Beers of the world
What follows is a list of beers by the country within which they originate, and the beer drinking and brewing practices within those countries:
See also African beer.
See also Egyptian beer.
The leading local brand is called Stella (not to be confused with the Belgian Stella Artois). Available in original, export, and premium varieties, it is primarily sold to non-Muslim overseas visitors. Other brands on the market include Meister and Saqqara, and the non-alcoholic "Birell" and "Kaliber".
See also Moroccan beer.
Beer production in Morocco was introduced by the French in the XXth century. Currently, Société des Brasseries du Maroc oversees the production and distribution. Popular beers include Spéciale Flag (pilsner) and Stork (lager). The premium beer is Casablanca (lager) which costs more than the other two. The breweries are located in Fes, Tangiers and Casablanca, a bottling unit exists in Marrakech. The best selling international beer is Heineken, which is locally brewed by Brasseries du Maroc under supervision of Heineken.
See Namibian beer.
See also Nigerian beer.
See South African beer.
See also Albanian beer.
Albania's most famous beer is Birra Tirana, which accounts for roughly 30% of the beer consumed in the country.
See also Argentinian beer.
With almost 80% of the Argentine market, Cerveza Quilmes is the most popular Argentine beer and an icon to Argentinians.
See also Armenian beer.
Three local beer brands are available throughout the country: Kilikia (named after a historic Armenian kingdom at the Mediterranean coast), Kotayk (named after an Armenian province east of Yerevan) and Erebuni (historical settlement in the southeastern part of present day Yerevan). Russian beers, especially Baltika, are also widely available throughout the country. Armenia is more famous for its brandy, vodka and also wine.
See Austrian beer.
See Australian beer.
See Belgian beer.
Belikin is the leading domestically produced beer brand in Belize.
See also Brazilian beer.
Brazil has a number of beers, the most popular being Skol and Brahma, and some regional ones such as Bohemia or Polar. A number of cheaper beers include Antarctica, Nova Schin, Itaipava, Bavaria, and Kaiser.
The vast majority of Brazilian beers are very light Pilsners which go well with the warm tropical climate. Dark beers are rare and not very good. Bohemia dark is probably the only one fit for human consumption.
The most typical way to enjoy beer with a group of friends is to buy a large bottle (600ml) and pour it into several small glasses. This helps to keep it cold and encourages a sense of camaraderie.
See also Bulgarian beer.
Bulgaria, while being quite a small country in Eastern Europe, has quite a number of beer brands. The most popular breweries (all producing namesake lagers) are Kamenitza (produced in the city of Plovdiv), Zagorka (produced mainly in Stara Zagora) and AstikA (Produced in city of Haskovo). Other remarkable brands are Stolichno (bock beer produced by Zagorka), Shumensko (both lager and red ale, produced in the city of Shumen), Burgasko (produced in the city of Burgas), MM (produced in the city of Varna), Pirinsko (brewed in the city of Blagoevgrad), and Plevensko (produced in the city of Pleven). Most of the Bulgarian breweries are currently owned by foreign breweries, such as Heineken (Zagorka) and Interbrew (AstikA and Kamenitza).
See Canadian beer.
See Chinese beer.
See Czech beer.
See also Danish beer.
Danish industrialist J. C. Jacobsen revolutionized the world of brewing when his brewery, Carlsberg, bred a pure strain of lager yeast, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis. This enabled the breweries to achieve a large and consistent output, and lager has been the most popular style of beer in Denmark since Carlsberg started selling it in 1847. Smaller breweries in Denmark suffered greatly under the Carlsberg market dominance, especially during the middle of the 20th century, and this led to a large reduction in available beer quality and styles. In recent years the interest in higher quality beer has risen sharply, and the Danish beer landscape is now dotted with several microbreweries and brewpubs, producing a wide range of beers.
Both of these countries are known for their traditional juniper beers. In Finland, this is known as Sahti and in Estonia it is called Koduõlu ("home beer"). This beer is made from rye or oat malts that are filtered through straw and juniper twigs. According to beerhunter Michael Jackson, it is by far the oldest continuous living tradition of beer making, representing nothing less than a direct link with Babylonian beer-making methods.
See also French beer.
Although the French market is dominated by industrial breweries, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais possesses strong brewing traditions and breweries (Pelforth, for example), which it shares with its Belgian neighbor across the border. Alsace, also has a strong tradition of brewing beer with bottom fermenting yeasts in the German style. Brittany has experienced a significant revival of its brewing traditions in the past couple of decades and is home to a score or more of microbreweries.
See German beer.
See Hungarian beer.
See Icelandic beer.
See Indian beer.
Bintang is a locally brewed version of Heineken beer. Bali Hai is a beer produced on Bali.
See Irish beer.
See Israeli beer.
See also Italian beer.
