Top 10 Countries that Make the Best Beer

If you're looking for the best dark beer in the world, it's Belgium, the best pilsner, it's Poland/Czech Republic, but the best variety is Germany as a whole. Bavaria has the second best dark beer next to Belgium, and northern Germany has the second best pilsner next to Poland/Czech Republic. I personally enjoy the dark beer more than pilsner, probably because I live in Berlin and I am spoiled with awesome pilsner. Therefore, I conclude, due to bias, that Belgium has the best beer in the world.
Being Belgian, I might be a little bit biased but in my opinion Belgium, by far, produces the best beer in the world. Just to provide you all with some perspective. Belgium is about a 1/3 of the size of the U.S. State of Georgia yet it produces over 800 different varieties of beer. Each village and city in this small country proudly products it's own beer and there is even something a rivalry between different cities over who makes the best. I mean, come on people. Has anyone tried a Trappist! You have not had a beer until you have enjoyed one of these. Get it together. Germany might be a close second but Belgium is without a doubt the number one producer of Beer. They are delicious, and strong their. I'ma go drink my Stella now.
Belgium and Germany are the only 2 countries that can claim to best beer country. They both have a very long and rich tradition of making beer and are the most innovative ones. If you count the top ranked beers of those countries together, they leave the rest of the world FAR behind.
Their might be an exception for the pilses. But you can't compare that type with others.
The best beer doesn't mean the best selling beer. Heineken is a good example: sells great, but tastes like piss.
Belgium has the most trappist Beers, Beers brewed by monks with the dame recepy since the Middle ages. I have never found anything that matches that in Story nor in Taste

Some territory was lost after World War 1 and a lot more after World War 2, basically started by Hitler's Nazi dictatorship. Then the Soviets kept their zone - the 'DDR', East Germany, separate with a wall through the middle of Berlin, until 1990 when the country was reunited. ...read more.
Yes, centuries of the Reinheitsgebot (purity law limiting ingredients in German beer to the bare minimum of malted barley, hops, water and eventually yeast) means you won't find the same unapproachable variety of beers in Germany that you will in today's microbrewery heavy US beer market. But breweries here have been making excellent beers for hundreds of years longer than the US has even existed, and getting a good beer here doesn't mean spending a lot of money. "Low-end" German beers are better than mid- to high-end American beers. Half a liter for 79 euro cents, and you can get money back for returning crates and bottles? Not to mention great beers on tap in many restaurants and the infamous 1 Liter "Maß". There's no better place to drink beer than Germany.
Maybe they have the best Germany, maybe in Belgium, it's a close call. If you search you will find a great variety of styles as well contrary to some statements. Smoke beer, bock, eis, dark to name a few.
Admittedly they can be hard to find even in bigger cities.
Around 1500 breweries while Belgium has around 120. Not really a fair comparision though if one takes the size of the countries in account.
The US is a clear number three. Don't get me wrong, pale ale is a great style and some of the American beers ARE smooth and tasty, but in a lot of cases the claimed innovation of a new style is just overhopping an older style. No thanks, that became boring some time ago.
Highest density of breweries in the world, high quality. How can you even think of America as beernation? Most produced beer there is more like water than anything else (except the pacific coast they have some nice microbreweries) and where is the czech republic?
If you say America has the best beer don't talk to me. I don't know what german beer you tried, but if you can get incredibly good beer if you know what to buy. Way better than all the beer in the US. Belgium beer tastes amazing as well.

