Czechs neck the most beer
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Even a global recession cannot knock the Czech Republic off the top of the beer drinking charts. The Czechs have retained their crown as the world’s biggest beer drinkers with an impressive annual tally of 150-155 litres per head.
Official consumption data for the last year will not be available until the end of February but it is clear that the Czechs have beaten the competition, according to Czech Beer and Malt Association head Jan Vesely.
There has been an estimated seven percent drop in consumption in 2009 but Veseley told AFP news agency: "We are certainly the world leaders in consumption per capita. This is impossible to change."
Irish drinkers launched a brave assault on the Czechs’ title in 2008, but were comprehensively beaten by their tipsy rivals by a margin of 22 litres per head.
Competition is at its fiercest within Europe for the coveted title. According to the most recent statistics available, European countries make up nine out of the top ten beer guzzling nations, with Australia the only non-European challenger.
The fall in Czech consumption is being attributed to a fall in tourism as opposed to locals giving up on their national pastime. One agency specializing in the tourist trade said Czech tourism fell by 10 percent in 2009.
But like any sports fan, drinking fans have found a way to continue supporting the thing they love. Beer drinkers are now practicing something penny-pinching students the world over have been doing for years – buying cheap beer and drinking it at home.
To capitalise on this phenomenon, breweries are focusing on creating cheaper brands for the shops, while keeping the more expensive beers on tap.
However, the Czech parliament has now raised excise duty on beer to substitute for the falling revenue from pubs, angering both brewers and drinkers.
"We understand that, as loyal citizens, we should help out. But this is not fair -- it seems that we are more predestined to help the state than others," Vesely told AFP.
