Lehman Brothers is at the centre of a second brewing industry tie-up in less than week after emerging as an adviser to Danish beer maker Carlsberg on its joint £7.1bn (€10.2bn) bid with Heineken of the Netherlands for UK rival Scottish & Newcastle.

Carlsberg and Heineken, which is being advised by Credit Suisse, have launched a joint bid for Scottish & Newcastle, and are thought to have offered 750p a share, close to a 12% premium to the company's share price before the announcement of the deal.