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Cobra Beer, founded by entrepreneur Lord Karan Bilimoria, is planning a major expansion in India with the acquisition of an existing brewery and the building of a new one. Lord Bilimoria told media on Sunday,

“Talks are currently at an advanced stage for acquisition of the brewery and once acquisition process is over we will upgrade it to our specifications,” 

The UK-based Cobra Beer, which has an annual turnover of 126 million pounds (about 253 million USD) and is exporting to 50 countries worldwide, started its operations in Rajasthan at the Shivalika Brewery in January 2005.

The DraughtMaster, the latest in a recent line of self-contained home beer-dispensing unit (this time from Carlsberg), hits retailer’s shelves this month and features a number of new features that help to deliver a cooler pint with the perfect head.

An advanced pre-cool function and twin-speed fan allows consumers to initiate a quicker keg cooling process, so freeing up valuable fridge space even quicker!

The stylish unit is designed around Carlsberg’s patented one way keg system, which uses breakthrough PET technology to ensure that the beer maintains its freshness for up to 3 weeks after first pour. Simply insert the pre-cooled keg, connect the beer tap and pour your perfect pint.

The contemporary black and chrome DraughtMaster has been designed in partnership with award winning Scandinavian design house CBD A/S, and looks equally at home in the modern kitchen or bachelor pad. Darran Britton, Marketing Director from Carlsberg comments:

“Our latest DraughtMaster not only looks stylish, but ensures each pint poured is at the perfect temperature ensuring a fresh, draught quality pint, making the DraughtMaster the ideal Xmas gift and must have item for lovers of quality beer everywhere”

The unique ‘plug and pour’ unit is simple to use, and is free from complicated tubes and pumps. The 9 pint kegs are bought separately and each of the components are recyclable. Each DraughtMaster comes with a chrome tap, drip tray, and Carlsberg’s approved guide to pint pulling.

The Carlsberg DraughtMaster will be available across the UK (no word of a release in the U.S. as of yet) from Comet, John Lewis, The Next Directory, Littlewoods Direct, and Argos at the recommended retail price of £129.99, with 5 litre kegs of Carlsberg Export costing £13.99 each, available from selected Tesco and Thresher stores.

To celebrate the success of Heineken DraughtKeg, Heineken - the Official Beer of the Rugby World Cup 2007 - are offering TWO TICKETS to see Wales v Australia this Saturday at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium as prizes in icWales’ latest competition.

Two runners-up will win a Heineken DraughtKeg to enjoy at home during the Rugby World Cup 2007.

For more information and a chance to win tickets to the Rugby World Cup 2007 final, visit www.heineken.co.uk

PLEASE NOTE: Transport to and from the venue is NOT included in the prize. The competition will remain open until 4pm Friday 14 September. Read the following terms and conditions for details:

On the eve of Oktoberfest, perhaps the most well-known beer festival in the world, the German Association of Brewers announced today (sept 12, 2007) that beer prices in the country will soon be on the rise. Thanks, in part, to the higher costs of bottles, energy and ingredients.

Maybe he finally realized that he represented a horrible product that constantly does all it can to completely ruin the true nature of the necture we all love… maybe not. Either way, Rockey Mountain News is reporting today that Frits van Paasschen is stepping down as Coors Brewing Co. CEO to accept a senior executive job at a company outside the beer industry. Leo Kiely, CEO of parent Molson Coors, will take over at the Coors Brewing Co. unit until a successor is found.”Over the past two years, Frits and his team have made a real difference in growing our brands, improving productivity, securing strong relationships with our distributors, and strengthening the great tradition of a values-driven culture at Coors,” said Kiely.

The real question, though, is can Kiely make Coors suck any less? We doubt it…

Sources are now confirming that Coors Brewing Company is creating AC Golden Brewery, a “brand incubation company” that will “introduce above-premium beers to the marketplace using a new approach,” Beer Marketer’s Insights Express reported yesterday.

The report says the new “brewery” will roll out brands through a slow build, similar to Coors’ marketing of their Blue Moon Belgian White Ale.

The report didn’t mention any specific brands Coors plans to bring to market through AC Golden. However, it has reported that Coors filed a trademark application for Pale Moon Light, giving rise to speculations that it may be a light extension of Blue Moon.

As previously reported, beer consumption in the People’s Republic of China is up - WAY up. And Tsingtao Brewery Co Ltd, China’s best known beer brand, is leading the campaign. Tsingtao posted a 63.4 percent increase in first-half of ‘07, as rising Chinese incomes boosted demand for beer and a taste for more expensive brews. The brewery, which is partially owned by top U.S. beer maker Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc, saw a net income increase to 347.57 million yuan ($45.92 million USD) from January-June, up from 212.74 million yuan a year earlier. Tsingtao hopes to maintain a 12 percent sales growth this year, against an 11.5 percent gain in 2006.

And 2008 will undoubtedly prove an even bigger year for the brewing giant, thanks in part to the 2008 Olympics — it is a co-sponsor and will host sailing events — which is expected to spur sales and boost its brand name even further.

Attorneys general from Maine and more than two dozen other states asked federal regulators Monday to launch a probe into the advertising techniques of companies marketing caffinated beer-hybrids with slogans such as “You can sleep when you’re 30,” saying they are targeting underage drinkers. A letter written by the attorneys general to the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (which oversees advertising for beer, wine and spirits) named four products and three manufacturers suspected of skirting the rules. It also called for a broader investigation of the advertising campaigns that promote caffeinated alcoholic drinks. The letter, which comes on the back of regulation passed in 2005 that prohibited advertisements that implied the caffeinated alcoholic drinks were stimulants, or that the additives somehow offset the effects of alcohol, claims that campaigns for the caffeinated drinks Sparks, Bud Extra, Liquid Charge, and Liquid Core violate federal advertising regulations.

Please note: It is our humble opinion that, a violation of federal law or not, these products should all be banned for smearing beer’s good name through the mud!