Sunday, October 25, 2015

The World's Best Selling Beers!


Beer is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, and the third-most popular drink overall, after water and tea. Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries.

Overall, the top ten beers make up around 23 per cent of all the beer sold in the world. There are only four beers in the top ten that aren't from Chinese or Brazilian breweries. But watery, low alcohol-content beer may be losing favour with Chinese consumers. In 2014, domestic beer production output in China fell by 1%, the first drop in ten consecutive years of growth.

Meanwhile, beer imports from Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and other markets are growing, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign  Agricultural Service.                          

Craft beer stores and bars have also been popping up around cities like Beijing and Shanghai, giving US industry observers hope that a window of opportunity, similar to one that opened for imported wine a decade ago, has opened for beer as well.

Here is the full list of the ten best-selling beers in the world, as a percentage of the global market share, and in a selection of other countries


Best Selling Beers in the World:


1/ SNOW - China - 5.4% of the global market share

Snow beer (literally Snowflake beer) is a lager beer from China. It is brewed by CR Snow, a joint venture between SABMiller and China Resources Enterprises. It is the best selling beer brand in the world, with annual sales of 61 million hectoliters, despite largely being sold only in China. When Snow was first released in 1993 it was produced by three breweries.
As of 2014, CRSB is the largest brewing company in China with over 90 breweries across the country, brewing more than 100 million hectolitres of Snow every year. SABMiller likes to brag that in 2012 it sold enough Snow beer to fill 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day for a year.


2/ TSINGTAO - China - 2.8% of the global market share

Tsingtao Brewery Co. Ltd. is China's second largest brewery. It was founded in 1903 by German settlers and now claims about 15% of domestic market share. The beer is produced in Qingdao in Shandong province. The beer market in China was very underdeveloped until into the 1980's and the brewery was forced to concentrate on overseas markets. Tsingtao Beer was introduced to the United States in 1972, and soon became the top-selling Chinese beer in the U.S. market. It has maintained this leadership within the United States ever since.
The company was privatized in the early 1990's and in 1993 merged with three other breweries in Qingdao and was finally renamed Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited. The Tsingtao brand is sold in 62 countries and regions around the world, and accounts for more than 50% of China’s beer exports.


3/ BUD LIGHT - USA - 2.5% of the global market share

Bud Light is part of the Anheuser-Busch brewing company and is the best selling beer in America. Bud Light was introduced in addition to the regular Budweiser and is a light beer. Other versions of Bud Light are Bud Light Premium, launched in 20112, which is a little sweeter and higher in alcohol, and Bud Light Lime, introduced in 2008, which is a light beer with lime and the same alcohol content as Bud Light.


4/ BUDWEISER - USA - 2.3% of the global market share

Budweiser is an American pale lager produced by Anheuser–Busch InBev.
Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, it has grown to become one of the highest selling beers in the United States, and is available in over 80 markets worldwide. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt and is produced in various breweries around the world. Budweiser is a filtered beer available in draught and packaged forms.
Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 49.2% as of 2010. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in other countries. Brands include Budweiser, Busch, Michelob, Bud Light, and Natural Light.


5/ SKOL - Brazil - 2.2% of the global market share

Skol is the most popular beer in Brazil. The name is related to the Scandinavian toast "Skål." It was originally produced by Caracu, which was bought by Brahma in 1980.
In 1999, Brahma merged with Antarctica and became AmBev, then InBev and later AB InBev. AB Inbev is the biggest beverage company in the world, larger than Coca-Cola in revenue. Skol beer became internationally recognized as a Brazilian beer, though not initially conceived in Brazil. Carlsberg holds the license to brew and market the beer worldwide, apart from in Africa and South America. In Asia, it is distributed in Malaysia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
In Africa, it is present in Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Madagascar and Rwanda.


6/ YANJING - China - 1.9% of the global market share

Beijing Yanjing Brewery is a brewing company founded in 1980 in Beijing, China.
Yanjing Beer was designated as the official beer served at state banquets in the Great Hall of the People in February 1995. The company produced 57.1 million hectoliters of beer in 2013, making it the 8th biggest brewery in the world and the 3rd biggest in China. The company produces a range of mainly pale lagers under the brand name Yanjing. Other brands include Liquan, Huiquan and Xuelu.


7/ HEINEKEN - Netherlands - 1.5% of global the market share

Heineken Lager Beer is a pale lager beer produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken International. Heineken is well known for its signature green bottle and red star. Since 1975, most Heineken brand beer has been brewed at the Heineken brewery in Zoeterwoude, Netherlands.
In 2011, 2.74 billion liters of Heineken brand beer was produced worldwide, while the total beer production of all breweries fully owned by the Heineken Group over all brands was 16.46 billion liters globally. Sold in more than 170 countries, Heineken is the world's most international premium beer. It has been incorporated with numerous beer brands from different countries all over the world including, Mexico, China, and Africa.


