the answer.
Though Beer herself has already told us about the moisturizer she reaches for to get dewy skin and the face wash she swears cleared her acne—Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream ($70) and Panoxyl face wash ($10), if you were curious—we’ve always been curious about which makeup she layers on top of it all.
@madisonbeer/Instagram
On January 22, we got the answer we had been hoping for. Well, at least part of it: the lips.
In an Instagram carousel taken on what we assume is the digital camera we need to be purchasing, Beer posed in a baggy gray crop top layered over a white T-shirt and paired with simple gold jewelry. She also showed off her picture-perfect makeup—giving us an up-close view of her lips, which were the perfect moody pink nude shade to compliment her skin tone.
@madisonbeer/Instagram
Once we got past staring, we checked the caption where she gave all the details on the lip combo she used to achieve the beige-pink high-shine finish. An Hourglass Cosmetics partner, she used both a lip gloss and liner from the brand to create the lip—reaching for their ultra-viral Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm ($36) in the shade Trace, and their Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner ($29) in the shade Uncover.
Though she kept the details of the rest of her makeup under wraps, we could still see how good it looked through the pictures. Her skin provided a glowy, radiant base but was still matte from powder under her eyes and on her forehead. Highlight lit up her cheekbones, contour added some definition, and blush provided some flush. The finishing touches were some faux freckles across the bridge of her nose, dark liner shaping her eyes, and some long fluttering lashes. That and an almond-shaped all-white manicure.
Up Next: Pamela Anderson Has Finally Entered the Skincare Game
Read the original article on Byrdie.
Exploring XXXX Beer: Its Unique Flavor Profile and Taste Experience
You may be familiar with Dos Equis, the Mexican beer that once had “The Most Interesting Man in the World” as its hype man, but did you know there’s also a Cuatro Equis? Well, not by that name, as XXXX is brewed in Australia, not Mexico. It’s not all that well known in the U.S., at least by anyone who isn’t a big fan of fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett (some believe that Fourecks, which is Discworld’s “Last Continent,” takes its name from the beer), but it’s one of the biggest names in brewing in the land Down Under. Known for its bitter but slightly sweet flavor as well as smoothness, XXXX Gold was named the nation’s third-best-selling beer in 2022. But here’s a shocker for us non-Australians: Foster’s didn’t even crack the top 10.
Even though XXXX has a name that may seem somewhat suggestive, it has nothing to do with the adult entertainment industry but is instead an indication of quality or strength. It seems that in the 19th century, beer was rated in X’s, much as we award star ratings to just about anything these days. While Castlemaine Brewery was first able to produce an XXX-rated beer (which sounds even more racy), it gained that additional X in 1893. Much like Pabst Blue Ribbon when it won its eponymous award at the Chicago World’s Fair that same year, the company bigwigs celebrated the occasion by naming (or in the case of Pabst, re-naming) the brew after the honor.
Read more: Popular Vodka Brands Ranked From Worst To Best
Castlemaine Brewery first went into business in Castlemaine, Victoria, but the Queensland branch, which is today home to XXXX, opened its doors in 1878. 15 years later, XXXX itself was born (the beer formerly known — or at least rated — as XXX), but the next milestone in the brewery’s history came in 1924. That year marked not only the addition of XXXX bitter to the lineup but also the introduction of the mascot Mr. Fourex. This dapper gentleman, the Australian analogue of Baltimore’s favorite food mascot Mr. Boh, has been raising his beer bottle in a toast to the good people of Queensland for the past century, and XXXX doesn’t seem to have any plans to pull a Mr. Peanut on him.
In 1928, a merger occurred between two companies to form what is currently known as Castlemaine Perkins. The company continues to operate under this name, despite having changed ownership to Lion in 1990 and subsequently to KIrin in 2011. The Queensland XXXX brewery remains the hallmark of the company with its product closely identified with this state. However, it is noteworthy that some of the XXXX beers are presently brewed in New South Wales and South Australia.
XXXX introduced a household name in Australia, the “stubby”, sometime in the later half of the 20th century. This is a small, robust bottle that contains 375 milliliters, a little above 12 ounces. 1991 marked the inception of XXXX Gold, which has grown to become the brewery’s best-selling beer and also the initiation of its uninterrupted sponsorship of the Queensland Rugby League Maroons.