I have been in many many countries but never had any better beer anywhere but Czech Republic. It's smooth and gets you drunk easily but without you realising it.
I am from Czech Republic and trust me. Everybody who visit our country and taste the beer just always gonna say that was the best one. Joke is than this page have here Germany and Belgium as second country.. What is joke. Did you ever saw Belgium beer? Taste like pee and Germany one taste like gas. Just visit us, taste and you will see.
Also commented the same in German vote... I'm English. I love German beer and Czech beer. Those 2 stand above all else. Sure other countries can lay claim to decent beer, but these 2 countries are the powerhouses of beer brilliance.
I think most beer on tap is pish. Don't get me wrong, on a hot day, with friends in an idyllic pub by the river, if all they had was fosters, I'd drink it and have a great day. But if ever there is a choice German and Czech are it.
When I met my missus, she only drank champagne. If you tried passing her prosecco she knew. But, she never drank beer. Now she is happy to drink staropramen, budweiser (the budvar one, not USA dogs wee one) and various pilsners. She won't touch fosters or carling even if there was nothing else. Then it's herbal tea or water lol.
Belgium would rank higher for me but Stella let's the side down
I am from Czech Republic, and we truly do have the BEST beer. Most people do think that Germany has the 'best' beer. Hah! What a joke. It is honestly nothing compared to our Czech's beer. Most people do think that Germany has the best beer only because they never had Czech beer.
For example Pilsner Urquel, Gambrinus, Staropramen, Kozel. All these are good.
Stop believing that Germany has the best beer until you try the Czech one. It is insult for Czech Republic.

Have you ever heard of Smittig Beer? I was told that my ancestors developed that beer.
Guiness Extra Stout is the best beer, er, ale, actually, in the world!
Frankly the whiskey is better but...
Best beer and best pubs to drink it!

England can trace its history as far back as the 10th century, but modern England didn't start till the Norman Invasion of 1066. In 1535, England annexed Wales and in 1603 shared a Monarch with Scotland, which eventually led to the Unification of the two into 'Great Britain', in 1801 Ireland was incorporated forming the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland', in 1922, 6 counties stayed in the UK while the rest of Ireland declared Independence. ...read more.
What the? Fizzy, chemical, mass produced lager brewing nations higher on this list than England. Really. Unfortunately most counties in the world do not have the right facilities to cellar store real ale at the correct temperature and to pull it through to create the ideal body for proper ale. No disrespect to other countries on this list, but you simply can't recreate a real pulled pint of real ale from a bottle. You need to experience it in a British pub.
England for it's vast selection of Ales. Beers that actually TASTE of something not fizzy piss that is 90% of commercial lager. Its obvious what people have really voted for on this list (just see the list of best beer brands - it's a joke). The only two countries that can hold their own against the beers of England (or Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland for that matter) are Germany and Belgium.
I live in England in Manchester butttt I don't drink beer. It makes people go crazy, because once a woman threw a umbrella at my sister! It was horrible!
England one of the founding countries of Ale. Ale the best beer in the world. The range of flavours available with ale is limitless compared to lager.. Cask conditioned ale the true and best form of experiencing ale. Sad if Cask conditioned ale travelled better, everyone would know of the magical experience drinking this fresh amazing beer is. I have lived in Prague for 10 years, nej lepsi lager I am certain, but when it comes to British cask conditioned ales, its cerainly the best in the world.

Due to its numerous Overseas departments and territories scattered on all oceans of the planet, France possesses the largest EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) in the world, covering 11,691,000 km2 (4,514,000 mi2) just before the EEZ of the United States as the second largest (11,351,000 km2 / 4,382,000 mi2).
It is a unitary semi-presidential republic with the capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban centres include Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, Strasbourg, Montpellier. ...read more.
France is not known for its beer, better for its wine. But there, they are also drinking lots of beer and have lots of small breweries, really nice.
The problem it's the price of beers in the bars and pubs.
France it's more than 400 official breweries.
For instance the famous Kronenbourg producing beer from 1664.

