# Are imported beers really made exclusively in the countries they claim? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977 "2005-03-11T04:45:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/21 "2005-03-11T13:06:51Z")
This phenomen of making “foreign” beers in another country has been going on for some time. Beer (and glass bottles) are very heavy…and it makes no sense to ship this stuff around the world. Also, most breweries are multinational, so it makes sense for Guiness to brew Heineken in Ireland, rather than ship it in from Holland. In the US, the following “imported” beers are brewed in Canada: -TUBORG (Denmark) Carlsburg (Denmark) -Fosters (Australia) -Asahi (Japan) -Sapporo (Japan) Oddly enough, you can buy imported beers from some pretty far-off places…like Tusker (Kenya) and South Pacific (New Guinea). As far as the contract brewed stuff vs the “real” stuff, it is pretty hard to tell them apart. And contract brewers are every bit as good as the original brewers. The fact is, as mass-market beer like Budweiser is made to very exacting specifications…they could brew a very good copy of a Czech “Budvar” if they wanted to. The fact is, mass market beers like Bud sell because people LIKE the way they taste…ofcourse, the American public likes beer to be cold, so there isn’t much point in making a very complex brew (you can’t taste any difference when you drink it at temperatures around freezing). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/22 "2005-03-11T13:10:25Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > The fact is, mass market beers like Bud sell because people LIKE the way they taste And marketing and brand-image has nothing to do with it? (Remember, New Coke outstripped all competition in blind tastings, and I’d be confident that Budweiser could be humiliated in such tests.) ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/23 "2005-03-11T13:10:48Z")
Bottle of Chimay in the fridge: “Brewed at Scourmont Abby and Bottled by S.A Bieres De Chimay Belgium” However, it is imported by a company in texas…I bet they put the lables on it with the American warnings. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/24 "2005-03-11T13:22:29Z")
> [@Squee](#): > > In this case, do imported beers make different shipments for US consumption? By different, I mean is it the same recipie as the folks back home get? Or is it the same brew, just country specific labels? Yes, a label switchout is pretty easy for most production lines, in fact with a little planning the labeling systems could be loaded with several different styles/languages of labels and set to hit the first 10,000 bottles with the US label, the next 5,000 with a french label, the next 10,000 with a chinese label, etc, etc. Without even a momentary hitch in the flow of the bottling line. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/25 "2005-03-11T13:56:44Z")
…but I’ve never really accepted the idea that advertising turns people into mindless zombies, eager to purchase whatever crap is being hawked on TV. If that were true, manufacturers would have no trouble unloading all kinds of low quality goods. I will admit that mass market beers do a lot of advertising, and younger drinkers are more prone to fall for advertising blandishments. What i am saying is: mass market beers do sell, in large part because they deliver what the consumer wants. I myself prefer the more flavoful english-style bitter over light lagers, but who am I to push my preferences upons someone else. The fact is, you have a wide choice of styles of beer…and that is a good thing, not a bad thing. Non-traditional, small-volume craft beers have a small but very viable market base in the USA, so you don’t have to drink the swill churn edout by Budweiser , Coors, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/26 "2005-03-11T14:35:44Z")
If you look closely at a Heineken label in the US, you’ll find that it’s also brewed in Canada. Still “imported,” but not what you expect. > [@](#): > > It’s not just beers - Vladivar Vodka, claims to be Russian, distilled in Warrington. Many of the cheaper vodkas sold in the US have “Russian” names and graphics, but a close inspection of the labels shows they were distilled in the US > [@](#): > > Budweiser – pretends to be American How about “Budweiser – pretends to be beer”…? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/27 "2005-03-11T14:41:33Z")
I believe that most Guinness (and Harp, for that matter) sold in the United States is actually brewed in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/28 "2005-03-11T21:26:43Z")
Budweiser is brewed all over the world. It has 5 breweries in the US. As **GorillaMan** said, there’s one in London. There’s one in Tokyo, too. I don’t have a Bud label handy, but I think they’re listed on the can. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/29 "2005-03-11T22:44:10Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > You seem to be confusing “claim” with the original country of origin. Yes, if a beer explicitly claims to be made exclusively in a particular country then it is. But Heineken, for instance, make no such claim AFAIK. If your friend thought he heard that in Holland then he’s mistaken, as they openly brew in many countries. Same for Guinness and virtually all other world brands. Does anyone know if heineken is brewed anywhere in North America? I would also like to thank everyone for their informative responses. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/30 "2005-03-11T23:08:07Z")
Heineken is brewed on the Dutch island of Curacao (Carribean Island). The brewery is unique, because it uses desalinated seawater. The output of this brewery is sold n the Carribean and in S. America; to my knowledge, none of it s sold in the USA. People say that this Heineken is better than the beer brewed in Amsterdam, because the source water is free of all contaminants. ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/31 "2005-03-11T23:42:55Z")
From the Heineken website: “Heineken beer is available in more than 170 countries. With more than 115 breweries in over 65 countries and export activities all over the world, Heineken is the most international brewery group in the world.” [http://www.heinekeninternational.com/faqs/about/index.jsp](http://www.heinekeninternational.com/faqs/about/index.jsp) ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977/32 "2005-03-12T13:42:45Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > This phenomen of making “foreign” beers in another country has been going on for some time. Beer (and glass bottles) are very heavy…and it makes no sense to ship this stuff around the world. Also, most breweries are multinational, so it makes sense for Guiness to brew Heineken in Ireland, rather than ship it in from Holland. > In the US, the following “imported” beers are brewed in Canada: > -TUBORG (Denmark) > Carlsburg (Denmark) > -Fosters (Australia) > -Asahi (Japan) > -Sapporo (Japan) Heh I remember just last weekend I was at some sushi place. I ordered an Asahi (large bottle, of course) and was surprised to find that it was made by Molson! It tasted fine to me, but I don’t know how “real” Asahi is supposed to taste. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-imported-beers-really-made-exclusively-in-the-countries-they-claim/293977.md?page=1)