12 May How do Beer Consumption and Beer Production compare around the world
Beer is the oldest and one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the world. It is widely consumed in countries all over the world and is associated with many activities and traditions. The bitter brew made out of fermented barley, wheat and rice is the most popular with the people of the Czech Republic. They consume exactly 8.5 l per capita. Following with 7.15 litres per capita are the Seychelles. Even though one wouldn’t consider the small african island to be a big fan of beer it only loses about 1 litre to the top consumers Czech Republic. Surprisingly Ireland, known for their famous Guiness beer all over the world, only makes it to third place. The Irish consume 7.04 litres of beer per capita. Austria and Germany are well known for their wide variety of beers and yet the statistics deliver another surprise: Austria makes it to rang 4 with 6. 70 litres of consumed beer per capita and Germany makes the last place with a mere 6.22 litres. Unexpected results, to say the least.
Seeing as the Czech republic likes a few beers, it can be expected that they also boast a wide range of breweries, this isn’t the case though. The Czech Republic only makes it to 12th place when it comes to producing their favourite beverage. Which leads to the next graph.
The top brewing regions of the world include the US, the UK, France, Italy and Russia. Each country has a load of local varieties of beer. Originating in the EU the beer brewing process has made it’s way over the ocean to the US and leads them to the top numbers of local breweries (4000). Considering the size of the land of endless possibilites, it is no wonder that the decline in brewers, the UK holds, is incredibly huge. With 723 local breweries the English hold a good second place. France, the land most famous for wine, comes in at an astonishing 3rd place with 654 local breweries. The land of pasta and pizza, Italy, is home to a large 600 breweries all over the country. Last but not least, Russia calls 561 breweries it’s own. Thinking about the old stereotype of Russians drinking vodka like water, this isn’t terribly curious. Thinking about the size of the country though, 561 breweries seem very few in comparison to the US’ 4000.
The number of breweries might also influence the prizing of an average bottle of beer, as it’s only £ 1.33 to buy a bottle of beer in the US. However no brands were named and prizes may vary.
In conclusion, it is hugely interesting, how the only correlation between the top countries to consume beer and the top countries to produce beer is that the majority of them are part of the European Union. Europe loves a good beer, but after analysing these statics, it is very likely their favourite brew was produced in the United States.
