To clarify, I'm not talking about the best craft beers. That question would be very, very difficult to answer because there are small breweries with high-quality beers in lots of countries.
But when it comes to the beers sold in the largest quantities, I think Czech Republic is probably the winner. The pale lagers you get in ordinary pubs in that country is likely to be of the highest average quality in global comparison.
But the British drink a lot of styles other than pale lager. I googled up the most popular beer brands in Britain and Guinness came up. Guinness is a dry stout. I've noticed in British pubs that ales tend to be much more popular than in my own country. While the Czech people seem to have the best taste in lagers, it seems that the British have broader tastes in beer in general.
Ordinary German lagers tend to be not bad at all but my personal impression is that Czech Republic is at a higher level.
The most innovative countries in brewing tend to be the Nordic countries, Scotland, the USA and Canada as far as I know. The longest traditions are in Central Europe but the most interesting beers seem to be brewed by the progeny of the Vikings.
Has anyone tasted beers brewed by Nøgne Ø of Grimstad, Norway?
Twitter:
What is the most exported beer I wonder. I know that people associate Foster's with Australia - but no Australian drinks that piss and I do not think I have ever seen it on top there.
Google tells me Mexico was the largest exporter of beer in the world in 2016. Now, the best known Mexican beer brand is, heh, Corona. I wonder if it still is the most exported one. :)
That is what I would have suspected and I would imagine it isn't anymore - since China stopped buying it :D
Now is the time for Lapin Kulta to shine!!
LOL
Lapin Kulta is (diluted) reindeer piss. A friend of mine and I once did a blind test with six of the most popular pale lagers in Finland. He took the labels and caps away, marked the bottoms and put rubber caps on the bottles. After having them in the fridge long enough, we tasted them and made written notes. We then looked up which code was which beer, we compared notes. The results were clear. Karjala and Karhu had the best and equal scores out of the six. Koff and Lapin Kulta were the two losers.
But you never know because most people who drink beer are not actually beer drinkers. They don't like beer. They just want some cooled down and affordable mild alcoholic drink. Cider is much more expensive because its raw materials are much more expensive than grain. Potato is suitable for making vodka but not a fermented alcoholic drink. Mixing distilled alcohol with juice is a possibility but the retail sales of such drinks tends to be illegal because of the great appeal such drinks can have to minors. Also, beer is traditional.
Yep, it is terrible. Funny story - I am not a beer drinker (will have one occasionally if offered and I must) but with all the times I have been drunk in my life - Not once has it been on beer. Cider yes... I must be considered a snob by Persut. ;D
A friend did a taste teste on his bachelor weekend to choose the beer for the wedding. It was a lot of fun and Lapin Kulta didn't even get offered ...
I'm a beer drinker. My favourite styles depend on the weather. Wheat beer, Belgian or Dutch Witbier for the summer heat. Imperial stouts or barley wine for the dead of the winter. At other times, many styles are fine.