TOKYO, Oct 22, 2007 (AFP) - Major Japanese brewer Kirin, seeking to compensate for slack growth in beer sales, announced Monday a 1.48 billion dollar friendly bid for pharmaceutical firm Kyowa Hakko Kogyo.

Kirin Holdings Co. hopes to merge its Kirin Pharmaceuticals next year with Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., which has agreed to the offer.

Japanese breweries have been branching out to offset slack growth, as the public increasingly prefers to drink wine and other beverages.

TOKYO, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - Japanese brewer Kirin said Friday it was considering a tie-up with pharmaceutical firm Kyowa Hakko Kogyo, looking to broaden its businesses to offset sluggish domestic beer sales.

'We contacted Kyowa Hakko Kogyo to have talks on the various possibilities of cooperating in our businesses,' said a spokeswoman at Kirin Holdings Co. 'But we haven't made any formal decision.'

NEW YORK, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - Coca-Cola posted better-than-expected third quarter earnings Wednesday, as the soft-drink giant's results were boosted by strong sales worldwide, particularly in emerging market economies.

Net profit jumped 13 percent from a year ago to 1.65 billion dollars, with earnings per share of 71 cents, a 15 percent rise.

The Coca-Cola Company said an exceptional gain linked to the sale of a portion of an investment in the Australia-based Coca-Cola Amatil Limited region offset a restructuring charge.

LONDON, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - British brewer Scottish and Newcastle on Wednesday reacted angrily to news of a potential joint takeover offer from Danish beer group and business partner Carlsberg, and Dutch peer Heineken.

Scottish and Newcastle, whose top-selling beverages include Foster's, Kronenbourg 1664, John Smiths and Strongbow, said that a possible break-up bid was 'unsolicited and unwelcome.'

However, the company's share price jumped by almost a fifth as analysts praised the strategic benefits of a deal.

LONDON, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - Danish beer group Carlsberg and Dutch peer Heineken on Wednesday revealed that they are holding talks about a possible takeover of British brewer Scottish and Newcastle.

The news sent S and N's share price jumping by almost a fifth in value, as analysts praised the strategic benefits of a deal.

The company's top-selling beverages include Foster's, Kronenbourg 1664, John Smiths and Strongbow.

LONDON, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - Danish beer group Carlsberg and Dutch peer Heineken on Wednesday revealed that they are holding talks about a consortium takeover of British brewer Scottish and Newcastle.

'Carlsberg and Heineken confirm that they are in discussions regarding the formation of a consortium to make an offer for the entire issued share capital of Scottish and Newcastle,' the two groups said in a statement issued in response to recent share price movements.

HAKONE, Japan, Oct 10, 2007 (AFP) - Having a cold beer after a hot bath is a nightly ritual for many Japanese, and now the country has found a way to further indulge -- soaking in the cold suds themselves.

In this mountainous hot spring resort just a day trip from Tokyo, a spa park is offering a bathtub, shaped like a beer mug, filled with heated amber water and white foam with the aroma of hops and barley.

The Hakone Kowakien Yunessun is also pouring and spraying real beer into the bath and onto the customers three times a day until December 31.

LONDON, Oct 9, 2007 (AFP) - Britain-based brewer SABMiller said Tuesday it had signed a letter-of-intent to combine its US operations with Molson Coors, bringing together the Miller Lite and Coors Light brands.

SABMiller and Molson Coors will have equal voting rights in the new MillerCoors company, with SABMiller holding a 58 percent economic interest and Molson Coors 42 percent, a statement said.

The joint venture would meanwhile have annual revenues of about 6.6 billion dollars (4.7 billion euros).

MUNICH, Germany, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) - Attendance was down but beer consumption was up at Germany's world-famous Oktoberfest this year, organisers said as the event wrapped up Sunday.

Some 6.2 million visitors attended the world's biggest beer festival, about 300,000 thousand fewer than in 2006. But beer sales rose about 10 percent to 6.7 million litres (11.8 million pints).

MOSCOW, Oct 3, 2007 (AFP) - Moscow streets may be crowded with Bentleys as Russia races into its oil-fueled future, but that has not stopped a boom in a traditional Russian peasant brew that has even caught the attention of US beverage giant Coca-Cola.

It's called kvass: a dark, fizzy, slightly sour-tasting drink made from bread or grain, with very low alcohol and very high popularity thanks to a surge of national pride in newly ascendent Russia.