The self-styled king of beers has been toppled by a drink that most Budweiser lovers have never heard of, Snow. The ascension of Snow, which is expected to outsell world leader Bud Light this year, is due to the growing thirst of Chinese drinkers for beer. While beer consumption is on the wane in developed markets such as the UK, the Chinese have been developing a taste for home-grown lagers & there is plenty of scope for growth in a country with more than 1.3BN inhabitants. Average beer consumption in China is about 28 litres/pp/pa & that figure is growing fast. It compares with consumption figures of almost 100 litres/pp/pa in the UK & about 70 in Japan. Last year, Bud Light sold 5.18bn/l, while Snow sold 5.12bn/l, according to industry statistics provider Plato Logic. In the first 9m of 2008, Snow has sold 5.1bn/l, according to Q3 results of its maker, CR Snow.