Nastro Azzurro is a local Italian lager-style beer of around 5% strength. Birra Moretti is a cheap but refreshing lager sold in 66cl bottles, it has a premium strong version, called Baffo d'Oro (Golden Moustache). Another historical brand is Peroni. Menabrea is a famous award-winning lager from Piedmont. Sardinia has its own beer, Ichnusa.
See also Jamaican beer.
Red Stripe is Jamaica's best-known beer. It is considered to be a blonde lager.
See also Japanese beer.
Beer is the most favoured alcoholic drink in Japan. It was introduced in the early Meiji period from Germany. Major makers are Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo while small local breweries supply distinct tasting beers. Lager beers are most common but beers made with lower grain contents called "Happoushu" (low malt beer, sparkling alcoholic drink) have captured a large part of the market as tax is lower on these products. Drinking beer with salted boiled beans, edamame, is known as a favourite summer pastime for adults.
See Korean beer.
The most popular beer by far is "Birra e Pejes" as it is known to locals or Peja Beer as known by internationals.
While traditional Kyrgyz drinks like bozo and kymyz retain popularity, and Soviet-style beer lives on in the form of Nashe, Kyrgyzstan does have good beer. The brewpubs Steinbrau and Kellersbier in Bishkek bring German-style lagers to the land, while microbreweries exist in Osh and Jalal-Abad. Many of the big local names are Russian (Baltika, Sibirskoe Koronna, Bagbier, Klinskoe) or Kazak (Tian-Shan, Karagandinskoe).
See also Latvian beer.
Beer is a historic traditions in Latvia and is known to have been made before the Northern Crusades in the thirteenth century. Today, the most popular brand in Latvia is Aldaris (based in Riga).
See also Lebanese beer.
Lebanon's 'national' beer is Al-Maza. Most locals seem to add salt to it before drinking.
This Baltic state has a major beer scene in the northern part of the country, centred around the towns of Pasvalys, Pakruojis, Kupiškis and Biržai. The farmhouse brews of the region are highly distinctive, using local ingredients and techniques from pre-Soviet times. The bigest commercial breweries are located in towns Utena (Utenos alus'), Panevėžys (Kalnapilis), Klaipėda (Švyturys), Kaunas (Ragutis) and Vilnius (Tauras).
See Mexican beer.
The indigenous people of New Zealand (Māori) did not brew beer. Major ingredients of beer were not introduced to New Zealand until Europeans arrived in the mid 1800s. The first beer brewed in New Zealand was by Captain Cook while anchored in Ship Cove in the outer reachs of Queen Charlotte Sound in January 1770. Here he experimented with the use beer brewed with young Rimu branches as a treatment against scurvy.
The late European history is characterised by the dominance of about three large breweries. The dominance of these was helped by the buying of some of the small local breweries. From the mid 1980s small boutique or microbreweries started to emerge. Consequently, the range of beer styles increased. Some pubs operate their own small breweries, often housed within the pub itself. Wine and ready mixed alcoholic drink consumption is increasing and is lessening the quantity of beer being sold.
Speights, Lion Red, Tui and Export Gold are at present the most popular kiwi beers. Steinlager is exported from New Zealand but is not commonly drank in the same way Fosters is not readily available in Australia.
Interestingly, New Zealand is also a commercial mainstay of what are known as Ice Brewed Beers. These are bottom-fermented batch brewed lagers, which for commercial production reach an initial alcohol percentage of 3%. Fermentation precipitate solids (yeast, malt husks etc) are removed in a cryogenic concentration step with similiarities to Methode Traditionelle Champagne wines , though on a much larger scale. The resulting condensate is a very pale and extremely pure lager beer, with an extremely low preciptate concentration and an alcohol percentage typically between 5.0 - 5.2% v/v.
The most popular brands of Ice Brewed Beer are Lion Ice Lager, Black Ice (Lion Nathan) and Flame Beer (Dominion Breweries). They are very competitive in price with traditional beers, and in the New Zealand market appeal to the younger demographic (age 18 - 30 years) for their higher alcohol-volume ratios, and lower BU values.
There are a number of smaller independent Breweries in New Zealand, the two most significant North Island independents being the Limburg Brewery, in Hastings, Hawkes Bay; And the Galbraith's Ale House in Eden Terrace, Auckland.
See Dutch beer.
A ban on imports of barley malt imposed in 1990 forced brewers to find ways to produce beer with locally-available sorghum and maize. Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is an intriguing brew with a unique flavour. The Nigerian version is distinct from other Guinness FES's found around the world.
See Norwegian beer.
The Philippines produces one of the most popular beers in the region, San Miguel, which has been brewed there since 1892. Spain also has San Miguel beer, but this was brought over from the Philippines by its German brewmaster, and did not originate in Spain. San Miguel Pale Pilsen is the most popular variety, and enjoys widespread recognition in Hong Kong and China as a cheap but well-crafted, refreshing beer. San Miguel also produces a kind of stout-porter (Cerveza Negra or Black Beer). Several competing brands from Asia Brewery such as Beer na Beer and Lone Star are also available but hardly widespread. The beer is also fondly remembered by American GI's from WWII who were stationed or fought in the Philippines. Sadly, harsh economic times have led to a drop in beer sales as customers switch to the "quick fix" of distilled spirits to wash away their woes.
