Which countries drink the most beer? Our list may surprise you!

Who still drinks beer?  Beer is one of the most widely consumed beverages, behind water and tea.  Beer is also a Catholic tradition, alongside wine-making, and has been widely practiced in monasteries, especially in Europe. Now, a list has emerged detailing that Europeans are still the world's most prodigious consumers of this popular beverage.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Although many Americans eschew the consumption of alcoholic beverages, alcohol production has been a Catholic tradition throughout the centuries. Preserved and refined from ancient times, monks spread the brewing tradition across Europe. Today, most breweries are large-scale affairs, far-removed from Catholic tradition. Only a few monasteries preserve their brewing traditions on a small scale.

Still, the lingering effects of the spread of this beverage remain. During the medieval period, beer was consumed at nearly every meal. It wasn't as strong, nor was it consumed in great volumes or for the purpose of intoxication. Instead, beer, until recently, was simply consumed as one might down an energy or sports drink. It was used to help nourish and fortify a person before embarking on a day's work, which usually involved long hours of manual labor.

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Today, beer is more of a recreational beverage, consumed for its intoxicating effects. This has stigmatized it to some degree, but in parts of Europe it is still part of the daily culture.

Euromonitor International has captured a decline in the consumption of the beverage overall among Europeans, which should be expected as more people enjoy more choices in what to drink. Still, Europeans are by far the world's largest consumers of this beverage, drinking even more than their American counterparts.

The top 10 list of beer consumers remains dominated entirely by European countries.

Here is the list, by person, measured in litres per person.

1. Czech Republic: 143 litres (1.5bn litres)
2. Germany: 110 litres (8.9bn litres)
3. Austria: 108 litres (920m litres)
4. Estonia: 104 litres (135m litres)
5. Poland: 100 litres (3.8bn litres)
6. Ireland: 93 litres (430m litres)
7. Romania: 90 litres (1.8bn litres)
8. Lithuania: 89 litres (260m litres)
9. Croatia: 82 litres (346 litres)
10. Belgium: 81 litres (900m litres)

By comparison, Americans consume 73 litres per person per year. By any measure, that's still quite a lot of beer! But remember your Catholic instruction - moderation is key!

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