In this article, we are going to discuss the top 20 beer brands in the world. You can skip our detailed analysis of the global beer market, the rising prices of beer, and the growth of non-alcoholic beer, and go directly to the Top 5 Beer Brands in the World.
Beer is often more than just a beverage, boasting significant cultural and historical significance in many societies and traditions. In Germany, for example, beer is considered an essential part of the country's cultural heritage, and the government has strict regulations on its production to ensure quality and authenticity. In Ireland, beer (specifically Guinness) is associated with the country's national identity and is a common symbol of Irish culture. And in the United States, beer has become synonymous with sports events and tailgating parties, as well as being a popular drink for socializing with friends.
If your idea of relaxing at the end of the day involves cracking open a cold one, you're not alone. Beer is the Most Consumed Alcohol in the World. As we mentioned in our article – 20 Countries with Highest Beer Taxes in the World – the global beer market is projected to grow from $821.39 billion in 2023 to $1.07 trillion by 2030, with a CAGR of 3.88% during the forecast period. The overall demand for premium and low-calorie beers, the rising popularity of craft brews, and the expansion of distribution networks in emerging markets are expected to continue driving growth in the global beer market over the next few years.
The Rising Prices of Beer:
Beer isn’t as much of a bargain as it used to be and its prices worldwide have witnessed a sharp spike over the last two decades. Americans especially are drinking fewer brews and the sector is steadily losing market share to spirits. Beer companies, faced with rising operating costs in areas like packaging and transportation, have raised prices and seen bigger profits, with consumers footing the bill.
The price of beer bought at retail locations, such as grocery stores, rose 5.9% for the 12 months through April 2023 compared with the prior year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate topped the overall 4.9% inflation for the same period. Since 2000, the price of retail beer consumed at home has increased more than 72%, while it has climbed even more for people drinking outside their homes, jumping 102% during that time.
The Growth of Non-Alcoholic Beer:
No-alcohol beers may be drops in the proverbial bucket of total worldwide beer sales, but the market continues to explode with options as the category continues to expand. As stated in our article – 15 Best Selling Non Alcoholic Beers in the US – the global NA beer market was valued at $22 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to grow to $40 billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period.
Beer with zero alcohol has become increasingly popular as consumers become more health-aware. It also has fewer calories than other carbonated beverages, making it a good substitute for customers and potentially contributing to market expansion.
In the past few years, brands such as Athletic, WellBeing, and Partake – all dedicated exclusively to non-alcoholic beer – have come onto the scene, while several brewing giants have also kept up with the trend and introduced NA options. One industry veteran that has especially made remarkable progress in the field is Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD).
In 2020, the beer behemoth introduced Bud Zero (the non-alcoholic version of its uber-popular King of Beers) in the US, and since then, it has grown to become one of the Most Popular Non-Alcoholic Beer Brands in the world. In fact, Bud Zero ended up being the only brew available at the stadiums during the FIFA World Cup in 2022, as the sale of alcohol is strictly controlled in Qatar. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) also managed to score a sponsorship for the recently held Olympic Games, making it the first beer company ever to sponsor the grand event. The IOC specifically highlighted Corona Cero – the non-alcoholic version of the global best-seller Corona – as the beer of choice for the partnership, which will stretch from the Paris 2024 Summer Games to the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games. Notably, the company has also partnered with brands such as Roland Garros, NBA, NFL, and even UFC to market its core beers, reflecting its broad marketing capabilities. AB InBev has set the ambitious goal of ensuring that low- or no-alcohol beer products make up at least 20% of its global beer volume by 2025.
Anheuser-Busch maintained its dominance as the Largest Beer Company in the World in 2023, with a global production volume of 585 million hectoliters and a revenue of $59.38 billion, an increase of over 2.7% from the previous year. This revenue increase was despite the company facing some headwinds in the American market last year after the recent controversy regarding its best-selling brand Bud Light, which resulted in the iconic brand losing its crown as the Top-Selling Beer in America after nearly two decades.
