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Czech beer drinkers shrug off crisis to stay top of world
PRAGUE — Czechs have held on to their position as the world’s keenest beer guzzlers, largely shrugging off the global downturn that has nonetheless changed their drinking patterns.
The economic crisis reduced the number of tourists coming especially to Prague in search of beer and made Czechs switch from draught to cheaper bottled beer. But local drinkers remained faithful to their iconic national tipple.
The final Czech consumption data for 2009 will be available at the end of February at the earliest, but it is already clear that local drinkers stayed at the top, said Czech Beer and Malt Association head Jan Vesely.
“We are certainly the world leaders in consumption per capita. This is impossible to change” despite an estimated seven-percent drop in consumption between 2008 and 2009, Vesely told AFP.
In 2008, Czechs drank 155 litres of beer per head.
“So even if we fell to 150 litres, we are still far ahead of Ireland, which was second at 133 litres in 2008 and must have posted a drop too,” said Vesely, whose association comprises producers in the beer and malt sectors.
