Here Are the World's 10 Top-Selling Beer Brands - MainStreet Here Are the World's 10 Top-Selling Beer Brands Jun 30, 2014 8:30 AM EDT ADVERTISEMENT PORTLAND, Ore. ( MainStreet )  Nations seldom play soccer in the same style during the World Cup, so why should they drink the same beer? Even after the matches of the 2014 World Cup kicked off weeks ago, beer was still a big deal at this year's event in Brazil. Anheuser-Busch InBev is based in Brazil, brews popular Brazilian beer brand Brahma and serves as an official World Cup sponsor. According to Euromonitor, it accounts for 20.6% of the world's roughly $600 billion beer market and has enough influence with soccer governing body FIFA to get it to lean on Brazil and get it to repeal a ban on alcohol at soccer stadiums . Yet even after Interbrew merged with Anheuser-Busch and bought out Mexican brewer Modelo last year, it doesn't hold absolute dominance over the global beer market.

SABMiller accounts for just 9.7%, but has 200 brands in 75 countries. Heineken International holds 9.2% thanks to not only its flagship brand and Amstel, but its Murphy's brewery in Ireland, its Scottish & Newcastle brands in the United Kingdom, its Tiger brand in Malaysia and its FEMSA beers in Mexico and Brazil. In that crowd, North America's MolsonCoors not only seems tiny by comparison at 3.2% market share, but trails Danish brewer Carlsberg (5.7%) and the Chinese trio of China Resources Enterprise, Tsingtao and Beijing Yanjing (12.7) in combined global market share. In fact, the $100 billion U.S. beer market  especially its $14.3 billion craft segment  seems somewhat small by comparison. That's until you take into account that the largest share of the global beer market still belongs to the ambiguous "others," with a 35.1% stake. That share is down from roughly 50% a year ago, but as small brewers learn the ropes and grow  sales from small brewers grew 20% in the U.S.

alone last year  there's an outside chance of staving off consolidation and maintaining variety in the global taproom. With help from Euromonitor, we've uncovered the Top 10 beer brands in the world. In this world cup of brewing "American" beers are competitive, but come nowhere close to the top: 10. Coors Light Brewer: MolsonCoors You're looking at perhaps the only recession-proof beer on the planet. While light lagers lost a step around the globe and, particularly, in the U.S., Coors Light managed to gain ground. Even as MolsonCoors/SABMiller joint venture MillerCoors saw sales drop as overall U.S. beer sales fell in four of the past five years, Coors Light production and market share has surged. Also see: More and More, Craft Beer Looks Like Lager>> MolsonCoors has had to look to other avenues, including its Blue Moon line of beers, just to make up for other light lager losses  including a slumping Miller Lite and Miller High Life. But Coors Light has grabbed a nearly 9% share of the market. By 2011, it had leapfrogged Budweiser to become the No.

2 beer in the U.S. Of the Top 5 U.S. beers, Coors Light was the only one to see sales improve since 2010. It's the one "domestic" premium light lager that U.S. drinkers still buy in increasing supply and is the fastest-growing domestic light lager brand in the U.S. not named Pabst Blue Ribbon. 9. Brahma Brewer: Anheuser-Busch InBev Brazil is an absolutely massive beer market, as Anheuser-Busch InBev well knows. Not only does it have a headquarters in Sao Paolo, but its sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup and considerable influence on the soccer governing body helped push Brazil to lift a ban on stadium beer sales for World Cup events. Brahma's history dates back to 1888, but A-B didn't begin pushing it internationally until 2005. It is now sold in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Australia and about 10 other countries. It's regularly among the top beer brands in Brazil and is a huge favorite in a country where 98% of all beer sold is pilsner.

Though Brazil still trails North American and European countries in per capita beer consumption, the total amount of beer it consumes each year ranks it third among beer-drinking nations and ahead of Russia and Germany. As a result, this isn't the last time Brazil will pop up on this list. 8. Harbin Brewer: Anheuser-Busch InBev Welcome to China's fourth-largest brewery and perhaps the biggest prize in the battle for global beer consolidation. Dating back to 1900, Harbin got its start under a Russian-Polish brewer, was taken over by a team of Czechs and Chinese, fell into the hands of the Soviets and eventually was owned by China itself. The pale lager recipe held to its core of water, malt and Chinese hops, but dabbled occasionally in rice and corn as adjunct ingredients. Back in 2003, SABMiller bought itself a nearly 30% share of the brewery just to open up the Chinese market. A-B InBev didn't like that and decided to buy the whole thing a year later. It's one of the few foreign-owned Chinese brewers, which is what made battle for it between A-B and Miller so dire.

At stake was a Chinese beer market that drinks some of the least beer per capita of any beer-drinking nation, but consumes the most beer in the world: Almost double the amount of the U.S. Expect to see China's beers a lot more as this list progresses. 7. Heineken Brewer: Heineken International The recession hammered Heineken a bit in the U.S., but it's been back on track both here and abroad since 2012. U.S. production is up over the past two years while market share has held steady at 2% or so. Overseas, it's been even more successful as markets in Africa, Latin America and the Pacific have all latched on to its brand. That green bottle and red star do the heavy lifting, but there's a lot going on behind that brand name. Heineken is best known for its eponymous brand and Amstel Light, but it also controls Newcastle, Moretti, Zywiec, Affigem, Fosters, Murphy's, Krusovice, Beamish and Tiger Beer. Its headquarters is in Amsterdam, but its operations and beer are spread throughout the globe.