8/ HARBIN - China - 1.5% of the global market share

Harbin Brewery is a Chinese brewery founded in 1900 in Harbin, China. As China's fourth largest brewery and its oldest one, it has a leading position in Northeast China and owns the Hapi beer brand. Harbin has increased its annual beer production capacity to over 1 million tons and has become a giant in China's beer industry after its successful reform and listing on the Hong Kong stock market.
The brewery is owned by Anheuser–Busch InBev, which has helped to export Harbin beer to European and North American markets, but in comparison to Tsingtao Beer or Zhujiang Beer its share in these markets is minor.


9/ BRAHMA - Brazil - 1.5% of the global market share

Brahma is a Brazilian beer, originally made by the Companhia Cervejaria Brahma, which was founded in 1888. The brewery is currently the fifth largest in the world. The brands are now owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. In 1914, Brahma produced their national Malzbier. After that the company began expanding internationally. The company bought the license for distribution of the Germania brand, which later was known as Guanabara, and was one of the earliest of the Brazilian beer brands.
In 1934, Brahma introduced the new bottled draft Brahma Chopp, and it became a Brazilian bestseller. In 1989, Jorge Paulo Lemann, Carlos Alberto Sicupira and Marcel Telles bought Companhia Cervejaria Brahma for $50 million.


10/ COORS LIGHT - USA - 1.3% of the global market share

Coors Light is light beer brewed in Golden, Colorado and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The beer has a "Cold Certified" label which turns the mountains on the label from white to blue when the beer's temperature is lowered to 4 degrees Celsius.
There were a number of trends occurring in the mid-1970s. Health was one of the most discussed topics in the American population. The baby-boomer generation was reaching their drinking age, and therefore they gave the beer drinking demographic a shift. They were concerned about their health, but they also wanted to drink beer. There was a growing interest in low-calorie beverages.
In 1975, light beers made up only 1 per cent of beer consumption in the USA, and by 1994, they accounted for 35 per cent of all domestic beer sold in the USA. For this reason the industry was shaped. In 1978 Coors introduced the popular Coors Light brand, produced by the Coors Brewing Company.

In order to expand Molson Coors brand portfolio outside of its major markets (US, UK, Canada), Molson Coors established Molson Coors International in 2008. MCI operates in three primary regions; Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. Coors Light, as a signature brand of Molson Coors, was introduced in the new markets. The world's sixth-largest brewer, which also makes Molson Canadian, Carling and Blue Moon, was trying to diversify beyond its core markets.

*Source: Bloomberg
# The best selling beers in the world were calculated as a percentage of their global market share.


Best Selling Beers in a selection of other countries:

England - Carling
USA - Bud Light
Canada - Budweiser
Australia - Victoria Bitter
New Zealand - Lion Red
Italy - Birra Moretti
Belgium - Jupiler
Ireland - Guinness
Portugal - Sagres
Spain - Cruzcampo
Germany - Oettinger
France - Kronenbourg 1664
Czech Republic - Gambrinus
Poland - Tyskie
Croatia - Ožujsko
Switzerland - Feldschlösschen
Iceland - Viking
Denmark/Nepal - Tuborg
Turkey - Efes
Greece - Mythos
Russia - Baltika
Kazakhstan - Karagandinskoye
Saudi Arabia - Moussy Classic
Cambodia - Angkor
Thailand - Chang
Indonesia - Bintang
Malaysia/Singapore - Tiger
South Korea - Cass
Sri Lanka/Maldives - Lion
India - Kingfisher
Pakistan - Murree
Algeria - Tango
Tunisia - Celtia
South Africa - Carling Black Label
Nigeria/Sierra Leone - Star
Kenya - Tusker
Nambia - Windhoek Lager
Jamaica - Red Stripe
Columbia - Poker
Peru - Cristal
Barbados - Banks
Mexico - Corona
Bahamas - Kalik

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Statistically, the EA Sports best performing players in the English Premier League so far this season!


The EA SPORTS PPI (Player Performance Index) is the only official player rating index of the Barclays Premier League which measures a player's all round contribution to the success of his team using six key indices:

The intention is to remove any opinion bias and only work with proven statistical measurements which become more accurate as the season progresses.


Season 2015/16 - Last update: 12/10/15

For those of you currently playing 'Fantasy Premier League Football' you may want to take note!


