Beer drinkers’ more sophisticated palates are boosting the bottom lines of the two major brewers despite an overall drop in market volume.

Asia Pacific Breweries, owner of DB Breweries, says pretax earnings are up 52% for the first half, due mainly to a 4% volume gain, favourable sales mix and the appreciation of the New Zealand dollar.

Overall, APB reported group revenue grew to $S1.25 billion for the six months to March 31 – 17% higher than the same period last year, mainly due to higher volumes.

Giant Manila-based brewer San Miguel and a Japanese partner are buying majority control of Australian family-owned Cospak, a packaging company with a plastics manufacturing unit in Auckland.

The $A50 million deal will give San Miguel Yamamura Packaging International a 65% stake in Cospak, which owns the Premier Plastics Group in East Tamaki as well as a Cospak sales operation.

DB Breweries’ pretax profit fell 79% in its latest year because of a more competitive market, unfavourable sales mix, higher packaging costs and unrealised foreign exchange losses.

The result is reported in the annual accounts to September 30 of Asia Pacific Breweries (APB),  a joint venture between Dutch brewer Heineken and Singapore’s Fraser & Neave.