This is the perfect opportunity for all of you beer lovers to try and guess 7 countries that make the best beer in the world. Some of you may be in for a surprise and others will probably yell out: “Germany!! They have the greatest festival dedicated to beer”. Well, let’s wait and see.
We’ll start with the ultimate truth supposedly said by Benjamin Franklin: “Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”. Hard to disagree, especially when you look at the facts. Beer is considered to be world’s oldest and most consumed alcoholic beverage. If this wasn’t surprising enough for you, notice that the beer is just behind water and tea when it comes to most popular drinks. That’s what makes beer production a very lucrative business. According to the rough estimation, global beer market revenues in 2015 were a staggering 522 billion $. The countries with the biggest beer consumption are the Czech Republic, Ireland and Germany.
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The historical significance of beer (and how serious Germans are about it) is proven by the oldest food quality law still in use today. On the beginning of the 16th century, William IV, Duke of Bavaria, adopted the Reinheitsgebot or purity law which said that “only allowed ingredients of beer are water, hops and barley-malt”. Seeing this much dedication in everything they make, it doesn’t surprise us that Germany is also one of the 7 countries that make the best guns in the world.
Sometimes people like to justify their love for beer in a most unusual ways. One of the excuses you’ve all probably heard is that the beer is good for your health. The recent studies showed that there is some truth in those claims. But there is a catch. The beer can be healthy when consumed in moderate amounts. It means that the beer won’t get healthier if you drink a six–pack every day. It will probably get you fired from work and destroy your marriage.
To get the insight in 7 countries that make the best beer in the world, we have done an all-around research and found lists about top rated beer countries from Askmen, Yahoo and The top tens made by beer experts, journalists or voted by beer enthusiasts. Since there is a great amount of quality in quantity, we took a list of countries that produce the most beer as well. Each country on those lists was awarded points from 1 to 10 based on their position. As an extra value, we took a list of most preferred beer brands voted by internet users and awarded each country 1 point for every beer brand it had on the list. After summing the points into our Beer Score, we got the final ranking.
7. Ireland
Are you familiar with the expression “drunken Irishman”? Probably yes, since Irish people are well known for their love for alcohol, beer especially. They are on the 6th place in beer consumption per capita. In Ireland, half of the consumed alcohol is beer, and the brewing itself has a long history there. It is estimated that there was more than 200 breweries in this country in the 19th century. The most famous beer brand coming from Ireland is Guinness.
Beer Score: 11
6. Mexico
Don’t they drink just tequila? Apparently great and highly appreciated beer comes from Mexico. The beer in Mexico had a turbulent history, which caused a difficult development of beer brewing. Things changed recently, and the production of beer is dominated by two breweries, Grupo Modelo and FEMSA and their most famous brands: Corona and Tecate.
Beer Score: 12
5. Canada
Although brewing in Canada doesn’t have a long history, becoming popular only in the 20th century, it looks like they’ve gained some pace and can hold up their head high considering their high placement among 7 countries that make the best beer in the world. Beer is, of course, the most popular alcoholic beverage in Canada but for some reason, their domestic beer is only third in sales. The most popular brands from Canada are Molson and Sleeman.
Beer Score: 19
4. U.K.
Beer in U.K. has a special cultural significance. They have even constituted pubs so they would have a place that only serves for beer drinking. Another thing proving the point is that Britons like to make their own beer. According to the independent organization Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), “Britain now has more breweries per person than anywhere in the World”. With that much love for beer, it doesn’t surprise us that they make it so good. The most famous beer brands from U.K. are Thornbridge, Newcastle Brown Ale, and Young’s Bitter.
Beer Score: 27
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3. Belgium
Beers from Belgium are highly appreciated by beer enthusiasts for their unique taste. One more thing that distinct Belgian beer from others is that the breweries avoid cans and use uniquely shaped glass bottles. One of the most famous kinds of Belgian beer is Trappist beer, which is brewed in Trappist monasteries by monks. Most famous beer brands are Duvel, Chimay, and Leffe.
Beer Score: 30
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2. Germany
We told you there could be some surprises on this list. German beers fought hard, but still they couldn’t make it to the top although Germans are placed 3rd when it comes to beer consumption per capita. Also Germany is 4th largest beer producer in the world. We talked about how beer is important in Germany in the intro, but one other country overtook the throne. Most famous German beer brands are Oettinger, Krombacher, and Bitburger.
Beer Score: 33
1. U.S.A
Europeans may complain that American beer is too weak, but the world likes it, and this is what has catapulted the United States on top of 7 countries that make the best beer in the world. Besides being the second largest producer of the beer in the world, they are the country with second highest overall consumption of beer. Just like in Mexico, beer brewing in U.S.A. had some setbacks, especially during the prohibition of alcoholic beverage sales, but managed to recover in great fashion. Most famous beer brands coming from U.S.A. are Budweiser, Samuel Adams, and Bud Light.
Beer Score: 41