The process of brewing XXXX beer is comparable to that of other large factory-brewed beers— if you are interested in learning the exact steps, you may book a tour for about A$37 (Australian dollars), approximately $24 in US currency. It is important to note that this amount does not include airfare to Queensland. During your tour, the subject of the company’s sustainability efforts is expected to be highlighted. In 2020, the brewery was recognized as carbon neutral and utilizes solar panels and biogas to meet part of its power needs for its activities.
Lastly, two of XXXX’s beers — the Bitter and Gold varieties — are brewed devoid of any preservatives. Their ingredients consist of hops, malted grains, cane sugar, yeast, and water, which has been so since a 2008 initiative to adopt a more basic, natural approach. A crucial step in maintaining the beer’s freshness and taste involves the addition of carbon dioxide right after all oxygen is vacuumed out just before the cap is placed on the bottle.
Over the years, XXXX has introduced new brews and dropped old ones from the lineup. Among the dearly departed are the original pre-1893 XXX Sparkling Ale, followed by 20th-century additions including XXXX Lite and Castlemaine 2.2 Bitter. Today’s lineup includes the same XXXX Bitter that debuted a century ago as well as the XXXX Gold that came along toward the end of the last millennium. They’ve been joined by XXXX Dry, which first came out in 2020 and has been sold throughout Australia since 2021, as well as a line of lagers called Summer Bright that are available in mango, lime, and raspberry lemonade as well as a standard beer-flavored beer.
XXXX also offers a nonalcoholic beer called XXXX Zero that they’ve touted as being the nation’s first 0% ABV beer to also be entirely carbon-free. As Lion’s chief sustainability officer Justin Merrell explains, the brewery went so far as to contact the can and bottle manufacturers to determine the precise amount of carbon generated in their production so they could factor this into knowing how much of it they’d need to offset.
During WWII, XXXX sent its beers abroad for the very first time, but only for distribution to the Australian armed forces. They did so again during the Vietnam War, at which time the bottles earned the nickname “barbed wire” because the linked X’s bore a similarity to something the soldiers likely saw on a regular basis. Once the war was over, however, XXXX was out of the import business as to this day the brewery maintains that none of its beer will ever be available for overseas purchase.
Well, that isn’t entirely true. You for sure can’t get your hands on the stuff in the U.S., which has sparked a number of Reddit threads, although many of these tend to be overtaken by Aussie beer snobs who enjoy criticizing a beer that seems to hold a similar status to Budweiser in its home country (implying that millions of people must purchase it, but surprisingly few would choose to admit it). Nevertheless, if you cannot afford to travel halfway around the world, a shorter flight would allow you to try the XXXX brewed by Interbrew U.K. in Manchester. It’s plausible that the U.K. version might not taste exactly like Australian XXXX, but unless you try the latter, how will you truly know?
Read the original article on Mashed.
The Importance of Resting Your Beer After Pouring: Is it Necessary?
If you are a big lover of beer, then you may be interested in learning more about the specifics of the beverage, including the best ways to enjoy it. For instance, does beer need to rest after it’s poured? To find out, Tasting Table spoke with an expert: Jeff Tyler, the co-owner and head brewer at Spice Trade Brewery + Kitchen in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
According to Tyler, the short answer is no. However, there are some nitrogen beers (also known as “nitro” beer) that may require a rest mid-pour, such as Guinness. Tyler explained, “[They] typically have a longer resting period in the middle of the pour as the head subsides.” Additionally, if you pour your beer straight into a glass without tilting the glass while you pour (which is known as a “hard pour”), you may have to wait while the foam subsides, although that is a bit different than the actual rest that the nitro beers require.
Tyler continued, “Once your beer is properly poured, you are good to start drinking it! I prefer to let most of the beers I drink warm up slightly to maximize the flavors that you can perceive. You can do this by just waiting or cupping your hands around the glass to warm it up using your body heat.”
Read more: 15 Popular Hard Seltzer Brands, Ranked Worst To Best
When it comes to pouring your own beer, you’ll likely be pouring a forced-carbonation beer, which is the type that makes up about 95% of the beer found in liquor stores and supermarkets. Pouring this type of beer is pretty straightforward. Tyler explained, “You typically want to pour the beer a bit more aggressively than you would think, directly into the bottom of the glass or with the glass at a slight angle. The goal here is to allow a good amount of the CO2 to ‘break out’ of solution (i.e. get foamy) while you are pouring.”