As the third-largest brewer behind SABMiller and A-B InBev, it's a lot bigger than its flagship beer's place on this list suggests. 6. Yanjing Brewer: Beijing Yanjing Harbin has a huge multinational brewer behind it and still somehow manages to be smaller than Yanjing. Beijing Yanjing doesn't have an enormous presence in China, with roughly 10% of its market, but it's enormous in Beijing. More than 80% of the city's beer drinkers choose it and its signs were plastered all over the city as the official beer of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But that's not enough. Yanjing has made it clear that it wants an international presence and is willing to skip the 90% of China that doesn't know it and go straight to the rest of the world. It's built an empire of the strength of one city, but getting yet another pale lager out to the rest of the world could be a tougher challenge. 5.

Skol Brewer: Carlsberg, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Unibra There was a time making a beer that looked and tasted the same all over the world wasn't just A-B InBev's strategy for the Budweiser brand. In the 1960s, back when Anheuser-Busch was still just chugging along in St. Louis, a team of British, Canadian, Swedish and German breweries tried to create a global beer brand that would provide a fallback option for beer drinkers around the world. The beer was eventually brewed by Carlsberg in the U.K., by Belgium's Unibra in Africa and by Brahma in Brazil. When A-B InBev took over Brahma, it gave the beer a huge push in Brazil and made it one of the nation's top sellers right next to Brahma. Brewer: Anheuser-Busch InBev Speaking of which, there's just about no reason to consider Budweiser an "American" beer anymore. Beyond the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by InBev in 2008, Budweiser's popularity in the U.S. has been on the skids for years.

In the late 1980s, it accounted for nearly 25% of all beer sold here. By 2012, that marked share dropped to below 8%. Sales of the Budweiser brand have boomed in Latin America and China, but have fallen flat here as production slumped below that of Bud Light and Coors Light and is drifting into Miller Lite territory. Still, it's sold in more than 85 countries around the world and has a large global market it can tap. Just don't count much of Europe in that territory. A-B InBev can sell this beer there, but Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar owns the trademark rights to Budweiser there. In large swaths of Europe  including Germany and the Czech Republic  A-B's product is just "Bud." 3. Bud Light Brewer: Anheuser-Busch InBev About one out of every five beers sold in the U.S. is a Bud Light. It's only been around since 1982, but Bud Light's presence in the U.S. and around the world is enormous.

With the additions of Bud Light Platinum, Bud Light Lime, Bud Light Chelada and Bud Light Straw-Ber-Ita, A-B has only expanded the reach of the brand while dipping a toe into super premium beers and flavored malt beverages. Bud Light has seen sales and market share in the U.S. ebb away since the recession, but U.S. drinkers still consume twice as much of it as they do the No. 2 beer in the nation  Coors Light. It has a long lead to lose in the No. 2 beer-consuming nation in the world. Any sales it can muster in any other corner of the globe are just a bonus. 2. Tsingtao Brewer: Tsingtao Brewery You can credit Tsingtao's 15% share of the Chinese market with its huge global popularity, but it's this beer's longtime international presence that's made it an international powerhouse. Tsingtao has been brewed since 1904, but began exporting its products 50 years later. The first bottles of it began arriving in the U.S. in 1972 and its been a staple of bottle shop import shelves and restaurant beer menus here for more than 40 years.

Once owned by China itself, Tsingtao went private in 1990 and was owned partially by A-B InBev in 2009. A-B only had a 30% stake and when it was clear it would never be able to take over the brewer, it sold off its share to local interests. That's right: This is the big brewery that A-B couldn't get its mitts on. Its 4.1% of the global beer market seems tiny compared with A-B's 20.6%, but just consider that MolsonCoors' stake is 3.6%. A-B had to walk away from buying the Chinese equivalent of MolsonCoors, and Tsingtao's light lager is none the worse for it. 1. Snow Brewer: SABMiller/China Resources Enterprises This beer didn't exist 21 years ago and is now the biggest beer in the world. Such is the strength of the Chinese beer market. Produced by the SABMiller/China Resources Enterprises joint effort CR Snow, there's really nothing incredibly special about this pale lager.

A fizzy, yellow, 3.9% alcohol by volume beer brewed with mild Saaz hops from the Czech Republic, Snow is just your basic light lager with a bit less potency. Yet it's the most popular beer in China by a long stretch. It takes 80 breweries just to meet demand, and China Resources Enterprises just keeps adding more. You're not going to see it at the World Cup in Brazil and it's not exactly ubiquitous here in the U.S., but it's a prime example of what a brewer can do when there's an untapped market just waiting for it.  By Jason Notte Best selling beers around the world hebrew Best selling beers around the world It seems easy to make the list of top-selling beers in different countries but it turns out to be a closely guarded industry secret to find sales statistics on the world’s biggest beer brands as they are all owned by 3-4 huge beer companies. Here you can find information on top beer brands in 13 major beer-drinking countries. United States Many people think that America’s best selling beer is Budweiser, but it actually gets worse.

Since 2001 the best selling beer in the USA has been Bud Light with an almost 16% share of the total market though it’s only sold internationally in Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Colombia and Sweden. Budweiser is a clear second place in the United States with Miller Lite, Coors Lite, and Corona Extra not far behind in the USA. Besides international beer brands, USA has many popular beer from local draft brewers. Now days there is a tendency for micro-breweries growth and beers-to-go become more and more popular. In the nearest 5 years this tendency will sufficiently change beer market, and even such companies like Anheuser –Busch would have to reconsider its beer sales concept. Great solution to dispensing beers into growlers is – Pegas CrafTap , that fills beers fast, with absolutely no foam and preserved beer’s original taste! Microbreweries from around the world as well as US Craft Brewers, in particular, noted that using Pegas CrafTap considerably cutting down beer dispensing wait time and speed up customer service speed. Canada Canadians rarely pass up a chance to look down their noses at Americans because they feel nearly all their beer is better. Their best selling brand is Labatt Blue.

