Who Drinks The Most Beer? |
Some countries of the world are renowned for their abilities to produce fine wines, while others are better known for their capabilities at brewing beer. Which countries consume the most beer though? Living in the UK, I often feel rather fortunate that we have such a good supply of varied beers available to us. No other country is probably as well known for its pub culture. The tradition of brewing also goes back many years here, as it does in much of Europe. In years gone by, most large scale brewing in what is now Great Britain would have been carried out in this country's monasteries and abbeys. In more recent times, the influx of continental lagers has changed the drinking habits of many people here. As the UK market has been swamped by popular overseas brands, such as Stella Artois, Heineken and Fosters, there has been a lot of consolidation within the brewery industry. Fortunately, the resurgence in sales of real ales that we've seen in the past ten years has also seen a lot of new breweries appearing on the scene. Many of us are now able to benefit from the presence of a relatively local brewery. So has this helped Britain to top the charts in terms of beer drinking? If we look at the average number of litres of beer consumed by someone in this country within a year then we find that the figure stands at a hefty 95.6 litres. That's the equivalent of 168 pints per year. That may seem like a large amount but according to the latest figures, which examine the year 2005, the UK ranks only 5th in the list of the biggest beer consumers. So which four countries are the real heavyweights when it comes to drinking beer? In fourth place is our near neighbour, the Republic of Ireland. With 106 litres per person, it seems that the Irish penchance for Guinness is still strong. The third largest consumers of beer are Austria (108.9 litres). That may come as a surprise to many, with neighbouring Germany being better known as beer fans. Indeed, it's German drinkers who come in second with an average of 115.2 litres per person. With their strong brewing and drinking tradition, this might come as little surprise. But if Germany is in second place then who is top? The answer is the country that is the home of Budvar, Pilsner Urquell and Staropramen. We are, of course, talking about the Czech Republic. Average consumption stands at 164.1 litres. That's the equivalent of a massive 288 pints per person. When it comes to drinking beer, it seems that nobody can compare with the Czechs!
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