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) witnessed a slight decrease in volume during the first half of 2024, as it fell by 0.7% to 285.8 million hectoliters. The company’s volume growth in the Middle Americas, South America, Europe, and Africa regions was primarily offset by performance in Argentina and China. However, the Bud Light brewer’s revenue grew 2.7% to $29.9 billion but still fell short of analysts’ estimates. Meanwhile, normalized EBITDA beat Wall Street expectations and rose 7.8% to $10.3 billion.
Anheuser-Busch is a global company with a portfolio of over 500 brands and a strong presence in around 150 markets around the world. The company benefits from its ability to use its scale to expand globally and although its growth has recently remained flat in the US, the Budweiser maker is growing aggressively in countries like Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil.
Michael Doukeris, the CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD), stated the following in the company’s Q2 2024 earnings call transcript:
“Our global momentum continued this quarter with revenue growth in more than 65% of our markets. Bottom line increases in four of our five operating regions and margin expansion in all five regions. Our scale and diverse geographic footprint has been driving consistent results and has us well placed to deliver superior long-term value creation.”
While we acknowledge the potential of BUD as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and that too within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than BUD but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
With that said, here are the Best Beer Brands in 2024.
To collect data for this article, we have referred to BeerAdvocate, looking for the Best Beer Brands in the World. To make sure we give you only the finest, we picked BA’s list of the 200 highest-rated beers in the world, assigned each brand a score of 1 every time its beers appeared on the aforementioned list, and then summed up the scores and ranked them accordingly. When two or more brands had the same score, we ranked them by the positions of their best-rated beers.
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20. Founders Brewing Co.
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Founded by Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers in 1997, the Michigan-based Founders Brewing Co. has gone on to become one of the Best Craft Breweries in America. From All Day IPA to craft beer stalwarts like KBS, Founders offers something for every palette.
19. Revolution Brewing
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Founded as a brewpub in Chicago in 2010, Revolution is now the Largest Craft Brewery in the Prairie State. The brewery produces about 50 different beer styles each year, including IPAs, porters, pilsners, Belgian-style ales, pale ales, barrel-aged beers, etc.
18. Goose Island Beer Co.
Insider Monkey Score: 3
The Chicago-based Goose Island was acquired by Anheuser-Busch in 2011 and since then, the beer giant has invested aggressively to establish a chain of its brewpubs in America, as well as internationally.
Best known for its stouts, incredible artwork, and taproom theme nights, this award-winning Florida craft brewery is constantly pushing itself to do more. Counted among the Highest-Rated Beers in America, the Barrel-Aged Imperial German Chocolate Cupcake Stout is a fan favorite.
16. Anchorage Brewing Co.
Insider Monkey Score: 3
The largest state in the union doesn’t make most people think of great beer, but that’s beginning to change. Anchorage ferments their beers in oak for months, and it’s all brewed with Brettanomyces, a complex wild yeast that gives their beers abundant flavors.
15. 3 Floyds Brewing
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Founded in 1996, the 3 Floyds brewery is known for making some of the Best Craft Beers in America and for commissioning artists to design bizarre labels for their brews. The brand also officially ventured into distilling in 2019 and since then, has accumulated over 65 accolades for its selection of whiskeys and gins, as well as newly created premium canned cocktails.
14. The Bruery
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Opened in 2008, this boutique craft brewery from California specializes in barrel-aged and experimental ales. With a strong commitment to experimentation and innovation, The Bruery takes its inspiration from the culinary world, traditional beer styles, natural ingredients, vineyards, and even junk food.
13. Kane Brewing Co.
Insider Monkey Score: 4
One of the largest and most celebrated craft breweries in New Jersey, Kane produces the freshest beers using premium local ingredients and distinctive brewing techniques and sells them exclusively in its Tasting Room, as well as throughout the Garden State.
12. The Lost Abbey
Insider Monkey Score: 4
This iconic brewery from California is especially known for its barrel-aged Belgian-style ales and its unforgettable bottle artwork. Released in very small quantities only once every three years, The Lost Abbey’s Duck Duck Gooze is a blend of young and old barrel-aged brews and has been one of the most sought-after beers year after year since its introduction in 2009.