It’s definitely at least half a step above most of the popular American beers. Coors Light has made its way up to number two, and Molson Canadian checks in third. Brazil Many people don’t immediately think of beer when they think of Brazil, the fifth most populous country in the world with almost 200 million residents. With almost a third of the total market, the local brand Skol dominates, with Brahma getting about 20%, followed by Antarctica with about 14%. All of them are owned by InBev which is the largest brewing company in the world. Mexico Corona is the best selling beer in Mexico, one of the top selling imported beers in the United States and also one of the best selling beers in the world, available in over 150 countries. Tecate and Dos Equis pick up the scraps for 2nd and 3rd place in Mexico, and Tecate Light claims to be the best selling light beer in the country. Germany There are around 1,300 breweries in the country, so the choices are regional and varied with lager style that dominates nearly all the taps.

A few huge companies dominate the German beer market, with Krombacher taking the crown as the single top brand, followed by Bitburger, Warsteiner, and Becks, which is by far the most exported German beer. We have to note that every German likes the beer brand that is brewed in his village, rather than international beer brand. After spending time with friends in « beer garden» you can have a bottle of freshly poured to go home with you. And the great solution to dispense beer into glass bottles would be- Pegas CrafTap. Beers dispensed with Pegas CrafTap will conserve its original freshness and crisp, and will give you a feeling that Reinheitsgebot is still on in Germany up to now. Their famous Reinheitsgebot purity law that used to limit the potential ingredients has kept nearly all imported beers out of the country, even long after the EU made them give that up in 1987. Netherlands continues to be dominated by the giant Heineken brewery. There is no doubt that Heineken Pilsner takes the first place. Its nearest competitor is Amstel bought by Heineken in 1968.

Grolsch, which is known for its stay-attached bottle cap, is a distant third. United Kingdom Long known for its “warm beer” has fancied ales instead of lagers for centuries. But lately the lagers of the world have penetrated into the market, and the regional ales get crushed by the big national brands in sales. The bestselling brand is Carling, which used to be called Carling Black Label, and isn’t well known in most of the world. Australian brand Foster’s Lager is second, Belgian brand Stella Artois is third, and Danish brand Carlsberg is fourth. Carling itself originated in Canada, so the Brits really do like their imports. Ireland Guinness stout beer dominates the market in Ireland. Domestic sales have been dropping a bit though they still account for nearly half of the total in the country. Beer fans insist the lines have to be clean and the beer has to be fresh, so it always tastes better in Ireland than it does elsewhere. The best selling lager is Harp, which happens to be owned by Diageo, which is the same London-based company that owns Guinness.

Belgium Belgium is home of the giant InBev brewery company, and traditional lagers are still most popular. Stella Artois is by far the largest selling Belgian beer around the world, but it only holds an 8% share in the country, crushed by Jupiler, which gets around 40% of the market. This isn’t much of a rivalry however, since InBev owns both brands anyway. Czech Republic is the world’s number one per capita beer drinking country, staying well ahead of Ireland, Germany, and Australia. It is also known as homeland of quality lager beers. Pilsner Urquell is the most famous brand internationally, and is considered the world’s first golden beer, dating back to 1842. The name comes from Pilsen, a city in the Czech Republic, and Urquell, which translates to “original source.” But in the Czech Republic itself Urquell plays second fiddle to its cheaper brother called Gambrinus, which consistently outsells the international brand. Both are owned by brewing giant SAB-Miller. We should state that Prague’s brewers, that are famous by their beers, brewered here locally with original recopies.

Any, self respected Czech brewery will welcome tourists by setting up not expensive ($2-4) brewery tours with beer tastings. As a souvenir you can purchase not only a unique beer mug, but also have « a few sips» of real Czech beer – poured through Pegas Novotap without any damage to losing original taste Japan is really in love with the beer. While sake owns about 8% of the country’s alcohol market, beer takes down almost 60%, with four huge companies dominating the scene. Asahi Super Dry appears to be on top, closely followed by Kirin, Sopporo, and Suntory. Australia Thanks to a genius marketing campaign the world thinks “Foster’s is Australian for beer” and yet it’s barely even available down under. The beer scene is dominated by different brands in each state, but the overall winner is Victoria Bitter, locally known as VB, which is owned by Foster’s. China By sheer volume, it’s reported that China has passed the United States as the world’s largest beer market, even though in financial terms it’s only about a quarter as large.

So those who can afford beer reach for a Tsingtao, the only Chinese beer with an aggressive export campaign, so it’s the world’s favorite Chinese beer as well. Zhujiang and Ynjing are ranked number two and three. Based on the following sources: The Top Five Best Selling Beers in The World « Articlearn Articlearn The Top Five Best Selling Beers in The World Of the many countries in the world, the ones most known for producing –and drinking beer in its many variations—include Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland, England, Australia and of course, the United States. While beer is not solely a Western invention -the East countries except the Muslim region have their own versions, although consumption is mostly confined to their borders – you will think that a European or American beer will be the best selling beer in the world. If you do, you’ve got another think coming: the number one largest selling beer today is “Snow”, in China. Brewed by China Resources Snow Breweries since 1994 in Liaoning Province, Snow sold 5.12 billion liters in 2008, and 5.1 billion in the first nine months of 2009.

With an estimated annual growth trend of about 20%, Snow is expected to have overhaul ed by today the largest-selling beer in terms of volume consumed – Bud Light. Snow’s export future is considered still dim, however, what with the country’s extremely huge domestic market potential of 1.3 billion people and the beer’s ‘unimpressive and very drinkable’ character, according to Beeradvocate, the beer magazine monthly. CR Snow Breweries is a joint venture between China Resources and SABMiller of the United Kingdom. In essence, the top five largest-selling beers in the world in hectoliters for the year 2008, are as follows according to Plato Logic: Snow beer. About 61.0 million. Sales is believed to be almost all-domestic. Bud Light, 55.6 million hectoliters (hl) or 47.38 million barrels. Up from about 39 million barrels in 2005. Bud Light is America’s best-selling beer since 2001, with about 16% total market share, and only sold internationally in appreciative quantities in Sweden, Ireland, Colombia, Canada and Mexico.

