Interesting World Maps

December 30, 2019 By Jay Brooks

You probably knew I’m a huge map geek, so I’m always on the lookout for interesting ones. I came across a website recently boasting 100 Amazing World Maps. And while the headline may be a tad hyperbolic, some of them certainly are interesting. Here are a few that fell into that category for me. Check out the rest here if you also like this sort of thing. Enjoy.

Map of Alcohol Consumption Around the World

You’re probably not shocked to learn that Ireland, Russia, France and Germany are some of the countries that consume the most alcohol. But you may be surprised to learn that tiny Belarus consumes the most alcohol of all, with an average of 17.5 liters of pure alcohol consumed per capita every year.

Map of Drink of Choice Around the World

Looks like North and South Americans, as well as Australians, love their beer, while Asia, the Caribbean and Russia dig their spirits. Rice wine, rum and vodka, perhaps?

Map of Who Spends the Most on Booze

Ahem. Ireland?

Map of Coffee Consumption Around the World

Can’t live without your cuppa Joe in the morning? Looks like you’re not the only one! In some countries, such as those in (colder) Scandinavia, each person is drinking up to 26 pounds of coffee per year.

Map of the World’s Happiest People

It makes us smile to see a hemisphere filled with happiness!
Also, is anyone surprised that famously cordial Canada, free-spirited Australia and peaceful Scandinavia have some of the happiest locals on earth?

Map of Worldwide Tipping

Now before you go thinking a country is cheap, remember that they may pay higher wages so employees don’t need tips to make a living. (Unlike in America, which needs to get with the program.)

Map of Water Consumption Around the World

You may be surprised to learn the volume of water needed for the production of essential goods and services. This map brings the problem of water scarcity into sharp focus.

Map of Grapes Yielded by Country

Where, oh where, does your favorite wine get its grapes from?

Map of Craft Breweries in the U.S.

Think craft breweries have been popping up all around your state? You’re right, especially if you live in the western part of the country.

Map of Every Pub in the UK

You knew pubs were popular in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but did you know they were this popular? This map cannot even begin to show each and every one of the pubs, because there are more than 48,000!

Craft Market Exceeds 12%

March 22, 2016 By Jay Brooks

The preliminary numbers for 2015 are out, and the news is again pretty damn good. The Brewers Association today revealed that craft beer’s share of market, which finally passed 10% last year, is now 12.2% of the total beer market, by volume.

From the press release:

In 2014, craft brewers produced 22.2 million barrels, and saw an 18 percent rise in volume and a 22 percent increase in retail dollar value. Retail dollar value was estimated at $19.6 billion representing 19.3 percent market share.

“With the total beer market up only 0.5 percent in 2014, craft brewers are key in keeping the overall industry innovative and growing. This steady growth shows that craft brewing is part of a profound shift in American beer culture—a shift that will help craft brewers achieve their ambitious goal of 20 percent market share by 2020,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “Small and independent brewers are deepening their connection to local beer lovers while continuing to create excitement and attract even more appreciators.”

But wait, there’s more.

Additionally, in 2015 the number of operating breweries in the U.S. grew 15 percent, totaling 4,269 breweries—the most at any time in American history. Small and independent breweries account for 99 percent of the breweries in operation, broken down as follows: 2,397 microbreweries, 1,650 brewpubs and 178 regional craft breweries. Throughout the year, there were 620 new brewery openings and only 68 closings. One of the fastest growing regions was the South, where four states—Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Texas—each saw a net increase of more than 20 breweries, establishing a strong base for future growth in the region.

Combined with already existing and established breweries and brewpubs, craft brewers provided nearly 122,000 jobs, an increase of over 6,000 from the previous year.

“Small and independent brewers are a beacon for beer and our economy,” added Watson. “As breweries continue to open and volume increases, there is a strong need for workers to fill a whole host of positions at these small and growing businesses.”

If you’re curious how those numbers are calculated, BA economist Bart Watson posted an explanation of the 2015 Craft Brewing Growth by the Numbers.

The Journey Of Beer Ingredients

January 6, 2016 By Jay Brooks

beer-ingredients
Here’s a fun infographic showing the Journey of Beer Ingredients and called “Glorious Beer.” It was created by Lockstep Studio, who began selling the posters in early December of last year. It’s a different approach than most of these, following the separate journeys of water, barley, hop and yeast until eventually they meet up and have a party, so you can have one, too.

Journey-of-Beer-Ingredients
Click here to see the infographic full size.

Bernick’s Periodic Table

December 30, 2015 By Jay Brooks

periodic-table
Several companies produce a Periodic Table of Beer Styles poster. Here’s another one, and another, and still one more. They all look more or less the same, and convey almost the exact same information. But yesterday I came across a new one, done by Bernick’s, a distributor in Minnesota, that in addition to most of the usual info, also added the preferred glass for each style. Although they did drop final gravity and any color range information. Still, it’s nice to see someone try to change it up a little. They also added some gold wreaths to indicate the best-selling varieties.

Print
Click here to see the chart full size.

SABInMillerBev, or “A Brief History Of Big Beer”

October 27, 2015 By Jay Brooks

sabinmillerbev
Niall, at the Missing Drink, has an interesting post about the possible buyout of SABMiller by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Entitled A Brief History of Big Beer, he provides some analysis of the deal, but I especially like his helpful chart of the M&A of all the major players, which is below. It’s great to see them laid out to encapsulate the history of those big deals, especially in recent decades.

SABIn-MillerBev-2015
Click here to see the chart full size.

Here’s his clever take on what the newly minted entity might be called, and what a new alphabet soup logo might look like. It was genius taking the “AB” from ABI and putting it with the “S” from SAB. It certainly will be interesting to see what new name (and logo) does emerge if the deal ultimately goes through.

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