11 Biggest Beer Companies in the World in 2020

With everything 2020 has thrown at us so far, starting with the death of Kobe Bryant, teasing World War III, the biggest pandemic in over a century which, at the time of writing, had infected over 26 million and killed over 850,000 and now the death of a cultural icon in Chadwick Boseman it’s just for a drink probably courtesy of the 11 largest beer companies in the world in 2020.

Beer is popular globally, a fact I’m sure I don’t need to say. But how popular? Well, it’s an industry worth over $600 billion in 2019 alone, which is a staggering number. Based on a CAGR of 2.4%, we should ideally reach over $630 billion this year. But this year has been incredibly uncertain and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic has yet to be fully assessed. And in fact, it may not be certain for a long time.

Pixabay/Public Domain

Everyone loves beer, from Flam in Norway with a population of 350 housing its own brewery, to any supermarket in any major city housing a collection of beers from major companies around the world. The only place you might not find beer is in Taliban-controlled areas in Afghanistan, because Islam has banned the consumption of alcohol (they have problems with opioids corn). But even that is declining in some countries. In Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates and a Muslim country, alcohol laws have been further relaxed to boost sales and other countries are even more liberal in their approach, allowing free consumption of alcohol. alcohol, and these countries include Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan. At the other end of the spectrum is the country that drinks the most beer, topped by the Czech Republic, which consumes 142.4 liters of beer per capita per year.

You might think that, given all the interest in beer, brewing companies are good investment opportunities. Not so fast. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) is one of the largest beer companies in the world with a market cap of $116 billion, but hedge funds hate the stock. The value of hedge fund holdings in this giant stock was less than $900 million at the end of June 2020. Hedge funds were right to avoid the BUD as the stock has lost 30% of its value so far this year. Our calculations showed that BUD is not even close to making it to our list of 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds (click for Q2 rankings and watch the video for a quick overview of the top 5 stocks). the Top 10 most popular stocks among hedge funds returned 41.4% in 2019 and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by 10.1 percentage points. These stocks have also gained 28.2% in 2020 through August 24 and have outperformed the market by another 20.6 percentage points this year.

The story continues

Video: Watch our video on the 5 most popular hedge fund stocks.

Of all the spirits, beer is by far the most consumed and that’s good news for the world’s biggest beer companies in 2020. To determine our list, we headed to Technavio, which has prepared an incredibly comprehensive report on beer and its demand around the world. Our list below is based on each company’s market share. If you want to see how the list has changed over the years, you can compare it to the 11 largest beer companies in the world in 2017. So let’s look at the companies that help quench our thirst for alcohol, starting with number 10:

10. Castel Group

The Castel Group has more than 28,000 employees and a refined operation thanks to six decades of experience. It is the largest wine producer in France, and for a company known for its vineyards, this is a major achievement. The company bought a major African competitor in 1990, Brasseries et Glacières Internationales (BGI), which allowed it to significantly increase its market share in Africa. The company’s most popular beer brands are, of course, Castel and Flag.

Pixabay/Public Domain

9. Kirin

Demonstrating the global popularity of beer, our companies come from all over the world, with Kirin hailing from Japan. Kirin is a beverage giant and its brewery is second to none, with significant stakes not only in Japan, but also outside the country in other Asian countries. Its revenue was over $17 billion in 2019.

Pixabay/Public Domain

8. Beijing Yanjing Beer Group

Beer is as popular in Asia as it is in Europe or the Americas, and now we have China’s entry into the top beer companies in the world in 2020. It has over 42,000 employees and in 1995 it was in fact been named the official beer to be served at state banquets in China.

Ievgenii Meyer/Shutterstock.com

7. Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.

The company is over 130 years old and is one of the largest companies in Japan, with alcoholic beverages accounting for just 41% of total business. Asahi has the highest market share in Japan’s beer industry, which is a huge industry, followed by Kirin. Asahi has purchased several global businesses from Anheuser-Busch InBev (InBev) over the past several years, exponentially increasing Asahi’s grip on the global beer industry.

Pixabay/public domain

6. Tsingtao Brewery Group

Currently, Asia dominates the list of largest beer industries in 2020, with Tsingtao, the second largest brewery in China, number 6. It holds 15% market share domestically and in the world’s largest country. , this is a huge success. The company is another over 100 years old.

monticello/Shutterstock.com

5. Molson Coors Beverage Company (NYSE:FAUCET)

We are finally in the United States of A with Molson Coors, formed by the merger of two companies in the United States and Canada. The stats I just made up say there’s a good chance that 10% of people reading this article have a Coors can in their other hand.

Atomazul / Shutterstock.com

4. Carlsberg

The Danish company is over 150 years old, but there seem to be no signs of slowing down. With a catchy slogan of “Probably the best beer in the world”, it has certainly maintained its global market share, its flagship beer of course being Carlsberg. The company has more than 41,000 employees.

Faiz Zaki/Shutterstock.com

3. China Resources Snow Breweries

We told you that Tsingtao was the second largest beer company in China, and that’s why. The company is only 27 years old, but has a 21% market share in China, which again is huge in a country of over a billion people.

Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com

2. Heineken

Visit any European country and you can’t walk into a store without Heineken cans staring at you. While the company is Dutch and incredibly popular in Europe, it also has its admirers in the United States, where it supplies millions of barrels of beer each year, a number that will only increase over time.

Pixabay/Public Domain

1. Anheuser-Busch InBev

It may have sold some of its business to Asahi, but Anheuser-Busch InBev still tops the list of 11 largest beer companies in the world in 2020. With annual sales exceeding $50 billion in 2019, thanks to its flagship product Budweiser, it seems unlikely that any company can dethrone it. Inbev held 28% of the global market share in 2017, and for a company to have that grip on a global company is actually quite difficult to comprehend.

LunaseeStudios/Shutterstock.com Disclosure: None. 11 Biggest Beer Companies in the World in 2020 is originally published on Insider Monkey.