Anheuser-Busch (it’s so hard for me not to say “St. Louis, Missouri” after this) plans on doubling the number of Chinese cities in which Budweiser beer is sold over the next five years. Currently, Budweiser only makes up two percent of the Chinese beer market, however Anheuser-Busch controls about 40% of the premium market and controls 27% of Tsingtao, the national beer of China and owns both the Wuhan and Harbin brewing companies. A Reuters article Friday explains how China, the largest beer market in the world by volume, will be a battleground for foreign beer manufacturers in the coming years. For one, Chinese dudes like to get twisted. And two, the Chinese consumer has a bit more money in his pocket these days for some higher quality suds. While Carlsberg sits atop the foreign beer market in China, Anheuser-Busch plans to bump distribution of Corona, of which Anheuser-Busch owns half. While the China beer market is the hottest in the world right now, Americans still own the per capita beer-drinking game. According to Reuters, the average Chinese consumes 24 liters of beerannually while the average American downs 80. And I think I know why. The Chinese women bring down the average. Traditionally, Chinese women do not drink and in fact, a Chinese man once told me that if a Chinese woman drinks, she’s “not a good woman.” Typically, Chinese women drink orange juice or something while they leave the boozing and smoking to the men. I’m sure this brings down the average a great deal. American women on the other hand, they love their beer. Especially the aforementioned Mexican brand with the cute little lime and the whole thumb-in-the-bottle routine. This always seemed kind of gross to me. Currently, Budweiser can be found in 100 Chinese cities and is the signature brand of Anheuser-Busch. St. Louis, Missouri.

•Washington Post: Anheuser-Busch to Expand Budweiser Sales in China

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