Goalkeepers:

1. Petr Cech (Arsenal) 104 EA Sports PPI
2. Tim Howard (Everton) 95
3. Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester) 93
4. Joe Hart (Man City) 89
5. Jack Butland (Stoke City) 87 (right)
6. Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) 84
7. Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea) 82
8. Heurelho Gomes (Watford) 81
9. Alex McCarthy (C.Palace) 77
10. Boaz Myhill (West Brom) 76


Defenders:

1. Aleksandar Kolarov (Man City) 150
2. Eric Dier (Tottenham) 146
3. Russell Martin (Norwich) 140
4. Scott Dann (C.Palace) 136
5. Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) 132
6. Bacary Sagna (Man City) 123
7. Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham) 122
8. Ritchie de Laet (Leicester) 120
9. Aaron Cresswell (West Ham) 117 (right)
10. Ashley Williams (Swansea) 117


Midfielders:

1. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester) 222
2. Dimitri Payet (West Ham) 219
3. Juan Mata (Man Utd) 173
4. Yohan Cabaye (C.Palace) 167 (below right)
5. Ross Barkley (Everton) 164
6. Yaya Touré (Man City) 159
7. Sadio Mané (Southampton) 157
8. André Ayew (Swansea) 153
9. Fernandinho (Man City) 153
10. Mesut Özil (Arsenal) 151


Forwards:

1. Jamie Vardy (Leicester) 227
2. Romelu Lukaku (Everton) 213
3. Sergio Agüero (Man City) 202
4. Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) 201
5. Graziano Pellè (Southampton) 158
6. Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) 157
7. Bafétimbi Gomis (Swansea) 151
8. Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke City) 148
9. Odion Ighalo (Watford) 143
10. Diafra Sakho (West Ham) 137


The Six Key Indices:

1. Winning Performance

Players receive points for time on the pitch in a successful team. Players will receive more points if they play the full 90 minutes in a winning team. This index shares league points won by a team between the players according to the minutes they are on the pitch. Only time on the pitch and points scored are taken into account in this first index.

2. Player's Performance per match

Players receive points for positive influences on a winning performance (shots on target, tackles, clearances, saves etc). Players have points taken away from their score for negative actions such as shots off target and receiving yellow and/or red cards.

3. Appearances

Players receive points for minutes on the pitch. The number of points won by ALL teams in the Barclays Premier League are divided among the players according to the number of minutes they have played. This does not take into account the result of a match, it awards points purely for playing time.

4. Goals scored

Players are awarded points for scoring goals. These points are only given to the goalscorer.

5. Assists

Players are awarded points for assists. These points are only awarded to players that make the assist.
Assists are awarded to the player from the goal scoring team who makes the last touch before the goal is scored.
If after this touch, an opposing player touches the ball outside the penalty area altering the intended destination of the ball, then no assist is given, except if this intervention directly results in an own goal.
In the event of a penalty or free-kick, the player earning the penalty or free-kick gets an assist if a goal is directly scored, but not if he takes it himself, in which case no assist is given.

6. Clean sheets

Allocates points for clean sheets to the whole team. The proportionate split of the points is weighted according to the player's position. Therefore a goalkeeper will be awarded a greater proportion of the points for keeping a clean sheet than a striker. The points are also awarded proportionately to the time spent on the pitch.


N.B. The overall EA SPORTS PPI is a correlation between all of the above indices. The Index only includes actions that can be measured objectively and does not reward one action more than another (e.g. a pass by a midfielder will not gain more points than a tackle made by a defender). Subjective factors relating to individual players' skill levels or evidence of a specific flair, such as a particularly spectacular pass or goal, are not included within the index.



Wednesday, October 07, 2015

So Macho? Iran women's football team accused of fielding men!


The Iran women's national football team represents Iran in international women's football, and is controlled by the Iran Football Federation. The head of women's football at the IFF is Farideh Shojaei.

Football is highly popular among many Iranian women, despite religious rules that bar them from entering stadiums to watch matches between male teams.

In 2015 for the first time in Iranian women's football history a national team qualified for a top continental competition.

On 26th September 2015, after Iran beat Japan in the Final at the inaugural Asian Women's Futsal Championship in Malaysia, reports emerged that eight of the Iranian team were male.

A FIFA medical officer on Tuesday rejected media reports that Iran had broken rules by fielding women footballers, at the recent Asian Championship, who were actually men.

In violation of FIFA rules, the players either had yet to complete a sex change or had suffered from sexual development disorders, Britain's 'Daily Telegraph' reported, citing Iranian sources.

A report by an Iranian state television website said: "the women players had the physical strength of men and some had male inclinations."

An official for FIFA rejected the claims of rule breaking, though she indicated some players had previously suffered medical conditions that affected their appearance.

"There are no gender concerns for women's futsal and football teams," Dr Zohreh Haratian, the governing body's appointee in Iran, told Shargh daily.

"No scientific proof exists on these claims," she said, noting that all the players had been checked.

According to the rules, any players participating in overseas matches, should first go through gender verification by FIFA's medical representative, Dr Haratian explained.

"Only then the player will be permitted to play in Asian or global matches. FIFA will respond to such accusations by foreign media," she said, naming Saudi Arabia's Al-Arabia and Britain's Sky News.