Budweiser, 43.4 million hl, or 36.98 million barrels. It ranks second to its lighter brother in the US along with Miller Lite, Corona Extra and Coors Lite. Skol (Brazil), 35.4 million hl; 30.16 million barrels. Few people expect Brazil to be a beer-drinking country, but its 200 million population consumes millions of barrels annually. Skol dominates the local market, Brahma sharing 20% and Antarctica 14%. Corona, 32.7 million hl; 27.86 million barrels. This is Mexico’s top beer, with Tecate and Dos Equis second and third. Tecate Light touts itself, however, as the local best selling light beer. Corona is also sold in the United States and 150 other countries. Heineken, 29.1million hl; 24.79 million barrels. This Dutch beer that began in 1873 is often carried alone by many beerhalls in the country, pumped from trucks insted of unloaded from heavy barrels.

The Pilsner is also sold abroad, often competing favorably agains t local brands, and Heineken is also brewed in 39 countries aside from the Netherlands. There are naturally other beer brands that sell large in their own turf such Labatt Blue in Canada, Guinness in Ireland and UK, Carlsberg in Denmark and Stella Artois in Belgium to name some, and many drinkers would swear by them as the ‘best beer’. In a way, they are right: It is a matter of taste, really. Beer Market Study - Stealing Share Beer market study. “…because so few are practicing the art of branding correctly, there is opportunity.” Beer market study: domestic and imported beer market segments Beer market study: domestic and imported beer market segments When Belgium-based InBev bought Budweiser in 2008, we posed the question: Will it make a difference to American beer drinkers? After all, the Budweiser brand is built on Americana. “I’ll have a Bud” is as much a part of the American vernacular as “Bless you.” (Read my blog on the InBev purchase of SABMiller here) This beer market study will look at that prediction.

It will also pose a new prediction or two about the future of the beer market as a whole. The beer category is an emotional choice Our thought was that Budweiser would see a dip but it wouldn’t be enormous because the rest of the field – most notably, Miller and Coors – would fail to take advantage. We were right and slightly off. We have a prediction to consider as we look at the domestic beer industry. We’ll be concentrating on the major brands: Budweiser, Miller and Coors. Where we right: Budweiser did drop a few points in market share, falling under the “monopoly” threshold of 50%, down to 48-49% depending on the source. Where we were slightly off: Coors Light took advantage, recently passing Bud as the nation’s second-best selling beer behind Bud Light. Bud Light still dominates with around 20% market share – almost twice as much as Coors Light. Budweiser will comeback A prediction for this beer market study: Budweiser will make a comeback. Overall, it still holds more than twice the market share of its nearest competitor, Miller.

But, there’s something about InBev’s history that suggests it can reverse the trend. Of course, there are other issues. The industry as a whole is losing share to wine and spirits. Sales of spirits rose 4% in 2011, while beer lost 1.3%. Beer is still dominates, with 49.2% of the alcohol sales to the 33.6% of spirits, but the other categories are getting more aggressive in their marketing. There are now TV spots for Yellow Tail wine and 1800 Tequila with Michael Imperioli. Advertising is no longer the sole domain of beer among alcohol marketers.( Read about beer marketing and differentiation here) Then there’s Miller and Coors. Below we’ll take a look at the major brands and these two are certainly aiming for Budweiser by joining forces in the US market as MillerCoors. (SABMiller of London owns Miller and Molson owns Coors.) Still, if a new trend will emerge, it’s that Budweiser will remain the King of Beers. (Read about the important market research that predicts behaviors) Budweiser No beer market study can ignore Budweiser.

The purchase of Budweiser by InBev is cause for alarm because so much of what Budweiser means to consumers is about being a hard-core American. Budweiser’s imagery often reflects that. Coors will no doubt say it made strides through its “Keeping the Cold” campaign. But, we believe the introduction of InBev to the U.S. made Bud’s brand loyalty a little weaker for a time. Years ago, and occasionally still, Budweiser was in full-on “dumb guy” mode with its advertising. It created spots around dofus twentysomethings in search of a great beer, often to comical effect. That ploy was already getting old by 2008 because the competition went about copying it. Bud Light hasn’t changed that approach all that much, but it – as we’ll see later – it just means all similar ads feel like they are for Bud Light. What’s interesting, however, is that Budweiser is the master of having fighter brands, those intended to face exact competitors. The recent Super Bowl ads introduced Bud Light Premium, bottled in a blue bottle and introduced as young, hip and (here’s the differentiator) smart.

For the parent brand, Budweiser, it’s now been four years since the purchase, so consumers who were even aware of it before have long forgotten it. Therefore, the time is right for InBev to shepherd Budweiser into a new, more meaningful era. InBev Like many companies, InBev has its share of wins and losses. But one of its most successful is Stella Artois, which has overcome a slump of a few years ago to grow 13.3% in sales to retailers recently and become one of the most perfect brands in the business. Let’s list the reasons for Stella’s brand strength. It has an identifiable brand equity marker in the shape of the glass. Some of the most effective billboards have shown just the Stella beer in the Stella glass. Nothing more needs to be said. Pouring the better and cutting off the head with a knife creates the idea of an important process. Stella becomes meaningful to those who believe in drinking the right beer correctly and, most importantly, believe in that the idea of taking care is important. (In effect, it’s saying that other beers are not important and careless.

