By Ian Neubauer
Beer market intelligence supplier, Plato Logic, has released data showing the international beer market grew by almost 5 per cent last year.
“This was another excellent year for world beer market growth despite some indifferent summer weather in certain countries,” said Plato Logic director, Ian Pressnell.
The company also released an updated Top 10 world brewers chart that shows UK-based SABMiller has provisionally taken the lead.
Former number one Belgium brewer InBev trails SABMiller by a nose, with Heineken in the number three spot, US-based Anheuser-Busch at number four and Carlsberg at number five.
The chart notes figures for Carlsberg and Heineken were adjusted following the acquisition of leading British brewer Scottish and Newcastle (S&N). The mainland European brewers last month signed a deal worth $17.45 billion to cut S&N in half, taking under their belts the distribution of top-ten global brands like Strongbow Cider and Kingfisher and brewing operations in countries as diverse as China and Greece.