Top 10 Beers In The World, According To Consumers’ Brand Perceptions

Ashley Schaeffer BMW11 years ago

With Saint Patrick’s Day upon us, people all over the nation are undoubtedly donning green and frequenting their favorite pubs or drinking establishments. When has there ever been a better excuse to drink on a Monday? Even if you’re not Irish, you can get away with pretending you are today.

To commemorate among one of the hardest drinking holidays worldwide, the people at BrandIndex, a marketing firm that measures daily brand perception among consumers, published its annual ranking of the best perceived beers on the market. Ranked solely from a brand perception point of view, as opposed to a gross sales figure or another distribution metric, BrandIndex created a formula for the list that seeded the brews only based on consumer perception.

Here’s how they did it:

Scores, known as a brand’s “Buzz score,” range from 100 to -100 and are calculated by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A score of zero means that a company has received equal positive and negative feedback from respondents. The index interviews 5,500 people, 21 or older, each weekday for three months to draw its conclusions.

While some of the most distributed beers in the world made their way into the top 10, other front runners have a relatively small market share in comparison. For example, Coors Light, which dropped out of the top 10 and into number 11 this year, had the second most shipments worldwide this year, but it isn’t perceived to have as strong a brand stranglehold on the market as some more crafty beers.

Here’s how the top 10 beers by brand viability were seeded.

*Editor’s note – “bbl” is the acronym for barrel units, usually designated as 100 liters.

10. Miller Lite

Buzz score: 5.9
2013 shipments: 13,700,000 bbls

In my book, this is my least favorite light beer, but I guess some people like it enough to beat out Coors Light.

9. Stella Artois

Buzz score: 6.2
2013 shipments: 1,600,000 bbls

I can’t knock Stella at all. The company has a great marketing campaign, the famed chalice glass, and the beer is amazingly refreshing every time I have a pint or seven.

8. Yuengling

Buzz score: 6.4
2013 shipments: 2,180,000 bbls

Hailing from Philadelphia, where “lager” is synonymous with Yuengling, this is my personal favorite on the list. I know Yuengling does a great job marketing through local sports outlets, and the demand for the brew is countrywide. I have several friends who have moved down south or out west, and they have requested I ship them a case of America’s Oldest Brewery’s finest from time to time.

7. Guinness

Buzz score: 7.0
2013 shipments: 1,040,000 bbls

Without a doubt, this will probably be the most consumed beer worldwide today. The folks at Guinness always do a great job with marketing, seeing as I have commandeered more Guinness emblazoned freebies than any other beer brand I can think of. It’s a superior tasting brew, too.

6. Corona

Buzz score: 7.9
2013 shipments: 7,420,000 bbls

There are surely thousands of spring breakers tossing in a lime and enjoying this great Mexican beer just like they do in the TV ad spots. Corona’s commercials always leave you with that longing feeling for tropical paradise and a fine lady by your side, while you sip on more than a few of the company’s pilsners.

5. Heineken

Buzz score: 8.1
2013 shipments: 4,015,000 bbls

Ahhh, Amsterdam’s finest. Again, this is another company that is spectacular when it comes to ad placement. Heineken has been a longtime sponsor of the UEFA Champions League in Europe, which is the world’s most watched sporting event. Speaking from experience, the brewery tour is a really cool one, and again, like Guinness, it dominates it in the giveaway and contest department.

4. Dos Equis

Buzz score: 8.4
2013 shipments: 1,570,000 bbls

In my opinion, Dos Equis probably has the best ad campaign out of any beer manufacturer. “The Most Interesting Man In The World” is a phenomenal character, and his exploits never cease to amaze. It’s easy to understand why the brand is the fourth most popular worldwide.

3. Bud Light

Buzz score: 8.9
2013 shipments: 38,100,000 bbls

The most distributed and consumed beer on the planet, we all know Bud Light has an absolute lock on the NFL marketing scene. Bud Light also has a reputation for crafting some fantastic commercials, specifically come Super Bowl Sunday. Again, I can say its parent company, InBev, also kills it in the promotion department, as I fondly recall my encounters with the Bud Light girls in my days at Penn State.

2. Budweiser

Buzz score: 12.6
2013 shipments: 16,000,000 bbls

The staple of American beers, there is not really much to be said about Budweiser, seeing as it’s probably the most recognizable beer in the world. Just like its companion Bud Light, the senior, more intoxicating brew knocks out any commercial it attempts–especially the ones that feature the Clydesdales.

1. Sam Adams

Buzz score: 16.3
2013 shipments (all brands): 2,325,000 bbls

Sam Adams takes the trophy this year. Despite paling in comparison from a distribution point of view, it has basically created the craft beer market since it started brewing in 1984. Accompanied with an ever increasing selection of brews, the Sam Adams commercials feature the company owner, Jim Koch, and its staple Boston Lager, which can be found in bars coast to coast. I highly recommend taking the brewery tour if you ever find yourself in Boston, and checking out the Bell In Hand Tavern (the oldest bar in America) because from time to time, they host a Sam Adams flight night featuring limited runs of amazing beers that aren’t available on the consumer market.

Happy drinking today, people!

[via CNBC]