Like fast food.) The brand face, who the audience sees themselves as being when they use the brand, is elegance. Within a company as large as InBev, with operations in more than 30 countries, the same folks guiding the Stella brand are not the same ones guiding Budweiser. But there was an interesting take during the recent Super Bowl when Budweiser focused on heritage – which hits its InBev dilemma (both the positive and the negative) head on. Budweiser is still far and away the market leader – both in the US and globally. It can change the direction of its falling sales by tapping into what has made it one of the most powerful brands over recent decades. Its Bud Light is still going strong and it will continue to stay on top until the competition does something different and more meaningful. Speaking of which… Miller (or should we say Miller/Coors) No one has copied the Bud Light tone more than Miller , and failed to increase its market share in the process. A few years ago, almost every beer ad centered around “dumb guy.” There were, in a way, much like what we shown earlier in the Bud Light dog ad.

Most of them center around some sort of party or bar with great-looking girls and guys willing to do anything for Brand X beer in some sort of Judd Apatow-Seth Rogan-Jackass fashion. Bud Light has owned that position but the major competitors just copied it, thinking, “If it works for Bud Light, it’ll work for us.” It doesn’t work that way, however. When you copy the market leader, the consumer simply defaults to the market leader. For example, we’ve done studies in which we show a series of ads – inserting a “dumb guy” beer ad in the mix – then later ask, “Who was the beer ad for?” Invariably, the answer is Budweiser whether it was or not. Today, as a few beer brands are moving away from that thinking, Miller is stuck– trying to be entertainment instead of creating preference – and finding itself losing market share. This, as we’ve all seen, is simply one in a series of ads that have been playing non-stop during sporting events. (If you’re an NFL fan, you’ve seen them all.

Hundreds of times.) But they are a waste of money for anybody but Bud Light – although, even then, Bud Light should re-think it. This is especially problematic for Miller as this approach never really worked in the first place for those other than Bud Light and being touted as the most coveted beer – the underlying message in all of them – is not effective. Current beer drinkers already believe their beer is good. Why else are they drinking it? Miller, among all the major beer brands, is the most in need of a brand overhaul. It obviously lacks having a unique and meaningful brand position. If it doesn’t take those important and difficult steps to relevancy, it will continue to lose market share. Coors One of the more interesting developments in the beer market is Coors. Coors Light and its “cold” campaign have overtaken Budweiser as the nation’s second-most popular beer. There are sure to be congratulations within the MolsonCoors complex, but they should hold off the celebrating. It was only a matter of time until a light beer passed the long-standing Budweiser.

Four of the top five beer brands in the US – and six of the top 10 – are light beers and the ascension of Coors Light mostly reflected the current taste of beer drinkers. What we see here is a trend, not a brand-creating preference. Still. It’s a fair question. Of all the light beers, why Coors? For one thing, the nearest challenger is Miller Lite and, as we’ve seen, it is stuck in a meaningless “dumb guy” mode and needs to get out of it. For the most part, Coors Light ads are identifiable as being from Coors Light when it is not treading to close to “dumb guy.” Budweiser’s own Natural and Busch Light are among the next three beers in market share but Bud uses them as fighter brands to keep others – such as Miller High Life – from growing. The “cold” campaign may tap into the way drinkers want their beer, but the problem is that it is a table stake, what you need to have to even play in the game. You can make any beer cold – although having a can that tells you it’s cold is a nice innovation (that the rest of the industry will soon copy).

It isn’t positioned against anything. No one would claim “warm” beer, so “cold” doesn’t present a true choice. “Cold” does feed into the image of Coors being from Colorado, but it does not reflect who the consumer wants to be when they drink Coors. It’s just about the can of beer. (As you can see, Coors sidles up to “dumb guy” every now and then.) Instead, the rise of Coors Light is most directly attributed to a market drinking more light beer and the rest of the competition still in branding flux. Corona It should be noted here, however, that there are exceptions to that lack of brand focus among light beers. Corona Extra is the real mover in this market space because Corona has a definite brand – “Find Your Beach” – that looks and feels different than anyone else in the market. Corona has long been the best-branded beer in the US, even as an import, and its commitment to consistency is to be celebrated. Imports (Non-U.S. beers) Like the beers in the US, those in the rest of the world are basically staying pat in terms of market leadership in their respective countries.

For example, while you might think Foster’s is the most popular beer in Australia, it’s not. Victoria Bitter holds that honor and, what might be most shocking to US consumers, is that Victoria Bitter has been that country’s most popular beer for more than two decades. The reason for the stability is because, like in the US, the brand promises, messages and tone are not that different than what is in the US. Most themes are dominated by male bonding (Canada’s Labatt Blue, UK’s Carling, Czech Republic’s Gambrinus and Belgium’s Jupiler) along with racy tones (Brazil’s Skol), high lifestyle (Japan’s Asahi Super Dry) and even “cold” (Victoria Bitter). The status quo remains because all across the world, beers are aping each other – which leads to stagnation in the market. Therefore, long-time market leaders stay there while the competition slips trying to climb up the ladder. Labatt Take for example, this Labatt Blue ad. Its no different in terms of tone and message than any ad in the US or elsewhere. Labatt’s familiar tone and message might be a result of being owned by InBev, which also now owns Budweiser.

But InBev also owns Stella Artois. Still, the beer industry is becoming more and more incestuous. Molson, which also owns Coors, also owns Carling, while Victoria Bitter is actually owned by Fosters. With that cross-pollination, it’s no wonder themes are repeated. For example, Budweiser, Miller and Coors have sports-specific ads. So do the ones in Europe, such as this one from Belgium’s Jupiler. Jupiler For those of you who can’t read German, the theme line here is: “Men Know Why.” That isn’t so far from Carling’s “You know who your mates are.” Carling (not an import) There’s a simple reason for this, of course. Men are always the main target audience for beers, and sports is a direct way to connect to that “maleness” beer brands often think are so important. Gambrinus The problem, as in the US, is that nearly every beer takes that strategy and basically does the same thing with it. The tactic by itself is fine. It’s just like everything else in beer marketing. The brands all start to run together in the minds of consumers.

