When you walk into a
pub, the scent of beer instantly hits you. I've often wondered who drinks the most beer on an international scale. Everyone knows how popular the beverage is with us Australian's, but I've heard many a time that the best beers are made in Germany. I'm sure I wouldn't be punished for thinking that German's are the biggest beer consumers, I mean, does Oktoberfest happen over there for the sake of it? After a little research, I found that while beers produced in Germany might be some of the most popular, those German's aren't the biggest beer drinkers. Certainly, Germany is in the list of top five consumers, but they aren't first like I initially thought. Want to know who is? Read on to find out.
Five: Austria
During the middle ages, Monks were the only beer makers in Austria. Soon after the concept was mastered by the Monks, the bourgeoisie moved in, acting as the main economic source for the country in the 11th century. It was also during this time when people within Austria besides the Monks were able to produce beer. The 14th century saw beer being served in public bars (which is where the word pub stems from), the first official brewery opened in Vienna and Austrian beer became serious business when many brands of the drink were celebrated at the Paris World Fair. Austria is considered one of the biggest beer exporters in the world and natives consume 200 pints annually per person at home and in pubs around the country.
Four: Australia
The history of beer dates back to the time of Captain Cook's arrival. Cook transported beer with him when traveling from England to Australia and believed the beer could be used as a method of preserving clean drinking water. The Australian way of beer making was a method bringing the processes used in both England and Continental European nations. The first brewery opened in Kissing Point in Sydney, but it wasn't until the Government set up their own brewery that the beer industry really kicked off in pubs around Australia. Since then, breweries have popped up around the country, with Cascade brewery in Tasmania the biggest in the country. South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria soon followed in Tasmania's footsteps. Any individual Australian will consume 110 liters of beer annually.
Three: Germany
Beer was born here in 800 B.C. Evidence was found in ancient scripture where beer was used as sacrifice to medieval God's. Throughout time, Monks were responsible for the development of beer, making it in monasteries. The Monks were interested by the scientific aspect of beer making and gradually started to include hops within the mixture. This method was to be known as the cloister as it was discovered in Brabant Cloister Zum Wurzen. It was in this period that marketing of beer as a product took off on an international scale, the task of brewing became known as a respectable occupation, exporting of beer around the world was thriving and a purity law was introduced. The law, enacted in 1516, said that beer could only be brewed from barley malt, hops, water and later, yeast. Germany's religious and political changes made an impact on the production of beer within the country. We could sit here all day telling you about it, but what I think you really need to know is that today, there are 1200 breweries in Germany, 5000 different brands of beer and German's consume 121.4 liters per person a year.
Two: Ireland
There has long been a running joke about the Irish having ongoing tendencies for drunkenness. Beer was born during the 19th century, when Arthur Guinis set up the first brewery in Dublin. His first bit of brewing was bitter, but he soon switched to producing porter - a style borrowed from the breweries of London. What set his beer apart from the one created in England's capital was that he used unmalted roasted barley - giving a drier and more bitter taste. In the 20th century, the Guinness brewery became the largest in the world sharing this new way of beer making with other nations. Ale and Stout also became popular in pubs around Ireland during this time. According to research conducted in 2002, the Irish drink 76 liters of Stout annually per head.
One: The Czech Republic
The Czech's have been making and consuming beer since 859 A.D. In the beginning, only Czech citizens were able to make beer and the Government ruled that beer could only be made by individuals for their personal use therefore; Czech's generally had small home breweries. Eventually, many citizens got together in secret breweries where they would start the beer making process before taking the beer extract home to complete the process privately. Beer making was made a publicly legal concept in the 13th century by King Wenceslaswhich kicked off the exporting process of Czech beer to other parts of the world. According to Roman Emperor, Charles IV, the grapes in the Czech Republic were some of the best and in the 16th century, 87 percent of income generated by the country was from the Czech beer industry, with neighbouring Germany the biggest buyer. The country is home to three of the biggest breweries located in Pilsen, Budweis and Bohemia with Lager being the first beer ever produced by Czech's in 1842. The Northern European country is well and truly beer capital with the first beer museum, the first beer-brewing textbook and the first golden beer in the world. Today, someone from the Czech Republic will consume 159 liters for themselves each year.