He added that you don’t have to pour the entire beer all in one go; you can pause for a moment to let the foam settle before continuing with the pour. When you finish the pour, you can do so more gently. This method should lead to the ideal amount of foam at the top of the beer: about one to two fingers of foam.
The aggressive pour will lead to the best beer-drinking experience. Tyler said, “You really don’t want all of those bubbles staying in the beer because they’ll end up in your stomach and you’ll end up burping it all out. Less CO2 means you still get the aroma that you are looking for with some of the bubbles but it saves you from filling your whole stomach with beer foam.”
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
The Declining Trend in Draft Beer Sales: More Closures for Oregon Craft Brewers
Oregon’s storied craft brewing industry suffered one of its worst years in 2023, with depressed draft beer sales and rising costs creating more pressure than some of the state’s businesses could bear.
According to the Oregon Brewers Guild, Oregon is home to about 400 breweries, brewpubs and taprooms, which collectively provide 50,000 jobs and generate nearly $9 billion in economic output. But the state lost around 30 of those businesses last year, and even more have contracted or are seriously struggling.
Migration Brewing’s Little Foot Red is pictured in this file photo.
Stephen Baboi
“We are seeing national trends towards canned cocktails, Seltzers and more nonalcoholic beer options,” said Sonia Marie Leikam, the co-owner of Leikam Brewing and the vice president of the Oregon Brewers Guild. “Those make up now about a third of our sales. They are lower profit margins for us, and that impacts our bottom line.”
Leikam says that, like other small craft brewers, she works another job in addition to her time at the family brewery.
“We also are spending just a ton more time and energy creating events,” she said. “So we now have crafting classes and a book club and comedy nights. Really anything that the community wants, we offer our space for those activities to drive folks into the tap room.”
At its peak before the pandemic, Laurelwood Brewing Company had three restaurant locations, in addition to three retail outlets at the Moda Center and two others at the Portland airport. Over time, said owner Mike De Kalb, the profit margins just disappeared. Laurelwood Brewing Company closed its last retail location late last year.
“The economy was different back then. People’s habits were different. People wanted to go out, they wanted to get out of the house and go frequent tap rooms,” De Kalb said. “All the streaming services, DoorDash, Uber Eats, people could order things in … People’s habits changed. People’s habits have been ingrained over two years of ordering, online services, grocery stores, those sort of things. And, when we opened up again, we had an initial rush, but then they went back to their old habits.”
Two different Leikam Brewing beers are pictured in this photo provided by the Southeast Portland business.
Courtesy Leikam Brewing
Leikam says breweries will continue to try to adapt and respond to things like “Dry January” and ad campaigns that discourage drinking alcohol.
“I think legal and moderate consumption of alcohol is absolutely reasonable and should be supported,” she said.
But she also pointed out that alcohol is a big industry in the state. “Beer, wine, cider, spirits — these are all huge parts of the Oregon economic machine. The third largest source of revenue for the state is this sector.”
Leikam has a message for people who want to see the industry survive.
“Make that extra stop. If you’re going to buy beer, buy it directly from a brewery tap room or a bottle shop,” she said. “Schedule a get together with friends, hold a PT [Parent Teacher] night at your local brewery. We offer nonalcoholic beverages too. We have community gathering spaces. We have philanthropy nights. Reach out to us. Talk to your local brewery. We’re here for you.”
The Pacific Northwest helped pioneer craft brewing, and it’s still a hub for small breweries and small batch distilleries. It should come as no surprise that the region is also a mecca of businesses that brew nonalcoholic beer and distill alcohol-free spirits, as well.
Oregon’s storied craft brewing industry suffered one of its worst years in 2023, with depressed draft beer sales and rising costs creating more pressure than some of the state’s businesses could bear.
Tags: Think Out Loud, Oregon, Alcohol, Business
The Rise and Fall of Grantville Breweries: A Snapshot of San Diego’s Beer Industry Boom and Bust
Assessing the vitality of San Diego County’s craft beer industry could entail weeks of visiting all 160-plus local breweries.
Alternatively, you could explore Grantville for a mile. This neighborhood, in beer terms, is witnessing everything from a revival to a devastation.
