Some countries seem to have a monolithic preference for lagers, such as Mexico and Japan. This makes sense when you consider that the techniques were brought over by brewers from places such as Germany, which have a long established tradition for lagers.
India however was colonized by the British, and the UK is a strong ale country, yet most modern Indian beers are lagers. The India Pale Ale was created by the British over there, yet its production is now mostly out of India.
Why did they largely switch to lager? Is it something to do with weather, taste preferences?
Perhaps, but this wouldn’t explain Canada though. Settled mainly by the British, but a in cold climate, and where lagers were (and still are) popular. Even the ales that were brewed looked and tasted pretty much like lagers (Molson Ex, Labatt 50, Alexander Keith’s, etc.).
Isn’t Canada similar to the US: pale lager macrobrews are of course the most popular (if the Internet is to be believed, the top 10 US brands are lagers), but ales are more popular at a micro level.
Australia I’m surprised about. I assumed it was a similar situation for cheap beers as the US, but really the name Victoria Bitter just screams ale to me, and it is not.
Watching this thread with interest, as I have wondered the same thing about Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, China, and Korea as well. Living in Japan I noticed that the domestic beer market seemed to be basically a lager oligopoly of Kirin, Asahi, and Sapporo (Sapporo being produced in an achingly cold part of Japan, just to offset the idea about lagers and hot weather). God help you if you want any real beer in Japan.
When pale malts were introduced in the early 1800s, the pilsner style lager was introduced. For whatever reason that style spread like wildfire, becoming dominant in the Bohemia region and displacing a lot of traditional German styles. It was also the style that caught on in Asia too, though I don’t know why either.
It seems to me that lagers and pilasters are the preferred beers everywhere. They’re easy to make, easy to drink and don’t have as much of an acquired taste as some of the heavy beers. They go well with most cuisine too.