Heineken is easily one of the most iconic beer brands in the world – but how much do you know about the beer and the company that brews the stuff?
The Dutch lager with the lone red star on a green bottle can be something of an enigma. Thankfully, we’ve researched these 10 facts about Heineken that you can rattle off to your mates next time you enjoy a bottle or glass of the world-famous beer.
1. Heineken is available in more than 70 countries
Of course, it should surprise no-one that Heineken is a huge multinational beer brand, considering its beer is almost as omnipresent as Coca-Cola. However, it’s only when you actual travel to some of the world’s most remote corners that it really dawns on you just how popular this beer is.
2. It hails from Amsterdam, but the Heineken you’re drinking probably doesn’t
It started in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, but these days Heineken is brewed by more than 140 different breweries around the world. Chances are you’re not reading this article in Amsterdam, so the last Heineken you probably had was brewed domestically.
3. Heineken International owns more than 250 brands
These brands include Amstel, Desperados, Sol, Strongbow cider, Dos Equis, Tiger, and Bintang. You’ll notice that many of the Heineken International beer brands are relatively dull-but-highly-marketable light lagers.
4. Heineken is more than 150 years old
Heineken was founded in 1864 by one Gerard Adriaan Heineken. We’ll guess that even he couldn’t predict how successful his beer would turn out to be just 150 years later.
5. It makes HEAPS of money
Heineken’s revenue in 2013 was €19.2bn ($21.8bn USD). That’s a lot of beer. To put it in perspective, that figure is higher than the GDP of many of the world’s smaller countries – including Jamaica, Cambodia, and Albania.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Source: Heineken Facts
Every beer producer always wants its brands to stay on top in the market by all means. Some of the brewers spend millions on slick advertising while others are forced to pay a king’s ransom just to pimp the name of their beer. However, it is not always easy for smaller breweries in the market. They might produce great beer but it is rare for anyone of them to get the desired reception in the crowded beer market. So what these small breweries decided to do is come up with ingenious methods that will help them stand out from the rest. To ensure that, most of the microbreweries have developed funny, bizarre and sometimes offensive as well as attention-grabbing brand names. From Santa’s butt, Old speckled hen all through to Bishop’s finger, there is an endless list of weird beer names that you can expect.
Here are some of the top five beers with weird names in the market today:
- Arrogant Bastard Ale
From Stone Brewing Company, a brewery based in California, comes the Arrogant Bastard Ale. The beer is so good that the brewers basically decided to mock anyone that is daring enough to try it. The use of the devil on the beer’s bottle perfectly matches its name and the ‘You’re not worthy’ phrase endorses the brand name as well.
- Bishop’s Finger
With an ABV of 5.4 percent, Bishop’s Finger features as one of the strongest premium bottled ales in Britain. Shepherd Neame did a great job in producing BF, which is essentially made with desired levels of water, barley and hops, making it one of the finest and most enjoyable beers for any customer.
- Panty Peeler
Panty peeler is one of the Belgian Tripel’s finest beers that is brewed with American boldness. The beer was initially called Extreme Polar White Bier but it underwent a change of name to Panty Peeler, and it now contains more orange peel and coriander than before.
- Buttface Amber
Buttface is one of Big Horn’s most complex beers with a total combination of five different malts and 4 hop varieties. The beer is easy to drink and that is as a result of its high malt character as well as lack of evident hops.
- Santa’s Butt
Brewers always strive to come up with rich, hearty blends, all meant to satisfy finicky beer drinkers especially during winter. Santa’s butt-brewed by Ridgeway Brewing- is one of such beers. The ‘Butt’ is a play in words in that it is used to refer to a 108 imperial gallons barrel. The beer is popular in the North Pole and it is apparently meant to be drunk in winter.
Visit the Edomonton International Beer Festival and look for these beers with weird names.
Thirsty? Nothing like an ice cold Leinenkugel or a Goose Island. Infinitely better than that watered-down Natty Light or, worse, Keystone…. right? You might cherish your small-batch brewery buzz, but the truth of the matter is that you probably have no idea just how big the people backing your beer actually are. Here’s a breakdown of some of the biggest brews actual origins.
It’s not all cut and dry though. You’ll notice that AB InBev owns a startling majority of some of the market’s most popular brands. Molson Coors and SAB Miller, the second and third runners up, would never be able to keep up on their own, so they joined together in one hoppy, unholy union to create Miller-Coors. And so on.
You’ll probably be surprised—perhaps even dismayed—by what you see. But hopefully, that will just make those actual local brewery beers all the more special.
Source: Gizmodo
Canadians spend billions of dollars on beer every year. This is not surprising, considering that Canadian beet is considered to be made better, better tasting, and delivers a greater kick compared to other American beers. In addition, it stays cold longer, given the northern weather.
