When it comes to the production and consumption of beer, some nations output a whole lot more than they like to drink, and so there’s a good chance you’ve begun to spot a lot of new ales and beers in stores. Whether from local breweries or across the globe, consumption and production of alcohol are on the up and up, and with that in mind, we have an article below for you on which nations produce the most beer, and what types of beer are on offer.
Take a look at which countries produce the most beer below.
Which Country Brews The Most Beer In A Year?
Production vs Popularity
One thing to keep in mind when it comes to the production of alcohol is that there are some nations that produce a lot, though their brews aren’t as popular, renowned or as loved as others. For example, some of the most popular and world-famous beers come from Europe, though the continent produces far less than some other countries out there, like China and the US, for example.
To quantify this, China produces an immense 376 million hectoliters of alcohol each year, which is equal to essentially all of the top European producers combined, though not too many Chinese ales or beers hit shelves outside the country, and those that do aren’t very high up on the popularity ladder.
Production Movements
The production of alcohol across the globe has begun to shift from the nations which own the beer producers to nations where costs can be reduced and beer can be brewed at a more affordable cost.
This has resulted in countries such as the US, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland slowly losing their top spots on the beer production charts to countries like Brazil, China and Mexico.
On top of this, Australian mainstream brewers have also made moves from the country to China and Japan, which has majorly reduced Australia’s homegrown production of beer. However, this has resulted in a large jump in craft beers made in the country gaining popularity and taking off to hit chain stores and even international markets.
You can click here to see the range of popular beers and ciders in the Australian market.
China, The Leading Beer Producer
As we mentioned above, China produces an immense 376 million hectoliters of beer on an annual basis, which puts the country at number one by a long shot.
The Chinese output more beer than any other nation, and with that, they also work to produce some of the world’s most popular non-Chinese brews with more and more companies looking to mainland China for the brewing of their alcohol.
United States
Coming in at second place, the US outputs just over 210 million hectolitres of alcohol on an annual basis, which makes the country another of the world’s most popular locations for beer consumption and the headquarter-ing of beer businesses.
One thing to note about Northern America’s production of beer is that the country peaked production in 1990 and has seen a steady decline ever since, potentially due to the popularity of brewing in China, and major beer producers moving their beverages to the country for production and output on the global stage.
Mexico
With 124 million hectolitres of beer output each year, primarily thanks to Heineken and Corona, Mexico is another key producer of alcohol that lands on the global stage. These brews aren’t only popular within their local borders, but also make their way across the globe as one of the more popular brews out there.
When it comes to Latin America in general, the continent outputs around 260 million hectolitres of beer each year, making it one of the world’s hubs for beer production.
Europe
Though a vast majority of the globe’s favourite beers are European by name, or by history, a lot of these beers are actually brewed outside of the country and in Latin America, for example.
With this in mind, Germany outputs a relatively low 95 million hectolitres of beer each year, and the Netherlands outputs more than 11 per cent of the entire planet’s beer, though producers like Anheuser-Busch InBev still control more than 30 per cent of the globe’s beer production.
The Takeaway
As you can see above, there is a list of nations that produce a tonne of beer for a number of different markets, and as the beer landscape becomes more saturated and profit-focused, companies are shifting their production from local and homegrown locations to cheaper international locations such as Mexico, Brazil and China.