I have tried beers when I was abroad in other countries in Europe. I've tried German beer, Czech beer, Dutch Beer and Belgian beer and it is all pretty good but it all taste the same. Honestly you can get a similar taste and better in the U.S. and the reason is because we have so much more selection. Brewing has become an artistry here. Some of the craft beers blow these European ones out of the water with taste, smoothness and flavor and contrary to what anyone thinks about this particular beer, I have yet to taste something as good and refreshing as a Blue Moon in Europe.
If you truly do your homework the US is the answer. Brewing has come along way in the past 10 to 20 years and US artisan/craft brewers are making amazing beers. There are great beers coming from Europe as well but not much exciting from Germany. Great Lambics and sours from Belgium and some great stouts from Denmark, Netherlands, etc.. but the US has all of the styles covered. Great sours, funky brett beers, imperial stouts, BA imperial stouts, barleywines, old ales, and great hoppy IPA's and pale ales. Not really that close and I try to sample every high end beer I can.
The US is new on the beer scene. Because of this, most Europeans still judge US beer by what we export, mainly Budweiser and similar low quality beers.
Because of our recent arrival, our breweries aren't limited by tradition, and don't trend towards a specific type of beer. Go visit any American brewery like Lagunitas, Deschutes, Widmer, Rogue, Stone, Bear Republic, etc. and you will find plenty of absolutely delicious beers.
I just returned from Germany, and must admit their hefeweizens are significantly better than almost anything I've had in the states, the US has it beat overall. You can go to any good bar and get an amber, IPA, lager, porter, stout, or hefeweizen, and they often have at least a cider as well. US beer has the variety, innovation, and quality to easily make it the best.
Sorry, if you think Germany has better beer than the US than you're stuck in 1995. Craft beer is a huge and rapidly growing phenomenon there to a far greater extent than anywhere in the world. Just take a look at any list of beer rankings and unless its Belgian you'll find it completely dominated by American breweries. Canada deserves the number 2 with Belgium in 3rd.

Since the beginning of the craft beer boom, Canada and the United States are the easy 1-2 for anyone who actually knows anything. The "Three Sisters" of the Pacific Northwest - Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver are the epicenter of beer innovation in today's world, while some fantastic things are also coming out of places like Quebec and New York, Ontario and Chicago.
I live in germany, and to be honest. German beer is all quite similar and bland. Refreshing of course, but bland.
In Canada the variety is only rivaled by that in the United States. When you visit a pub you don't have 5 different beers to chose from. You have upwards of 50! And it's not 50 Kolsch, or 50 pils, it's 15-25 breweries with every style imaginable.
Every brewery also makes 5-6 styles of beer that are NOT SIMILAR.
In Germany most brewers make one type. Most bars will server 1 type of pils, 1 weiss, and 1 something else. It's scant choosings in europe.
I don't really drink but, as a proud Canadian, I cannot stand to see the States rise above us in this competition. If you've seen the movie 'Canadian Bacon' you've seen what Canadians will do if you insult their beer.
No question, a beer on the dock during summer does not get any better or more Canadian than this. Excellent craft beers but unlike USA or other countries, the cheap beers here are still really good. Blue, JR, Carling, all good cheap Canadian beers.

Try the Heineken Oud Bruin (old brown) or herfst & winter bok (autumn & winter bock). The cherry beers are also quite nice, although I believe not many of the mentioned beers are being exported. You should really come to Holland and try all the different delicious beer flavors!
We all know Heineken is a plain horrible beer with a great marketing machine. In La Trappe however, the Netherlands do have my favourite trappist. Alsof, smaller breweries like Het IJ, Jopen and De Molen are (internationally) growing at a rapid pace for a reason.
Well known for its beers! Best beer in the world.
As a big beer fan I think Hertog Jan is de best beer brewery in the world.


Japan has a huge capital city called Tokyo, other cities in Japan include Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka, Nagoya and Sendai. It's close to South Korea, which is on the North West of it. It has a large population of 126.86 million people (Statistics Bureau of Japan. Retrieved April 27, 2016). ...read more.
With Japan being one of Germany's Allies, it received a lot of influence and help throughout the 20th century in creating palatable and crisp beers without sacrificing flavor. I put them above Italy on your list. Even after living in Siena and Florence I still think their beer is overrated.
Not trendy to like it but reliable and perfectly composed.

