PBR in China: $44 a Bottle

Chinese brand has been the top brew for three years

(NEWSER) - For the past three years, the biggest-selling beer in the world was a brew you've probably never heard of: China's Snow Beer, reports the Telegraph . And with the Chinese beer market surging by 10% a year, expect Snow to grow even bigger. Though not as well known as Tsingtao, Snow has grown by buying up breweries all over China since it was formed in 1993 in a joint venture between SABMiller and China Resources. Last year, Snow sold 16.5 billion pints, about twice as much as former No. 1 seller Bud Light. More»

It's all about income, specifically $22,000 per capita

(NEWSER) - It's an economics treatise even Homer Simpson would love—how beer consumption relates to a nation's prosperity. The gist of the paper, as noted by financial blogger Felix Salmon at Reuters , goes like this: When residents of poor nations start making money, they start drinking beer. When they keep making money—and the tipping point is figured to be the equivalent of $22,000—they shift to wine. More»

Downmarket brew's sales skyrocket as usual suspects flounder

(NEWSER) - Pabst Blue Ribbon has profited from a hipster following for years because of its unpretentious image and low-profile marketing, so it makes sense that even a recession hasn’t dimmed the brand’s power. Sales are up 30% for the year ending in October, trouncing beer’s overall 1.1% increase and shaming Budweiser, down 7%. More»

'Ironic downscale chic' keeps brand selling

(NEWSER) - It’s a good time to be a cheapo beer, but that alone can’t explain the ridiculous year Pabst Blue Ribbon is having, Advertising Age reports. PBR’s sales are up a whopping 25%, making it by far the fastest growing cheap beer, which is especially astounding because it’s not that cheap anymore. PBR’s cases now costs $1.50 more than Keystone’s and 50 cents more than Miller’s. More»

National Bohemian tops list of cheap crowd pleasers

(NEWSER) - It's no small task to find a robust, canned American beer for less than $1, but these six passed the bar—albeit just barely—in a blind taste test conducted by the Washington Post:

• Baltimore's National Bohemian tops the list with its secret strategy: "Actually tastes like beer."
• Miller High Life has a refreshing fizz, but drink too many and expect to be bloated.