11. J Wakefield Brewing
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Located in the heart of Miami's Wynwood Arts District, this Star Wars-themed brewery is best known for its Florida Weisse-style beers. However, it was unfortunately announced earlier this month that J Wakefield would be permanently closing its doors this October, due to a combination of the global pandemic and a changing neighborhood.
10. Perennial Artisan Ales
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Determining the top brew coming out of a city that was quite literally built on beer is no easy task, but at least we can count on the heavily decorated Perennial Artisan Ales to alleviate some of the guessing work. According to the St. Louis-based brewery, their beers are ‘influenced mostly by Belgian and American craft styles, but the addition of premium ingredients such as fruits, spices, or wild yeast strains sometimes causes the beers to defy traditional categories.’
9. Other Half Brewing
Insider Monkey Score: 5
Founded in 2014 by Sam Richardson, Matt Monahan, and Andrew Burman in Brooklyn, NY, Other Half Brewing is rooted in a simple mission – to push the boundaries of beer. The brewery has since developed a loyal fanbase and has grown to add spaces in New York City, Washington DC, Philadelphia, the Finger Lakes, and Buffalo.
8. Russian River Brewing Co.
Insider Monkey Score: 5
Easily one of the Most Famous Breweries in the US, the Russian River Brewing Company was established in 1997 by Korbel Champagne Cellars among the majestic redwoods in West Sonoma County. After 6 years, Korbel decided to get out of the beer business and agreed to transfer the brand and all recipes to their head brewer, Vinnie Cilurzo.
This year marked the 20th anniversary of Russian River’s iconic Pliny the Younger beer, with thousands of hop-obsessed enthusiasts from around the world traveling to Sonoma County to get a taste of the nectar.
7. Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Insider Monkey Score: 6
The first Belgian brewery to carry a vegan label, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen is known for its lambic beers that are blended in a unique and innovative way. Due to the highly human nature of their brewing process, every blend released by 3 Fonteinen is not quite like the next, and so the bottles are clearly dated to represent their respective batches.
6. Brasserie Cantillon
Insider Monkey Score: 6
Next up in our list of the Top 10 Beer Brands in the World is Brasserie Cantillon, the only traditional lambic brewery located within the city of Brussels. The family-owned brewery’s famous Lambics are made with a variety of fruits and are usually produced only once a year.
5. Toppling Goliath Brewing Co.
Insider Monkey Score: 9
Founded in 2009, the Iowa-based Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. was a runaway success and is world-renowned for its IPA and barrel-aged beers.
Rated not only as the #1 Craft Beer in America but also the Best Beer in the World by BeerAdvocate and RateBeer, Toppling Goliath’s Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout is chocolate chip pancakes drenched with maple syrup, served with espresso and a shot of bourbon, all in one sip.
4. Trillium Brewing Co.
Insider Monkey Score: 10
A New England farmhouse-inspired brewery in the Fort Point Channel neighborhood of Boston, rooted in community and shared experiences. Trillium produces hundreds of unique offerings each year, with the Headroom New England IPA being especially popular among its admirers.
3. Side Project Brewing
Insider Monkey Score: 16
Founded in 2013 as a dream and a side project, this St. Louis-based brewery focuses on rustic saisons, fruited wild ales, bourbon barrel-aged stouts, and more. In 2020, Side Project stood second in the list of the Best Breweries in the World by RateBeer.
2. Hill Farmstead Brewery
Insider Monkey Score: 17
Established in 2010 by Shaun Hill, this award-winning beer brand represents the revival and continuation of 220 years of Hill heritage and hand-crafted history in North Greensboro, Vermont. Thanks to its determined endeavor toward elegance, sophistication, and tasteful simplicity, Hill Farmstead has received international acclaim for its brews across various styles, most notably the American Pale Ales, IPAs, Porters, and Saisons.
1. Tree House Brewing Co.
Insider Monkey Score: 24
Tree House accounts for a staggering 24 of the 200 top-ranked beers in the world on Beer Advocate and considering the sheer number of breweries around the globe, it is crazy to believe that so many highly regarded beers could be made by a single establishment. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Charlton-based brewer is the Top Beer Brand in the World.