The brands with the most meaning step out of the usual beer comfort zone. Whether its a US domestic or an import, Corona, Stella Artois, Guinness and, to a lesser extent, Heineken. Guinness Beer market study summary This is how the beer situation stands: Budweiser is still far and away the market leader (both nationally and globally). However, it has lost some market share after being bought by InBev. Coors Light has made inroads and Miller continues to flounder, while spirits are taking market share away from the beer category itself. inBev is the largest brewer in the world What we haven’t mentioned in this beer market study is the elephant in the room: Craft beers. The category itself is rising, with sales increasing more than 12% in 2011 as these “serious” beer drinkers consider the big American lagers a waste of time. Despite the increase, craft beers still account for less than 8% of the total U.S. market although experts predict that number will increase in the coming years. There are several reasons for this increase. The number of breweries has grown and the increased distribution of craft beers to bars across the nation has helped lift the category as a whole.

Each time a new brewery pops up, craft beers have more opportunity to sell their beer. Distribution, once the main barrier to adoption for craft beers, is increasing. There are also more craft beers (more than we can mention in this beer market study) out there than ever, which means the category is increasing market share but the individual players are not. Basically, they are relying on distribution and, to some extent, the appeal of their packaging and name to gain acceptance. (There is, for example, a beer called Moose Drool. And it’s not bad.) We have done research and brand projects for clients in the beer industry, including for some of the leading craft beers. The brand face of the typical craft beer drinker is “new and different.” We know of what we speak in this beer market study. That is, the usual craft beer drinker wants to try something new and different. This is why they often drink the local beer or something different than what they have been drinking. Craft beer drinkers and loyalty The problem for craft beers: Their drinkers are rarely brand loyal, unlike those who drink Bud, Coors or Miller. The craft beer drinker is loyal to craft beers, not to one individually.

Because of that, individual craft beers rarely steal market share from others for an extended period. The same is true for the big three, although for different reasons. It’s not from Bud Light that Coors Light is getting its increased market share. It’s from the middle crowd, such as Fosters or Michelob, beers that are dying and not light beers. For such a mature and competitive category, the beer industry does little positioning against each other. Instead, they tend to copy each other. Miller Lite copies Bud Light. Some even remember that Heineken went the “cold” route a few years ago. That means the increases and decreases in the market tend to be for reasons other than brand. Light beer is the dominant trend. Distribution is increasing for craft beers (as well as many imports). There’s more choice. Spirits and wine are increasing. The takeaway from this beer market study it is this— Brand as it is used now does’t move market share. The art of brand as it reflects whom the customer aspires to be is practiced by few. Only Corona, Stella, Guinness and a handful of craft beers use brand in this way..

Budweiser, as a parent brand, is the standard bearer of this art by playing its market leadership (read: heritage) beautifully. But it’s a new world in which beer faces more competitors and increased challenges from spirits and wine. The good news is that, because so few are practicing the art of branding correctly, there is opportunity. In fact, the one in the most trouble, Miller Lite, has the greatest opportunity. It is basically carrying empty luggage. It can still fill it up, but time is wasting. To us its own ad language, it’s time for Miller to “man up.” stumbleupon Email Comment In the early 90s Dr. Patrick McGovern uncovered beer residue clinging to the inside of a pottery jar in western Iran. The beer dated back to about 3500BC; chemical evidence for the long held belief that people have been drinking beer for a long time. Beer has been brewed domestically for over a millennia. Sometime around the 6th century, Benedictine monasteries began appearing in Europe. It was part of the mandate of these monasteries to provide food and drink to passing pilgrims. The water of the age was not thought sanitary; with rivers and streams being used for sewage disposal.

Beer was fermented and considered sanitary, so everyone drank it. The monks made an art of brewing. They kept track of their recipes, ingredients, and made specialty equipment for the brewing process. With the exception of drunken monks pumping the English countryside with specialty beers, brewing was exclusively a domestic production until the Industrial Revolution. Larger brewers began opening, organizing and dedicating money and resources to the food and protein sciences responsible for pasteurization, yeast isolation, and biochemical knowledge as a whole. Refrigeration processes greatly improved and widespread distribution of previously local beers became possible. Today many of those original industrial giants have joined forces to create multinational corporations with worldwide distribution. Today, beer is a global business. These are the Top Five Largest Beer Brewing Companies in the World. 5. China Resource Snow Breweries Ltd. Based in China Produces 106.2 million hectoliters per year 5.4% World Beer Production A joint venture between SABMiller and China Resources Enterprise, China Resource Snow Breweries Ltd., known simply as CR Snow, is the largest brewing company in China. The Beijing based brewery opened its doors in 1993 and already dominates with 22% of the market share in China.

China Resources Enterprise is a conglomerate with focus on retail, beverage, food processing and distribution, textiles, and real estate. Owning 51% of CR Snow is one of the enterprises major assets. The other 49% of CR Snow is owned by SABMiller, a multinational brewing and beverage company based in London, UK. Snow Beer is the primary brand for the CR Snow brewery, and currently the top selling beer in the world, even though it is sold almost exclusively in China. Another part of the success of CR Snow has been in their highly profitable acquisitions. For example they acquired Blue Sword in Sichuan, and the Lion Nathan breweries in Jiangsu in the early 2000s. From 1993 to 2014, CR Snow acquired more than 80 breweries, making CR Snow the fastest growing beer brand in China, and the fifth largest brewery in the world. 4. Carlsberg Group Produces 120.4 million hectoliters per year 6.2% World Beer Production Carlsberg is a Danish brewing company founded in 1847 by J.C Jacobsen.

