When you try to think of the beer-guzzling-ist nation, a few cultural stereotypes come into play. Germans with their massive beer steins, Americans downing light-yellow beer brewed by the billions of bottles, the British doing…erm, well, whatever this is.
But the real answer to who consumes the most beer is stunningly obvious once you really start to think about numbers. It’s China. According to a new study by the market research firm Euromonitor International, China drank nearly 25 billion liters of beer in 2015. That’s good enough to handily beat the United States, who fell 7 billion liters behind.
And despite all the stories of “luxury PBR,” China is becoming a lot more discerning in its beer taste. Even though the country’s own pale lager Snow is still the biggest-selling beer in the world, Chinese consumers have begun longing for craft beers.
“Studies show that from 2010 to 2015, craft beer in China has grown in market share by about 23 percent,” World of Beer Vice President of International Development Donnie Everts said in an interview with Fox Business.
Everts’ employer is opening a franchise in Shanghai to capitalize on the new desire for beers from smaller breweries. Shanghai franchisee Cong Yin told Fox Business what the feeling was like on the ground.
“The craft beer movement is already happening in China – and the younger generation is demanding alternative options in beer choices. Also as a result of rising disposable incomes of the general population, premium brands are becoming much more popular and affordable,” Yin said.
They’ll be spreading beer marmalade on their luo buo gao in no time.