On Friars Road, near the top of Fairmount Avenue, a three-decade-old brewpub is becoming noteworthy again. The new proprietors of San Diego Brewing Co., Tyson and Kristina Blake, along with Bob and Lisa Townsend, and house brewer Matt Navarre are rejuvenating the beer selection.
The highlighted pale ale, for instance, has a reduced ABV compared to its older version, creating a brew that emphasizes roasted malts and fresh hops over alcohol content.
Thus the renaissance. About a mile south, in a business park along Fairmount, 1-year-old One Season Brewing is in apocalyptic mode.
Owner Dan Romeo took out high-interest loans while planning the brewery and its sister business, TRVLR Coffee Roaster, during the pandemic.
These are small operations — One Season produced maybe 30 barrels of beer in 2023 — with unsustainably high overhead. Romeo has been unable to refinance his debt.
“I’ll be closing the end of this month,” he said.
Around the corner from One Season, 9-year-old Citizen Brewers has seen its regular customers return, restoring business to pre-pandemic levels.
“I do have a group of people who float the boat, that’s for sure,” owner Judd McGhee said.
Here, customers — ranging from bachelor/bachelorette partiers to firefighters to corporate groups — brew their own beer using Citizen’s supplies and equipment.
An experienced homebrewer, McGhee walks clients through the entire process, from brewing to bottling or canning to designing a label.
“I’ve helped a lot of people demystify the process,” he said, “which is pretty awesome.”
When business slackens, McGhee brews his own beer — see today’s review of Haze Juices.
That’s the status of craft beer, according to Grantville. The good, the bad, the in-between – it’s all here along Fairmount Avenue.
Maestro, tap the podium and the keg. It’s time for Beer Choir!
A national group with a San Diego affiliate, Beer Choir is a rich blend of singers who value harmony and hops, and melody and malts.
“Beer Choir brings a level playing field for these individuals,” shared Megan Jones, director of operations for the Chorale Consortium of San Diego.
To genuinely level this playing field, I’d require a multitude of bulldozers.
The Feb. 10 Beer Choir event at AleSmith Brewing is set to feature San Diego Master Chorale members.
Still, how much talent do you need to sing “Danny Boy” while hoisting a pint?
Very little, Jones insisted.
“For me,” she said, “the best part about this is it brings together people who love to sing in all different contexts.”
There’s no charge and no rehearsals, but singers should RSVP at sdsings.org. Then hie ye to the brewery/concert hall, 9990 AleSmith Court, San Diego, for the 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. performance.
At long last, in response to the musically inclined uncertainty, what ought one to do with an inebriated seaman? Refrain from extending an invitation to the Beer Choir.
“I do not perceive of this as an environment of wild, frenzied merrymaking,” expressed Jones, “rather, it is akin to a warm and festive gathering.”
This Saturday: From 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Burgeon will celebrate its initial seven years by hosting a festival, where beers from a whopping 39 different breweries will be served. Unfortunately, the event has reached its capacity; if you have managed to acquire tickets, consider yourself fortunate. Location: 6350 Yarrow Drive, Carlsbad.
On January 27: Pure Project will be selling a limited number of tickets at the entrance for their 8th anniversary festivities. Each ticket will cost $40 and the sale will commence at 11 a.m. Please take note that these tickets only grant admission from 1 p.m. Pure Project: Positioned at 9030 Kenamar Drive, Suite 308, San Diego.
San Diego Pale Ale
From: San Diego Brewing Co., San Diego
ABV (Alcohol By Volume): 5.7 percent
Style: American Pale Ale
Drink or dump: Drink. Love at first sip. Hops and malts are perfectly balanced, a harmonious blend of the former’s piney-citrusy qualities and the latter’s toasted grain deliciousness.
Haze Juices
From: Citizen Brewers, San Diego
ABV: 6.4 percent
Style: Hazy IPA
Drink or dump: Drink. Haze Juices is a lean, dry IPA unlike the sugar bombs delivered by many hazies. Citra, Mosaic and Southern Cross hops cut through the unfiltered murk.
Westmalle Dubbel
From: Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle, Westmalle, Belgium
ABV: 7 percent
Style: Dubbel
Drink or dump: Drink. A classic from a venerable Trappist brewery, Westmalle is considered the world’s original dubbel. This strong brown beer delivers a massive, creamy head, dark fruit and wheat toast flavors, then a mild bitterness at the finish.
Rowe is a freelance writer.