Jacobsen was an industrialist, a philanthropist, and an avid art collector. He sought to make beer making an industrial activity based upon sound scientific principles. He founded the Carlsberg Laboratory, an organization known for advancing biochemical knowledge particularly in the field of protein science. The flagship brand at Carlsberg is Carlsberg, after Jacobsen’s son Carl. Jacobsen and his son had a tumultuous relationship which was later documented in a popular Danish TV drama series, Bryggeren. The two made their peace and, much like his father, Carl Jacobsen, became an avid art collector, creating one of the largest private art collections of his time. The Jacobsen’s are truly part of Denmark’s modern history. The Carlsberg Group merged with Orkla ASA in 2001, becoming one of the largest breweries in the world. In addition to Carlsberg brand beer, the group also brews Tuborg (which they acquired in 1970), Kronenberg, and hundreds of beers of smaller production and limited locality. Carlsberg has about 40% of the Russian market share.

Carlsberg’s tagline, “Probably the best beer in the world,” was used from 1973 until 2011, when it was replaced by, “That calls for a Carlsberg.” 3. Heineken International Produces 171.7 million hectoliters per year 8.8% World Beer Production Heineken International is a Dutch brewing company founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken. Gerard Adriaan bought a brewery known as De Hooiberg (the haystack) and began production of the pale lager. His purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast recipe won several awards in those early years, and the brand grew. A second brewery opened in Rotterdam in 1874, and as of 2014 Heineken International owns over 190 breweries in over 70 countries. The original Amsterdam location of the first brewery is preserved as a museum known as The Heineken Experience. Heineken was known for years as a family business. Gerard Adriaan’s son Henry Pierre Heineken managed the company from 1917 until 1940.

Around the time of Henry Pierre’s retirement, grandson Alfred Henry Heineken began working for the company. Oddly, Alfred Henry “Freddy” Heineken, was kidnapped in 1983 and released on a ransom of about 21 million US dollars. The story was released on film as “De Heineken Ontvoering” with Rutger Hauer playing Freddy. Aside from being nabbed, Freddy was a driving force behind the global expansion of Heineken. In 1978 Heinkeken merged with its largest competitor Amstel, the largest of Heinkenen’s deals until the acquisition of Scottish and Newcastle in 2007. The latter deal secured Heineken’s position as among the top five brewer’s in the world. Heineken International brews and sells over 170 beers, and is known for the slogan of their flagship beer, “Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach.” With breweries in over 70 countries, it seems likely that Heineken is reaching farther. 2.

SABMiller Produces 190 million hectoliters per year 9.7% World Beer Production SABMiller is a brewing and beverage multinational company based in London, UK. Gold was discovered near Johannesburg in 1886, triggering a gold rush and an influx of foreign workers. SAB was founded as Castle Brewery in 1895 in an effort to cater to the miners and prospectors of Johannesburg in South Africa. It wasn’t until 1956 when Castle Brewery bought Ohlssons and Chandlers Union Breweries, that SAB, South African Breweries, was named as such. In 2002, SAB purchased The Miller Brewing Company based in North American from the Altria Group, and was hence forth known as SABMiller. SABMiller now has acquisitions and operations in 75 countries across the globe. The SABMiller portfolio contains over 150 brands, beverages such as Carling Black Label, Milwaukee’s Best, Castle, and Grolsch. SAB is also one of the largest bottlers of Coca-Cola in the world. They are committed to “green practices” for both the sake of profits an social responsibility.

They use lightweight bottles, containing 30% less glass, designed to reduce waste and energy during production. 1. Anheuser-Busch InBev Produces 352.9 million hectoliters per year 18.1% World Beer Production Anheuser-Busch InBev, abbreviated as AB InBev, is a publicly traded company and the world’s leading brewer. The company boasts over 200 beer brands such as, Budweiser, Beck’s, Skol, Bud Light, Alexander Keith’s, the list goes on. Like the rest of these megacorps, the company is an amalgamation. German-born soap salesman, Eberhard Anheuser, bought a struggling Bavarian Brewery in downtown St. Louis in 1860. When Anheuser’s daughter married Adolphus Busch in 1861, the Anheuser-Busch abbreviation was born. Aldolphus Busch was an industrialist. He was the first American brewer to use pasteurization and refrigerated railroad cars, substantially expanding the distribution capabilities of Anheuser-Busch products.

In the late 1800s, Busch promoted his products with giveaways and contests. Bottle openers, corkscrews, postcards, and lithograph prints were distributed to bars across the USA. Many of these items came to represent a kind of traditional Americana, and are hearty collectibles to this day. During prohibition, Anheuser-Busch marketed near-beer, malt beverages with little or no alcoholic content. During this time, Aldophus Busch’s son August Anheuser Busch Sr., took over the company and began pushing back against the prohibitionists. Anheuser-Busch was able to survive prohibition through their product supplies, near-beer, and ice cream. In 2008, after much negotiation, InBev (a Belgium based Interbrew and Brazilian Ambev merger) purchased Anheuser-Busch for almost 52 billion US. The Anheuser-Busch InBev company is the world’s largest brewer. After the acquisition, Anheuser Busch went under substantial restructuring and cost cutting.

While criticisms can be made that since the InBev takeover, employee benefits have been cut, and arguments can be made that the beer is being watered down, profits have never been better. 90 Shares Analysis: Premium Chinese beer a bitter brew for foreign brands | Fox Business Analysis: Premium Chinese beer a bitter brew for foreign brands Analysis: Premium Chinese beer a bitter brew for foreign brands Published November 03, 2011 By Charlie Zhu and Donny Kwok Continue Reading Below China's beer consumption, which hit 450 million hectoliters last year -- nearly twice that of the United States -- is expected to grow 5 percent per annum in the next few years, double the 2.5 percent growth forecast for the global market this year. Premium draught beers make up only 5 percent of China's overall beer market, compared with 50 percent in developed markets such as France and Germany, and 30 percent in the United States. Analysts expect premium beer to account for a quarter of China's annual production in five to 10 years, largely driven by rising brand awareness and lifestyle changes following the emergence of a wealthy middle class.

