5 Largest Beer Companies in the World

Below you can find the list of 5 largest beer companies in the world. For detailed coverage of this topic and a more comprehensive list, please see this article. 

5. Diageo plc

Revenue: $16.8 B
Market Cap: 91.848 B
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom

Diageo plc is one of the world’s largest producers of beers and spirits. Some of the most popular brands they offer are actually your go-to alcoholic drinks such as Johnnie Walker, Bailey’s, Gilbey’s, Smirnoff, and J&B whiskey. Diageo plc started with Guinness PLC and Grand Metropolitan plc merger in 1997. On the other hand, did you know that the Guinness beer is vegan-friendly? They changed up the beer filtration process and removed its fish byproduct making it a vegan drink! Now let’s cheers to that!

4. Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd.

Revenue: $17.6 B
Market Cap: 18.99 B
Headquarters: Nakano City, Tokyo, Japan

Japan’s well-known for producing traditional high-quality sake but did you know that beer is the most popular drink of choice for Japanese consumers? One of the most competitive breweries in Japan is Kirin Holdings with a global market distribution. Some of the brands under Kirin are low-malt Tanrei beer and craft beers such as Brooklyn Brewery and Yo-Ho brewing. In 2009, Kirin started distributing drinks from the biggest British alcoholic manufacturer, Diageo plc.

3. Asahi Group Holdings Ltd.

Revenue: $19.22 B
Market Cap: 19.4 B
Headquarters: Sumida City, Tokyo, Japan

Asahi Breweries is Japan’s second-largest alcoholic market leader Japan. In 2018, Asahi became one of the largest beer companies in the world serving 3% of the global market share. Aside from fermenting beers, the company also sells soft drinks, spirits, coffee, tea, soda water, and a wide array of food products such as baby foods, supplements, and freeze-dried foods. In the first quarter of 2020, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission gave Asahi a green signal for the acquisition of Carlton and United Breweries, Aussie’s leading brewery offering its consumers a wide range of best-tasting beverages. In June, Asahi completed its acquisition of CUB for a $16 billion deal.

2. Heineken N.V.

Revenue: $26.8 B
Market Cap: 62.344 B
Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Heineken is the second-largest brewer in the world with a portfolio of more than 170 beer brands. The Dutch-brewery operates in the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Eastern Europe, and Africa. Heineken is one of the most popular beers all over the world that you would always see bars and nightclubs offering them to guests. Other than the fact that it has a very distinct taste as Heineken uses “Yeast A” in production, their beers are also backed up by their marketing propaganda: drink responsibly and green and recyclable products.

1. Anheuser-Busch InBev NV (NYSE: BUD)

Revenue: $52.3 B
Market Cap: 112.274 B
Headquarters: Leuven, Belgium

The largest beer company in the world is Anheuser-Busch InBev with a global market share of 30% volume sales in 2019. AB Inbev generated a whopping $52 billion in revenue worldwide! Two of their most successful alcoholic drinks are Budweiser and Bud Light. With the success of their brands, Anheuser-Busch Inbev spent approximately $428 million in 2019. Their products range from local Belgian-Brazillian beers to international brands with over 200 trademarks. AB Inbev also holds a license for distributing PepsiCo brands in Brazil, Lipton iced tea, and Gatorade. The largest brewer in the world has a total of 18 breweries in North America out of 156 beverage facilities in the world.

See also 11 Largest Beer Companies in the World in 2020 and 1o Most Expensive Liquors in the World.