The allegations are not new, said Haratian, also the Head of Iran's Football Medical Assessment and Rehabilitation Center. "In the past, a few of our female football players were accused of being bisexual," she continued, adding that "in 2010, one player suffering an inborn disease of adrenal glands, looked liked a man but was actually a woman."

"When FIFA understood that their problem was inborn, it rejected the claims and issued permits for them to play in matches."

However more recently, back in February 2014, it was reported that four players had been removed from the Iranian national team squad after failing to be determined as women. The British newspaper 'The Telegraph' reported that it was because the players "were either men who had not completed sex change operations, or were suffering from sexual development disorders"

Gender change operations are legal in Iran according to a fatwa - or religious ruling - pronounced by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, spiritual leader of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The law contrasts with the strict rules governing sexual morality under the country's Sharia legal code, which forbids homosexuality and pre-marital sex.

Sex changes are commonly carried out in phases in Iran, with the full procedure taking up to two years and including hormone therapy before the full gender transformation is completed.

In the recent week long tournament held in Nilai, Malaysia Iran defeated Hong Kong, Uzbekistan and the hosts in the group stages, before overcoming Thailand in the semi-final and Japan 1-0 in the final.

Iran's Fereshteh_Karimi (right) was awarded the title of the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP), scoring six times including the winning goal in the final.

The Iranian women's national team featured freely without the hijab up until the Iranian Revolution which began in January 1978 and ended in February 1979.
Reformed in 2005, the women's national team finished runners-up in the 2005 West Asian Football Federation Women's Championship held in Amman, Jordan.

In May 2006, the women's team hosted their first foreign visitors when a club from Berlin, Germany called BSV Al-Dersimspor played out a 2–2 draw in Ararat Stadium, Tehran.

The team were again runners-up at both the 2007 and 2011 West Asian Football Federation Women's Championship, after Iran had briefly been banned by FIFA from international competition in 2011 for wearing hijabs.



Thursday, October 01, 2015

Babe of the Month - Sexy Lexi, US Golf Hottie!


Alexis Thompson - better known as 'Lexi' is an American professional golfer, who was born on 10th February 1995 in Coral Springs, Florida.

In 2007 at the age of 12 years four months and one day, Lexi became the youngest golfer ever to qualify to play in the U.S. Women's Open. That record was surpassed in 2014 by Lucy Li.
Also in 2007, Thompson won the Aldila Junior Classic, an American Junior Golf Association tournament, becoming the second-youngest AJGA winner ever. And she won the Junior PGA Championship, becoming that event's youngest-ever winner.

In 2009, Thompson won the prestigious South Atlantic Ladies Amateur.
She finished 21st, tied for low amateur, at the LPGA major Kraft Nabisco Championship, after receiving a special invitation to play.
As a 14-year-old in 2009, she qualified for a third time for the U.S. Women's Open and made the cut for the first time, finishing tied for 34th, +11 (71-73-78-73=295)

She played on the American team in the 2010 Curtis Cup, going 4-0-1. On 16th June 16 2010 she announced she was turning pro, stating she believed her game was ready to make the jump to the LPGA Tour.
She immediately signed sponsorship deals with Cobra-PUMA Golf and with Red Bull.

Thompson finished runner-up at the 2010 Evian Masters in France, (her best finish so far as a pro) on −13 (69-72-67-67=275), one shot behind Jiyai Shin, and winning $242,711.



Lexi was a member of the US Solheim Cup team that lost to Europe in Colorado in August 2013.

When in September 2011, at the age of 16, Thompson won the the Navistar LPGA Classic by five strokes, she became the youngest-ever winner on the LPGA Tour. (That record was broken a year later by Lydia Ko).

Three months later in December 2011, she became the second youngest winner of a Ladies European Tour (LET) event at 16 years, 10 months and 7 days, capturing the Dubai Ladies Masters by four strokes.


Thompson earned her second and third career LPGA Tour wins with the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia in October 2013 and the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico in November 2013.

She won her first major championship at the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship held in California with a score of -14, three strokes ahead of runner-up Michelle Wie and a winner's cheque for $300,000.

Last month Lexi helped the USA defeat Europe at the Solheim Cup held at St Leon-Rot in Germany, as her Country won 14½ to 13½ thanks in part to a stunning American comeback. Going into the singles matches on the final day, the United States trailed 10–6 and needed 8½ more points to win back the Cup. The Americans did just that, to give them a one-point victory. It was both the greatest comeback in the history of the Solheim Cup, and the closest finish in the history of the Cup.

Lexi's sponsors include: Rolex, EA Sports, Red Bull, Cobra Puma Golf and Zurich International Bank.



You can follow Lexi on Twitter, on Facebook and Instagram