Look at All These Countries Drinking More Beer Than Us

by nylon

Where have you gone, Joe Six-Pack?more

According to new data from Euromonitor International, which tracks beer sales in 80 countries around the world, the United States does not rank among the thirstiest nations in terms of beer consumption per capita. As The Telegraph reports, most of the really major-league drinking is taking place in Eastern Europe, and if America wants to catch the Czech Republic, Germany, or Austria—the three nations that top the list—we'll have our work cut our for us.

The full top 10 list is below, and it comes with a few caveats. First, the data doesn't account for cider, which has become increasingly popular as more folks go gluten-free. Also, the numbers don't reflect the growth of craft beer, which is replacing cans of Bud and PBR in many an American fridge. Even so, it's something of a piss-poor showing from the country often credited with inventing the beer gut. That the news comes during football season is even more disappointing.

In the U.K., which also failed to make the top 10, there might be even more trouble brewing for beermakers, as consumption continues a long-running slide.

"It's been [declining] for a while as consumers get older and the core demographic—the working class—is struggling," said Euromonitor senior analyst Spiro Malandrakis. "On top of that, you have consumers slowly moving into spirits, especially younger consumers."

1. Czech Republic: 143 litres 2. Germany: 110 litres 3. Austria: 108 litres 4. Estonia: 104 litres 5. Poland: 100 litres 6. Ireland: 93 litres 7. Romania: 90 litres 8. Lithuania: 89 litres 9. Croatia: 82 litres 10. Belgium: 81 litres

Photo by Johannes Simon, Getty Images