San Miguel has established breweries in China and Vietnam and has presence in a lot of Asian countries.
See also Polish beer.
Beer has always been extremely important for Poles. One Polish ruler, encouraged by the Pope to take part in a crusade, refused because, as he wrote to the Pope, the holy land has no beer. Traditional Polish beer is usually pilsener, lager or porter. The most popular Polish brands are Żywiec, Okocim, EB, Lech, Lezajsk, Tyskie and Warka.
See also Portuguese beer.
In Portugal there are several brands of beer, the two most famous ones are Super Bock and Sagres. Portuguese beer is considered very good, and a lot of barrels are drunk every day by young and old persons.
See also Puerto Rican beer.
Puerto Rico's most recognized brand is Medalla Light. Cerveza India, produced in the same brewery, was also recognized during the 80's, but has lost much ground to American and international beers, being sold today only in small quantities over a few local markets. Today, the majority of the islanders drink Medalla Light, produced in the only local brewery, Cervezeria India.
See also Romanian beer.
Romanian beer is known in Central and Eastern Europe for its taste and very low price. Romanian law considers beer and wine to be foodstuffs and therefore they are not subject to the usual tariffs and restrictions imposed upon alcoholic beverages. There are over 65 major beer brands in Romania, and many small, local producers. Most Romanians prefer strong lager, with high alcoholic contents, such as Ursus from Cluj marketed as the king of the Romanian beer (a brand of South African Breweries) and Silva beer, the favorite beer among most students, a very aromatic, dark beer (known as bere neagra - black beer) with 7.5% alcohol contents. Other traditional Romanian beer brands are Timisoreana (marketed as "The oldest beer in Romania" , a light and fizzy beer, Bergenbier and Ciucas. With the exception of Timisoreana, all of these are brewed in mountain cities, using spring water. Another kind of Romanian beer, is what is known as "bere populara" or popular beer, a very light, and very cheap beer, bottled in 2L PET bottles (like soft drinks), that is especially enjoyed in rural areas. Many popular beer breweries in Romania are local, small enterprizes, but some like Bucegi and Neumarkt have a tradition and are sold nation wide. Most international beer brands such as Carlsberg, Tuborg, Stella Artois or Beck's have a large market share and are brewed locally.
See also Russian beer.
Russians have long lived with the stereotype of being heavy drinkers. Beer (Russian пиво – Pivo) is the nation's number two alcoholic drink after Vodka, but is seen by many as a healthier almost non-alcoholic alternative (such that it is the number one alcoholic drink in the always more westward leaning St.Petersburg, consumption 95 l. per capita, 2005). Unlike the Germanic language speaking peoples (i.e. English, Dutch and German Speakers), Russians (like Spanish speakers) categorize beer by color, and not by fermentation process: Light, Red or Semi-Dark, and Dark. Light is a more or less equivalent to Lager and the last two are close to Ales. There are also super-strong beers (6-10% of alcohol) which are very popular in Russia. The most known brands of Russian beer are Baltika and Stary Melnik, however almost every region of Russia is proud to have its own brewery.
There are a few microbreweries and brewpubs to be found, in major cities like St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kazan'.
See Beer in Serbia and Montenegro.
The most famous brands in Slovakia are Šariš, Smädný mních (Thirsty Monk) and Zlatý bažant (Golden pheasant).
There are 15 breweries in Slovakia:
- Pivovar Bytča (K. K. Company) - Martiner, Popper, Palatín
- Pivovar Corgoň (Heineken Slovensko a.s.) - Corgoň, Maurus, Stup
- Pivovar a sladovňa Gemer a.s. (Heineken Slovensko a.s.) - Gemer, Zuzana
- Pivovar Horden (Esperia a.s.) - Horden
- Pivovar Ilava (K. K. Company) - Richtár, Vartá?
- Pivovar Martiner (Heineken Slovensko a.s.) - Martiner, Martinský zdroj
- Minipivovar M.K. Unipol Trnava
- Steiger (Eduard Rada s.r.o.) - Steiger, Sitňan, Hell, Kachelmann
- Pivovar Stein a.s. - Stein, Pressburger, Premium Pils
- Minipivovar Svätý Jur
Some known spanish beers are Mahou-San Miguel (known as Mahou before the acquisition by San Miguel company), Estrella Damm, Alhambra, Estrella de Galicia, Estrella levante, Cruzcampo, Reina, Dorada and La zaragozana.
See English beer, Welsh beer, Scottish beer and Irish beer.
See American beer.