We’ve never heard of half of the world’s ten most popular beers

"Give us a pint of Snow there boss."

We're known to like a pint on occasion in Ireland, but it might come as a surprise to learn that most of the beer brands we're used to drinking don't come close to touching the top ten most popular beers in the world. Bud Light, Budweiser, Heineken and Coors Light do all merit a mention in the top ten, but they pale in comparison to the popularity of Chinese beers, four of which make the list, including the top two. The list is compiled by the percentage of global share that a particular beer commands, so it makes sense that the country with the highest population features so prominently. The number one beer on the list, for example, Snow, accounts for 5.4% of global share, meaning that just over one in every 20 beers sold around the world is a Snow, a brew that we don't mind saying we've never heard of before. Heineken is the only European beer in the top ten, which also includes two entries from Brazil, Skol and Brahma, with Guinness or perhaps even more suprisingly, Dutch Gold, nowhere to be seen. Anyone else thirsty all of a sudden?

The world's top ten beers

1. Snow (China) - 5.4% of global market share 2. Tsingtao (China) - 2.8% 3. Bud Light (USA) - 2.5% 4. Budweiser (USA) - 2.3% 5. Skol (Brazil) - 2.2% 6. Yanjing (China) - 1.9% 7. Heineken (Netherlands) - 1.5% 8. Harbin (China) - 1.5% 9. Brahma (Brazil) - 1.5% 10. Coors Light (USA) - 1.3% Hat-tip to The Metro