Michigan has tripled the deposit on beer kegs, a number not quite so shocking since the state previously had a very low deposit for $10 and the new fee of $30 is less than in most states.

It costs a beer manufacturer about $152 to buy a new half-barrel when one disappears, according to Ken Wozniak of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. He said a Michigan brewing company asked the commission last year to raise the $10 deposit to $90 per keg.

“The commission thought that request was a little steep,” Wozniak said. “The purpose of the increase in the barrel deposit to $30 was to ensure the return of the keg, not necessarily to cover” beer manufacturer’s cost of the keg.

Increasing pricing for scrap metal have made kegs an attractive target for thieves.

A proposal by Smuttynose Brewing Co. to construct a new brewery and restaurant off Route 1 is dead after Portsmouth the City Council denied a proposed zoning change that would have been the first step in the process.

Some of the opposition seems pretty provincial (but then we are biased):

Kathleen Hersey of 1761 Lafayette Road also opposed the change because she worried it would devalue her property.

“I can’t imagine anyone would want to look out their living room window and see an industrial plant in their neighborhood,” she said.

Others like Tim Ellis of 1781 Lafayette Road worried about odors. “How do I live in my house if it smells. You can go by the brewery right now and it smells,” he said.

Some people have short memories. Founder Peter Egelston pointed out he invested in Portsmouth downtown in the late 1980s when he was told it was foolish to do so.

Anheuser-Busch reported short term gains Tuesday, saying that beer sales to retailers have rebounded in May after a disappointing April.

The brewer said sales from wholesalers to retailers for the whole company, as well as just for its core beer brands including Budweiser and Bud Light, rose at a mid-single digit percentage rate. So far, sales to retailers are up 1 percent quarter to date.

Executives also presented a broad overview of the future during A-B’s investor conference in St. Louis.

(The) told analysts that the company is focused on growing its core U.S. business even as it cranks up expansion in China and experiments in exotic drinks like a beer-tomato cocktail.

The nation’s largest brewery said it expected earnings per share to grow more than 10 percent this year, outpacing the company’s goal of 7 percent to 10 percent growth. Earnings per share in the current quarter will probably fall short of 7 percent, but growth should accelerate in the second half of the year, the company said. Last year, A-B earned $2.53 per share.

The company indicated it will again change its online marketing in response to the disappointing debut of Bud.TV.

A-B spent about $12 million to create 2,000 minutes of proprietary content for Bud.TV, which launched on Super Bowl Sunday in February.

But tight controls on the website — meant to stop underage viewers from accessing the skits and shows, some of which included beer — put the company in a “no-win situation.”

The site’s shows will likely be used at other A-B beer sites, although the company indicated Bud.TV would still play a role in marketing efforts.