And this is why you don’t want a beer tax…
As I’ve mentioned before on the dear ol’ bloggy blog, the UK pubs are suffering immensely from beer taxes. Accordingly to Bloomberg, 52 pubs are closing a WEEK. Holy crap. That is just insane. The total number of closings total 2,337 in the last year with a loss of over 24,000 jobs. Further, the pub closings are wreaking havoc on the government, too. With each pub that closes, the government loses £107,000 in lost taxes annually, in addition to jobless benefit claims. “Closing pubs are not only a loss to communities, but a loss to the Treasury,” BBPA Chief Executive David Long said in the statement. “Government now needs to listen to the pub sector in the same way it listens to other sectors suffering this level of job losses.”

Woman in Malaysia to be flogged over beer
A Malaysian model will be flogged with a rattan cane for consuming beer in public at a hotel nightclub—”a punishment usually reserved for men in various crimes ranging from rape to bribery.” Wow. So, beer is the equivalent of rape is the Muslim world? Disgusting.

Someone stole a lot of beer in Florida
There’s always some weird news coming out of Florida (especially if you’re a FARK fan), but this is ridiculous: $70,000 worth of beer was stolen from a trucking company in Tampa. “One trailer was carrying 1,260 six-packs of Corona Extra beer, deputies say. The other trailer contained 990 six-packs of Corona and 990 cases of Modella Especial beer.” At least is wasn’t craft beer!

This one’s for the dudes
Portraying men in beer ads as “dogs, dolts, dopes” has jumped the shark. Or, it will very soon. Is this news?

Starbucks jumps on the bandwagon
We have absolutely no clue as to why they would be doing this, but one Starbucks in Seattle is “experimenting” by adding beer and wine to their menu. One can assume, if it takes off, more will do the same. Or are coffee sales down that much? I can tell you, I won’t be ordering a Venti Porter anytime soon.

AB-InBev to go “upscale” with Belgian-style beers
This just makes me want to puke. “…Can Anheuser-Busch—maker of Bud Light, Budweiser and Natural Light—successfully manage the upscale brands in the U.S.? Anheuser-Busch is known for its ability to flood the zone with huge brands but has historically been less successful at nurturing niche products. But with InBev now in charge, selling the high-end Belgian beers is a higher priority.” Yup, start looking for more of those Stella Artois ads on the idiot box. Wonder what the head honchos at A-B think of that merger now?