With the global beer market valued at over $623 billion dollars worldwide, it’s no wonder that beer is something of a universal language, unifying drinkers across oceans. With such international interest, it’s not surprising, then, that news outlets rush annually to aggregate the most popular brews from all corners of the globe.
Despite varying methodology — and varying results in turn — the common overlaps among each list offer compelling insight into which beers resonate around the world. International brews finding widespread popularity in the U.S. such as Stella, Guinness, and Heineken sit squarely in the top 10 of many lists, representing Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands, respectively; others lists feature beers less commonly found in the States but with obvious acclaim the world over.
Below are three different takes on the world’s most popular beers, each with different compilation methods.
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In determining this list, Drinks International consulted 106 bars around the world, “each cherry-picked to take part based on their performance in global bar awards,” according to the list’s methodology section.
- Asahi Super Dry
- Heineken
- Peroni Nastro Azzurro
- Guinness
- Pilsner Urquell
- Budweiser
- Stella Artois
- BrewDog
- Corona
- Super Bock
The Top 10 Most Popular Beers On Untappd
The popular beer app’s methodology is more unusual, relying on the number of times users have “checked in” a particular beer to determine popularity. Given its self-selecting global audience, the list skews heavily toward American and European offerings.
- Guinness Draught
- Heineken
- Punk IPA
- Corona Extra
- IPA, Lagunitas Brewing Co.
- Miller Lite
- Birra Moretti L’Autentica/Ricetta Originale
- Tripel Karmeliet
- Stella Artois
- Traditional Lager
The Top 10 Best-Selling Beers in the World
Drawn from the most recent sales data available (2017), these are the most popular beer brands in the world according to global sales by volume as estimated by GlobalData Consumer.
10. Coors Light
Along with being the second-best-selling beer in the U.S., Coors Light slid into the No. 10 spot as a top-selling beer brand in the world in 2017.
9. Corona
Corona was the top beer import in the U.S. in 2017. With an estimated 28.8 million hectoliters sold worldwide, this clear-bottled beer leads the charge of Mexican beers around the world.
8. Yanjing
Yanjing recently reported nearly 9 percent growth in revenue year-over-year, reaching $850 million in 2018. The successful brand will likely hold its place on this list for years to come.
7. Harbin
Harbin shipped an estimated 29.9 million hectoliters of beer in 2017. Claiming to be China’s oldest brewery, this massive brand is among the Anheuser-Busch InBev fleet.
6. Heineken
This Netherlands-based brewer continues to be popular the world over, selling an estimated 34.3 million hectoliters of beer in 2017.
5. Skol
With an estimated 35.1 million hectoliters of beer sold in 2017, this AB InBev-owned brand primarily produced in Brazil remained in the top five for another year.
4. Bud Light
America’s No. 1 light lager of choice didn’t even make bronze worldwide. But its estimated 44.8 million hectoliters sold in 2017 still earns it a top five spot in global beer sales.
3. Tsingtao
This stellar seller from China sold an estimated 49 million hectoliters of beer in 2017.
2. Budweiser
“Bud Heavy” may be less popular than its little brother Stateside, but the “King of Beers” reigns around the world. Beer drinkers bought an estimated 49.2 million hectoliters of Budweiser.
1. Snow
Snow holds down the top spot for another year. It sold an estimated, and astounding, 101.2 million hectoliters of beer in 2017, beating out runner-up Bud by more than double the volume. Not bad for a brew you’ve likely never had a sip of — Snow is only sold in China.