Every Canadian province and territory has its own beer that the locals love to call their own. Be it a small-batch brew or craft beer, the following is a list of top Canadian beer brands that are considered favourites by both beer lovers and the North American Brewers Awards.
- Labatt
Labatt’s Blue Pilsner has been a Canadian favourite since it was created in 1951. On top of that, it is the best-selling Canadian lager in the world. Besides the popular Blue, Labatt brews other labels, like the Labatt 50 ale that was introduced in 1950.
It is important to note that Labatt is no longer a pure Canadian brand. In 1995, it was acquired by Belgian-based Interbrew, which then combined with Brazil’s AmBev in 2004, before merging with Anheuser Busch in 2008 to create the largest brewing entity in the world.
- Moosehead
This is Canada’s oldest independent brewery that was started in 1867 by Susannah Oland in Nova Scotia. The brewery went through a series of fires, deaths, and name changes, eventually becoming Moosehead Breweries Ltd in 1947. Some people consider Moosehead the true Canadian beer, and have even made it the Canadian National Basketball Association’s official beer. The brewery produces ales and lagers.
- Whistler
Anyone who enjoys craft beers has definitely sampled some of the Whistler Brewing Company beers. The brewery was established in Whistler, British Columbia in 1989, and organises tours for fans looking to witness the brewing process and taste the magnificent craft brews at their source.
- Sleeman Unibroue
This is one Canadian brand that consistently wins with its La Fin du Monde on the beer Advocate website. The brewery has won numerous awards in North America, including 183 international awards for its brews, with La Fin du Monde – a Golden Ale – earning the bulk of those awards. The brewery also has a bunch of other beers.
So, while some people may be opting for imported beers from Mexico and the US, there is still plenty of local beer brands to try out.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The trend for home breweries and craft beers has led to an explosion of inventive and original beer label designs. Here are some of the best.
Wine bottles may get a lot more of the spotlight when it comes to label design, but a recent trend to home breweries and the growing popularity of small run craft beers is opening up a whole new world in beverage label design.
While companies such as InBev may have the market cornered in terms of big name beers like Budweiser, Beck’s, or Stella Artois, it’s the smaller brew houses – which you may never of heard of until now – that are getting really creative with their label designs. So here we’ve gathered together 05 of the most creative examples of beer bottle label designs to inspire you.
5. Half Acre
Half Acre describes its beer as “a reflection of those that keep it alive, the people that hoist the beer and the places where it’s found” – and that ethos is also reflected within the labels. After each beer is lovingly crafted, the label is designed to reflect the inspiration behind the brew. Ranging from cats and robots to donkeys and daisies, the label designs are just as delicious as you’d expect the beer to be.
4. Russell Brew Co. Angry Scotch Ale
Why wrap your beer bottle with a label that can peel off when you can print it right on the bottle? Russell Brewing Co.’s Angry Scotch Ale, brought to you by the people at Atmosphere Design, features ink right on the bottle. It’s a good way to save on paper and glue while also creating a striking design.
3. St. Stefanus
When you look at the label created by Brandhouse for St. Stefanus, you are seeing history. In fact you are seeing almost 700 years of beer brewing tradition, dating back to the Augustijn monks who originated the recipe. Some elements of the font used on the bottle and label even come from songbooks found in the Augustijn’s monastery library.
2. Innis & Gunn
If you haven’t heard of the creative team at Stranger & Stranger then their design for the Innis & Gunn label is great introduction. They do some of the best package design work in the industry, which is easily reflected in the amount of detail you see in this Innis & Gunn label. They manage to invoke both a classic and modern aesthetic with the use of red and gold and classic illustration elements.
1. Hilliard’s Brewery
We can’t discuss beer labels without throwing in at least one beercan design. Seattle’s latest craft beers from Hilliard’s Brewery are a testament to classic Americana. The can design from Mint explores a feeling of nostalgia for the ’70s with its use of font, dominant blue and white colour, and earth tone plaid patterns.
Source: Brilliant Beer Designs
So you let yourself down! That’s OK, it happens to everyone, though probably not to the same degree or with the same consistency as it happens to you. Your compromises are many, your inadequacies abundant. The good news is that failure no longer stings as badly as it once did. For instance, it probably doesn’t even bother you to know that your desensitization to failure is, in itself, a new kind of failure to throw on the pile. Yes, things are looking up already.
When faced with your own bad decisions and shortcomings, sometimes you need a drink, and while most wines, beers and spirits are created with celebration in mind, the 99 Cent Store carries an array of alcoholic beverages for the opposite of that. You won’t find them in the refrigerated racks with the sodas because these drinks aren’t meant to be enjoyed, they are meant to be consumed, and lukewarm. They are sold individually or by the pallet from a conspicuous pile in the dankest corner of the store, and most of the cans or bottles are significantly cheaper than a dollar, which means that just by recycling them when you’re done, you can still break even. That’s because the 99 Cent Store knows that right about now, you could use a win.
