Daily News: Alcohol-Free Guinness, the Decline of Absolut and Beer as Currency

Your daily dose of news and happenings from around the drink-o-sphere: 

– Many believed that the legalization of  recreational marijuana in some places would cause alcohol sales to suffer, but that does not seem to be the case.

– The past 10 years have not been particularly kind to Absolut Vodka, and owners Pernod Ricard are looking for a way to breathe life back into the once-popular brand.

– Many in Australia have figured out a way to use beer as a way to pay for anything from cars to a new kitchen sink.

– Diageo is testing out an alcohol-free version of Guinness called Guinness Zero, which has already been rolled out in Indonesia.

[Photo: Flickr/Simone Bruzzoni]