The Best Brands of Beer

Beer has been as common as water for centuries all over the world. But what beer brands stand out the best today? What are their names?

In the last decades, beer has emerged from a simple drink into a complex and delicate product that is appreciated by many people. It’s not only about drinking alcohol anymore: now it has become an art of treating yourself with something special, rare, unique or just different.

All these beers have some similarities — they all give you great satisfaction and pleasure! But they are also different: their tastes vary, some of them even have a complex history.

Let’s dive in and explore the top 10 best beer brands in India and around the world:

10. Guinness

Guinness is a dry stout that was first made in 1759 at the St. James’s Gate Brewery by Arthur Guinness, who was an Irishman. The company is now owned by the giant Diageo and its headquarters are still in Dublin. It is not only Ireland’s best-selling beer but also the most popular one worldwide, with about 125 million glasses sold every day on average all over the world. That makes this beer brand number 10 of 10 best selling beers in the world.

9. Budweiser

Budweiser is a pale lager that has been brewed by Anheuser-Busch since 1876 in St Louis, Missouri. Its name comes from the Czech word “Budějovice” which means “good town.” This beer has more than 5% market share in the United States and nearly 10% of sales volume there. It is number nine among best selling beers around the world.

8. Carlsberg

Carlsberg was founded by Jens Christian Jacobsen who started brewing beer in Copenhagen, Denmark, back in 1847. In 2011, Heineken International acquired a 46 percent stake in it for $6 billion and made it one of its subsidiaries. Today this beer brand holds about 4% of the global beer market and is number 8 among best selling beers around the world.

7. Tsingtao Beer

Originally brewed in Qingdao, China, by German brewers from Bavaria back in 1903, this beer is now produced by Tsingtao Brewery Limited which was set up during World War I to provide a substitute for German imports. The company began exporting to Europe and America only after 1949 when it became state-owned. It remains one of Asia’s most popular beers. This beer brand is number 7 among the top 10 best selling beers in the world.

6. Bud Light

A product of Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company, Bud Light was launched back in 1982 and became America’s most loved light beer within a short time. It has been voted as “the official beer of summer” by TV viewers for several years running, and it remains one of the most sold beers all over the world today with more than 200 million barrels produced every year on average. Number six among the top 10 best selling beers in the world, Bud Light is a clear pale lager with 5% alcohol by volume (ABV).

5. Coors Light

Coors was first introduced as “Killian’s Irish Red” back in 1873 but became popular as Coors Banquet Beer only after it merged with Adolph Coors Company in 2005 to form Molson Coors Brewing Company. The beer comes in an iconic red can that is instantly recognizable. It is number five among the best selling beers in the world today, with a 5% ABV and more than $1 billion worth of sales every year.

4. Snow Beer

Snow beer brand is China’s most famous and best selling one. It was originally brewed in 1987 by the Tsingtao Brewery Company to celebrate the 1980 Summer Olympics which were hosted by Beijing. Its name came from a poem written during the Tang Dynasty (around A.D. 618-907). Snow has 9% ABV, comes in 330ml bottles with distinctive labels and tastes similar to Miller Genuine Draft or Budweiser American Ale but costs less than $1 per bottle. Snow is produced by China Resources Enterprise through its subsidiary Beijing Yanjing Beer Company which was established in 1998.

3. Fosters

Fosters is an Australian pale lager that was first brewed in 1887 by two German brothers, William and Ralph Foster. It got its name from the brewery’s location at 155 Foster Street in Melbourne. Today this beer brand holds a strong market position, being number one among the 10 best selling beers in Australia (accounting for more than 70% of all beer sold). Fosters also has significant presence in Asia Pacific region and Latin America as well as Africa where it makes up for 20% of all beer sold. It has a 4.8% ABV and comes in 375ml bottles with their iconic labels featuring Australian things, such as the Sydney Opera House or a Kangaroo.

2. Chang beer

Chang Beer is a pale lager that has been brewed by the Thai Beverage Public Company Limited since 1934. It’s named after the elephants of Thailand and comes in a distinctive green bottle with its logo printed on the side. Chang is number one among best selling beers around the world today with more than 8 billion bottles sold every year on average. It also holds 38 percent market share in Thailand alone and remains one of the most popular brands among expats. Chang Beer comes in a 5% ABV and is produced by the Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (TBPL).

1. Heineken

Heineken beer brand was founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken who opened his first brewery at Leiden, Netherlands. Today it is sold in over 170 countries around the world and counts almost 300 million bottles shipped per year on average, making it number four among the best selling beers in the world. Heineken is a 5% ABV pale lager that has been voted as “the most international beer” many times over, with more than 170 breweries producing it across the globe.

Conclusion

Beer is an alcoholic beverage which contains natural ingredients like malted barley, hops and yeast. It is produced by fermentation of starch sugars derived from cereal grains such as wheat or corn. The best beers are usually made with a blend of grain and hops in different proportions to produce the desired taste, color and character. The most popular beers in the world and the best beer brands in India are pale lagers, followed by wheat beer and dark ale.

All these best selling beers were first introduced to the world some time or another during the 19th century. However, there is no doubt that more will come out over time as long as people want to enjoy them for their taste and character.