For Paul Sin, a Hong Kong Chinese merchant in his 60s, drinking beer is not just a matter of taste. It is also about national pride. "We are now able to taste good beer produced by ourselves, taste the success of our economic development with our taste bud," said Sin as he sipped a Tsingtao Draft in an upscale Hong Kong restaurant. Continue Reading Below ADVERTISEMENT "Our beer is now good enough to stand side by side with Heineken and Blue Girl," he said. Blue Girl is made by South Korea's Oriental Brewery Co Ltd <INTBB.UL>. Major local brewers are likely to see their premium segment growing more rapidly than foreign brands, helped by their vast sales network, nationwide presence and cost advantage. That could be a major threat to foreign brands such as Anheuser Busch InBev SA <ABI.BR>, which dominates the premium beer segment in China with a 45 percent share.

Tsingtao Brewery Co Ltd <0168.HK> <600600.SS> is a distant second in the segment with a 15 percent share, while Heineken NV <HEIN.AS> and Carlsberg AS <CARLb.CO> trail at 7.5 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively. PREMIUM FOCUS Premium beers, priced 30-50 percent more than regular beers, offer bigger margins despite increased cost of production due to the need for higher quality ingredients and packaging, as well as more spending on marketing and advertising. Production of Tsingtao's flagship products, including its green bottled Tsingtao Pure Draft labeled "stylish and intriguing," rose 11 percent in the third quarter, versus flat growth for its none-core brands. China's largest brewer CR Snow, which uses the slogan "The Great Expedition" for its premium Snow brand, reported a 48 percent jump in the sales of premium beer in the first half, accounting for 21 percent of its sales, up from 17 percent a year earlier.

CR Snow is a joint venture between China Resources Enterprise Ltd <0291.HK> and SABMiller Plc <SAB.L>. "The industry is trying to raise average selling prices to improve margins to levels we see internationally," said London-based David Serre, who oversees Credit Suisse's global beer industry investment banking business. "If you get the premium strategy right, get the pricing right, the profit growth prospects are truly amazing." In the broader beer market where the top four companies together command more than 55 percent, AB InBev is the only major foreign company. The company has a 11 percent of the market, versus CR Snow's 21 percent, Tsingtao's 14 percent and Beijing Yanjing Brewery Co Ltd's <000729.SZ> 11 percent. Encouraged by their success in regular beers, Tsingtao, CR Snow and Yanjing have been racing to pump out more premium beer to challenge the foreign dominance of the segment, which is growing more than twice faster than the overall beer market. Chinese brewers are offering premium beers at 20-25 percent cheaper than foreign brands and utilizing their extensive sales network, undercutting foreign brands.

UOB Kay Hian analyst Jason Yuan estimates gross profit margins for premium beer at 50-60 percent versus 30 percent for mainstream products. TOO EXPENSIVE Rapid growth of Chinese beer companies, fueled by an acquisition binge over the past decade and cut-throat price competition, have left them with lower margins, driving them to produce more premium beers that carry higher margins as Chinese consumers trade up. Operating margins at Tsingtao and Yanjing are less than 10 percent, below the 12-17 percent at Heineken, Carlsberg and AB InBev. Per capita beer consumption in 20 major Chinese provinces averages less than 33 liters, way below 100 in some European countries, 40 in South Korea and Japan and 65 in Brazil. Despite soaring costs and competition, Chinese brewers' shares are one of the most expensive among beer brands. Tisngtao is trading at 24 times estimated earnings and China Resources at 27 versus AB InBev's 15 and Carlsberg's 10.

Shares of Tsingtao, China Resources and Yanjing have soared in the past decade, with Tsingtao posting a twenty-fold jump. Tsingtao's shares in Hong Kong were little changed so far this year, beating a 14 percent fall in the benchmark Hang Seng Index <.HSI>. "Tsingtao is a long-term hold," said Nomura analyst Emma Liu, adding long-term investors should look beyond its latest results. Tsingtao, about 20 percent owned by Japan's Asahi Group Holdings <2502.T>, posted a nearly 1 percent fall in third-quarter profit as high barley costs hit margins and poor weather slowed growth in sales volume. TOUGH TO CRACK China, one of the fastest-growing beer markets in the world, has proven to be a tough nut to crack for most foreign brewers. Despite two decades of efforts, foreign brands have a relatively small slice of China's overall market because of a fragmented industry, fierce competition and distribution bottlenecks.

Foreign brands such as Carlsberg and Foster's Group Ltd <FGL.AX> entered China in the 1990s, setting up shops by themselves or with small local producers, only to see their start-ups drown in a sea of cheap domestic beer. Foreign brewers have tried different strategies, such as setting up ventures with large Chinese partners or taking strategic stakes in relatively big Chinese brewers. This appears to be working as China's contribution to the revenue of foreign brewers has grown in recent years. However, the prospects for foreign beer brands in China remain unclear as their local partners focus on promoting their own brands. The most successful foreign brewers in China is probably SABMiller, which formed the CR Snow joint venture in 1990s with state-run retail, food and beverage conglomerate China Resources Enterprise. Leveraging China Resources' extensive distribution network, CR Snow has become China's top brewer and brand. "Over the next five to 10 years, you will find more and more mid-cap Chinese brewers becoming acquisition targets for large Chinese brewers and international brewers willing to play in China," said Credit Suisse's Serre. (Editing by Chris Lewis and Vinu Pilakkott) What do you think?

Question: Snow, the world's biggest selling beer (at 2011), is based in and dominates the market of which nation?
Answer: China