Types of Beer Countries Around the World
I travel a lot, as do many beer enthusiasts. So to help travellers novice and veteran alike understand what they are up against beer-wise around the world, I have categorized the world’s nations according to their beer scenes, for your reading pleasure.
The Old World – Centuries old brewing traditions lead to tremendous respect for beer and a wealth of great styles. Old World nations, however, have swill gaining in market share as dumbass kids turn their backs on the beer of their parents and grandparents. Examples: Germany, Belgium, England, Czech Republic
The New World – Powerful craft beer scenes rising from the ashes of swill-dominated decades. Without traditional beer styles, brewers revel in freedom and unbridled creativity. Good beer is on the rise as enlightened kids turn their backs on the beer of their parents and grandparents. Examples: USA, northern Italy, Scandinavian lands, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore
The Second-Tier Old World – Mostly macros these days, in these old European lands, and only some beer culture. The beer might get monotonous but there’s lots of breweries and the beer is decent. Examples: Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, the Baltic states
The Novelty Act – Craft beer exists, but you have to know what you’re doing. It’s a bit of a novelty act, but at least you won’t go thirsty if you’re a serious Ratebeerian who does a little homework. Example: Ireland, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam
The Dark Lands – Nothing but macrobrew, but the love of foreign stouts allows the beer drinker to find something dark and delicious just about anywhere. Examples: Nigeria, Ghana, most Caribbean islands, Cambodia, Sri Lanka
The Buzzkill – You’d think these countries, given their relatively size and wealth, would have more than this. One or two brewpubs and a passable macro dark might fly on some South Pacific island, but these countries have no good excuse – not even serious Islam – for sucking as hard as they do. Examples: Turkey, China, India, Thailand, Mexico, France, Spain, Russia
Good Luck With That – Some places are a challenge. The presence of a mediocre brewpub or halfway drinkable macro helps for short visits, but any long-term stay might require some bottles from home. Examples: the ex-Soviet Stans, Peru, Malaysia, Greece, Israel, Tunisia, Ukraine, Colombia, Puerto Rico, both Koreas
Swill only – I hope you like macro lager, cause that’s all you’re going to get. Examples: Cuba, most Pacific islands, most Muslim countries, large swaths of Africa and South America
The True Beer Desert – Alcohol verboten! Examples: most Arab countries, Iran, Maldives, Bangladesh, random counties in the southern US
15 Comments to “Types of Beer Countries Around the World”
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Nice list. I thought Cuba had a brewpub or two?
Thanks! There is a brewpub in old town Havana but the beer is terrible.
I wouldn’t put France into the “Buzzkill” category. Don’t know if they are in the Old World, the Novelty Act, or the Second-tier Old World, but: 1. There are lots of great “traditional” bieres de garde and other farmhouse types in the North, as well as some good German styles in Alsace, and 2: Also lots of decent microbreweries around the country experimenting. If you go to that Cave de la Bulles (?) in Paris, you can see what I mean. I drank tons of great beer during 2 months in France in 2006.
Where should Japan go? New World or Novelty act? I think there are more and better micros here than New Zealand or Singapore, about on par with Canada, I felt, though not as evident on store shelves and bars.
About Puerto Rico, good news for beer lovers. Five months ago Craft Beer Distrbutors started importing the best craft beers from around the world. US beers from Rogue, Moylans, Bear Republic,Jolly Pumpkin, Caldera etc. are available. European choices from Czech republic, Germany, England , Belgium( including the 6 available Trappists), and even Norway. Check out cervezapr.com for details. We also have a brewpub in Old San Juan with excellent choices(the food sucks though). Traveling to PR is not a nightmare for beer lovers anymore. Prost!
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Where would you put Japan on this map? I’d drop it in the New World, but maybe I’m a bit over-enthusiastic and Novelty Act would be a wiser choice.
I’m not sure where Japan would go – I suppose I don’t know enough. New World maybe. Their affection for Tier III stuff made from pea protein works against them, though
France is weak. I don’t count half-arsed German knockoffs, not after living in Bamberg for a summer. I do count Biere de Garde, though. Nice stuff, but such a small part of the country. The other micros – in Brittany, Basque, etc – have all kinds of QC issues, which I would consider a buzzkill. And Paris is a total joke. As a whole, I feel the country can do better, Flanders aside. They rock cider, though.
As for PR, I’ve heard a bit about the imports, but not much. I hope the availability is good, it is very encouraging to see beers of that quality available down there. It’s on my travel list. Thanks for the input!
Hey, I was just wondering where you’d fit Australia in on this list.
We’re well renowned for being a nation of big beer drinkers, but for the most part that is macro-brewed beer. The microbeer scene is starting to grow quite well, but may not be as well developed as our close neighbour New Zealand…so i’m not sure where we’d stand on this list.
Right on with South Korea… my expectations for beer weren’t high when I was there, but I did my homework on ratebeer and did the best I could. They have some craft breweries and they’re a nice change from the macro swill found in most of the restaurants and bars, but every craft brewery I tried was thoroughly mediocre. It’s mostly German styles that are done far better in Germany and for that matter many other countries.
You’re wrong about Mexico dear sir. You have to look hard, but there are plenty of underground breweries; Minerva, Tempus, Cervezería Hacienda, Bayerbrau and Red Pig come to mind.
Don’t know about dumbass Czech kids turning their backs on the beers of their forefathers.
Yes, in recent years eurorubbish like Stella and Heineken have had some success, but it’s limited and doesn’t have legs. The swill is strictly local thanks to foreign ownership of big Czech names dumbing down the beers.
Fortunately, the last few years have seen some resurgence of smaller regional breweries, which have become easier to find and better known and appreciated among many average drinkers, that and the explosion of brewpubs, most of them doing traditional stuff. How long that is going to last, is left to be seen, though.
Add ALL Central American countries to Swill Only… we´re trying to change that.
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