Global beer production 1998-2023

In 2023, the global beer production amounted to about 1.88 billion hectoliters, up from 1.3 billion hectoliters in 1998. Beer is a widely consumed beverage around the world, made out of water, malt, hops and yeast as basic ingredients. Global leading countries in beer production are China, the United States and Brazil. 

Beer

Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage worldwide, and the third-most popular drink overall after water and tea. Research shows that people have been brewing this famous beverage as early as several thousand years before the Common Era. Recent studies claim that the production and consumption of beer was a major factor in the development of civilized society, arguing that the important and often spiritual role beer played in traditional ceremonies and feasts contributed to the development of ritual and tradition and consequently the development of society at large.

The American beer palette has undergone changes in recent years. More and more consumers are turning to craft beer over the well-established name brands. In general, a craft beer comes from a small, independently owned brewery that uses traditional brewing methods and focuses on manufacturing beer with a unique taste and quality rather than on mass production. More and more of these breweries have appeared in the beer landscape in the last few years.

Domestic beer brands, like Budweiser and Miller Light, are still leading the American beer market. While facing unexpected competition for beer fans from the independent brewers of America, the top brands stand to capitalize on casual drinkers looking for a tasty and simple beer at a reasonable price.