DRAFT Magazine

On a day when we learned that the top four breweries in the world account for more than 50 percent of the market share comes the news that Japanese beermakers Kirin Holdings and Suntory SUNTH.UL are ending talks for a proposed merger.

The potential deal fell through because executives couldn’t agree upon how the resulting company — which would have rivaled Pepsi Co. in size — would be managed.

“We determined we would not be able to gain understanding from stakeholders for management independence and transparency of the merged company as a listed entity,” Kirin president Kazuyasu Kato said.

Sure.

As a result, Kirin will ramp up its overseas expansion plans.

The (un?)holy union between Anheuser-Busch and InBev is so last year.

Two of Japan’s biggest food and drink, Suntory Holdings and Kirin Holdings, are considering a merger that would create a giant company larger than the entity formed when the American and Belgium breweries united last July.

According to Katsunori Tanaka, a Tokyo-based analyst for Goldman Sachs, the merger could be “a major improvement for beer and soft drink competitive conditions in Japan.” The two companies combined for roughly $41 billion in sales last year.

Kirin, which produces a beer of the same name, recently purchased Australia’s Lion Nathan and made a commitment to buy 43 percent of San Miguel Brewery for $1.4 billion.

How do you like them apples?

Admit it, you’ve always wanted to own one of those massive bottle packaging operations. How cool would that be? Imagine all the ladies you could impress. Well, we’d be impressed at least.

San Miguel Corp. can make that dream (nightmare?) come true. In an effort to raise money, the Philippine conglomerate will part with a 10 to 14 percent of its packaging arm, San Miguel Packaging Group. The company also hopes to sell its international beer business to “flagship subsidiary” San Miguel Brewery for between $600 and $700 million. Japan’s Kirin Holdings owns 48.3 percent of San Miguel Brewery. Now we are officially confused.

Just buy the packaging plant, okay. And let us come hang out there. We promise to be good.

When you want a beer, but you don’t want alcohol — any alcohol at all — you can turn to Kirin Free. The new brew from Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings claims to contain 0.00 percent alcohol.

Surprisingly, the beer has been astoundingly popular in the Asian country, especially among pregnant women and people who are driving. The company went as far as to take out newspaper advertisements apologizing for shortages of Kirin Free due to unprecedented demand.

Well, that’s one way to save the newspaper industry.