Austrian beer is sadly always overlooked, I'm guessing because it's such a tiny country. But let me tell you, for its size it has an amazing selection of beer.
Austria makes better beer than the USA. Bud Light literally tastes like mineral water compared to like a Ottakringer from Vienna or a Baumgartner Märzen.
Austria has so many breweries. Literally every town has one. I personally love to drink a "radler", which is a beer mixed with the Austrian soft drink "Almdudler". Probably one of the best things if you plan on driving home later because you are going to get totally drunk because the beer is so good.
In my opinion Austria should be top 5 at least. In Austria you can drink thousands of different beer from thousand different brewerys and every beer tastes unique!
I've been to many countries and there are quite a few good beers but I always love me some Austrian beer.

Love this countries verity, look out for Cerveza Indio it is an up and coming star that has been around for a while but is starting to go mainstream with it's amazing taste, especially for a dark beer.
Why is Mexico ranked lower than Canada, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria? Mexico should always be ranked in the top 5 for sure. Who has heard of Italian, Greek or Bulgarian beer?
Mexican beer is outstanding...many German and Austrian immigrants brought there great beer drinking recipes to Mexico.
Mexico should be at least top 5..

They start producing really good beers in Greece and during the summer they serve it in an enjoyable way.. Frozen glass, it's amazing! Every time I visit the country I can't wait to drink a cold beer in a frozen glass. fix and alfa are my favorites.
Mythos Kicks ass. If you haven't tasted it you don't know what you're missing. Dare to DISCOVER! Take a trip to Greece and discover the beauty of its beaches, lifestyle, beers...Live a little!
Nissos is amazing! Produced in a microbrewery at Tinos, one of the most beautiful island of Cyclades is a really good tasty pilsner!
They get beer from olives!

"Fur" is not only the best special beer in Denmark, but also among the best in the world.
In Denmark we have two major beer production companies, Tuborg and Carlsberg both of wich are great and world renowned, we should be higher on the list.
So I guess people voting here don't enjoy Heineken or Carlsberg.

China have very good beer. We copy america, Belgium, Germany and others. We steal secret recipe and make knock off. China knock off better, higher quality than cheap American pee water. Our beer number one in world, super fun time yummy beer!

This is ridiculous, Australia has the best craft beer in the world! Although, I understand these aren't exported internationally and Fosters is rubbish. So maybe it can be forgiven. Come here and try some beer and then you'll understand
Try the tasmanian beers. The water is extremely pure down that way hence the beers are so good.
The Moo Brew Pale Ale is sensational.
Also, Feral Hop Hog IPA from Western Australia is probably Australia's best IPA.
"A hard earned thirst needs a big cold beer and the best cold beer is Vic"
VB - the most popular beer in the country that loves beer the most.
Australia has best climate for drinking cold beer.

Steinlager anyone? We also have the best craft beer scene in the world.

In my opinion Poland should be at the top, Polish beers are both tasty and strong. I can't believe Belgium is so high on the list. Stella Artois tastes like a really bad fizzy water and you can't even get drunk of it.
Poland is the third largest beer producer in Europe who produces more than 1,000 different beers. Variety and choice are so massive that everyone can find their favourite one!
If you will try polish beer brewed by PINTA, Kormoran, Artezan, Cornelius, etc..., then you will know why you should vote for Poland and no other country...
Poland has over 1000 years tradition how to make a great beer. What's France doing in the top 10?

Singha & Chang beer brands are known to me when I traveled to Thailand.

Finland is the best

We like also their white wine 1000 times better than Italian wine.
So we drunk a lot of beer how do You know? Did You see one of us?
Because they are drinking a lot of beer...
The wine is much better but some romanian beers also deserve some praise

Beers for everyone. Ariana is 2% alcohol and is perfect for beginners.
Yes Bulgarian beer is great!

Norway makes delicious mouthwatering beer.

Forget castle and the whole SAB! There are brilliant craft beers such as Mitchell's!
Craft beer in South Africa has gotten HUGE, with incredible beers making it's way into the market
Best and cheapest beer in the world without a doubt. wine is great too