Now, the beer selection is as diverse as your own personal failures, which is why I bought every beer I could find and created this guide to help you pair each mistake with the best draft. This should also save you the humiliation of asking one of the clerks at 10 a.m. on a weekday. So join me as we uncover how each beer complements your unique brands of misery, or you can just skim this list if you have something more pressing you need to do. No, I’m kidding, let’s get started.
3. Seven Kings Lager Beer
Actual Tagline:
Fit for a king with its premium brew and regal character, Seven Kings Lager is a beer of victory and intrigue.
Upon opening this beer, I was immediately impressed with how much regal character I got for only 59 cents. It has a golden, clear color, and it wears its frothy head like a crown for upwards of three seconds before turning into fizzy apple juice. Given the name, I’m frankly a little surprised that HBO hasn’t tried some kind of Seven Kingdoms tie-in. The beer even smells almost exactly how I would expect every person from the Middle Ages to smell.
The flavor is also bold; I don’t brew beer, but I imagine it takes a lot of courage to make one that tastes like nothing but corn and metal. Fortunately, that’s exactly what you want from a beer designed as punishment. If you choose to drink it with dinner, I think you’ll find that Seven Kings is completely competent at washing down a hamburger bun dipped in ketchup.
Pairing Advice:
I recommend pairing Seven Kings with the personal disappointment you feel after bailing on a charity cancer bike ride you promised you’d attend and instead spending the weekend watching your BitTorrent version of Game of Thrones for the third time. I refuse to believe this beer wasn’t brewed specifically to complement regret. Even the Seven Kings website is depressing. It’s a single, sparse page that tells me I can buy their beer at Big Lots. It also maintains a section for all their awards and accolades, which, if I counted correctly, is zero. I’m honestly baffled why they included this on their website; it’s the equivalent of someone tattooing their unaccomplished dreams and ambitions on their chest. Seven Kings is a reminder that no one will ever consider you the king of anything, except maybe unreliability.
2. Goldmine Lager
Actual Tagline:
Strike gold in just one sip with the delicious taste of Goldmine Premium Lager Beer.
If this is what it feels like to strike gold, then California had no business becoming a state. In general, I distrust any canned good with an adjective like “premium” on the label, but in the spirit of self-flagellation with which everyone else must be consuming this beer, I made an exception. Just for context, I’ve also seen Goldmine Lager at Whole Foods before, but never as cheap as 59 cents a can, which makes me wonder how it fell so low. Maybe the upper crust has run out of reasons to punish itself.
The beer is thin, light yellow and watery. It tastes a lot like if Coors Light tried to remind you with every sip that it spent the last six months in an aluminum can. While there isn’t an immediate aftertaste, there’s a lingering flavor of salty metal, like your mouth just lost a tooth, or like you just discovered a vein of ore in the creases of your tongue.
Pairing Advice:
This beer goes best with an ended relationship that could have easily been saved if you were just willing to put in the proper effort. Like an excitable prospector setting out West to strike it rich, you were ill-prepared for the real work necessary for a relationship, and once winter came, you killed and consumed the energy of your significant other, metaphorically. Goldmine Lager pairs well with the regrets of love and it will distract you from the thoughts of what your ex is up to now, which is undoubtedly something more constructive than drinking beer from the 99 Cent Store.
1. Beer 30 Light
Actual Tagline:
None. There isn’t even a product description from the brewer anywhere online.
Judging by the color, smell and taste, I’m pretty confident I could pass a urine test with a cup of this beer. Everything about it, from the can to the contents, feels like a prank designed to make me drink pee. The beer is watery even for light beer but makes up for blandness with the brutal and unmistakable taste of iron.
Individual beers were 59 cents at the store, but there was a spectacular deal where I could buy a 12-pack for three dollars. The logo features a clock where all the numbers are replaced with “Beer 30,” suggesting that you have to get up pretty early in the morning to fit in all the mistakes you’re going to make in a day. This beer also, perhaps wisely, steers away from the “Drink Responsibly” campaign. Beer 30 knows that responsibility has no authority over the kind of people who would buy a pallet of off-brand beer from the 99 Cent Store.
Pairing Advice:
This beer really complements the sense of failure that comes from the sudden awareness that you’ve established artificial hurdles in your life for fear of ever being truly successful. Without your sense of dissatisfaction with the world, you wouldn’t recognize yourself, and the barriers you’ve created give you reason to consistently fail without it ever being entirely your fault. In that tradition, now you can build much more tangible obstacles out of Beer 30 cans, preferably the night before you have a job interview or a meeting that could help define the rest of your life. Beer 30 isn’t just an arbitrary time on a clock; it’s marking the middle point in your life, reminding you how many times you’ve abandoned the hard work necessary to achieve your dreams, and instead opted for the immediate gratification of a beer. It also goes really nicely with a Bratwurst!
Source: 5 Pairing Cheap Beers
