Editing Beer (section)

=== Industry ===

[[File:Dreher Sörgyárak Zrt. (11).jpg|thumb|left|Industrial brewing]]

In the 21st century, larger breweries have repeatedly absorbed smaller breweries. In 2002, [[South African Breweries]] bought the North American [[Miller Brewing Company]] to found [[SABMiller]], becoming the second-largest brewery after North American [[Anheuser-Busch]]. In 2004, the Belgian [[Interbrew]] was the third-largest brewery by volume, and the Brazilian [[AmBev]] was the fifth-largest. They merged into [[InBev]], becoming the largest brewery. In 2007, SABMiller surpassed InBev and Anheuser-Busch when it acquired [[Royal Grolsch]], the brewer of Dutch brand Grolsch.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/BUSINESS/05/30/sab.miller/ |title=Brewer to snap up Miller for $5.6B |work=CNN |date=30 May 2002 |access-date=4 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207043821/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/BUSINESS/05/30/sab.miller/ |archive-date=7 December 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2008, when InBev (the second-largest) bought Anheuser-Busch (the third-largest), the new Anheuser-Busch InBev company became again the largest brewer in the world.<ref>{{cite press release |title=InBev Completes Acquisition of Anheuser-Busch |url=http://www.ab-inbev.com/documents/press_release.pdf |publisher=AB-InBev |date=18 November 2008 |access-date=21 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325102821/http://www.ab-inbev.com/documents/press_release.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2012}}</ref>
{{As of|2020}}, according to the market research firm Technavio, AB InBev was the largest brewing company in the world, with [[Heineken N.V.|Heineken]] second, [[CR Snow]] third, [[Carlsberg Group|Carlsberg]] fourth, and [[Molson Coors]] fifth.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 May 2020 |title=Top 10 Largest Beer Companies and Their Beer Brands in the Global Beer Market 2020 |url=https://blog.technavio.com/blog/top-companies-global-beer-market |access-date=25 October 2020 |website=Technavio}}</ref>

[[File:Beer Consumption by Country (with legend).svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Annual beer consumption per capita by country]]

A ''[[microbrewery]]'', or ''craft brewery'', produces a limited amount of beer. The maximum amount of beer a brewery can produce and still be classed as a 'microbrewery' varies by region and by authority; in the US, it is {{convert|15000|USbeerbbl|Ml e3impgal e3gal|abbr=off}} a year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Microbrewery |department=Market segments |year=2012 |publisher=Brewers Association |url=http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/market-segments |access-date=21 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530044704/http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/market-segments |archive-date=30 May 2012}}</ref> A ''brewpub'' is a type of microbrewery that incorporates a [[pub]] or other [[bar (establishment)|drinking establishment]]. The highest density of breweries in the world, most of them microbreweries, exists in [[Franconia]], Germany, especially in the district of [[Upper Franconia]], which has about 200&nbsp;breweries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bier und Franken |language=de |trans-title=Beer and Franconians |website=Bierfranken.de |type=main |url=http://www.bierfranken.eu/bierfranken.php }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bierland-Oberfranken |language=de |trans-title=Beer country – upper Franconia |type=main |url=http://www.bierland-oberfranken.de/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101033220/https://www.bierland-franken.de/ |archive-date=1 November 2022 }}</ref> The [[Benedictine]] [[Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan|Weihenstephan]] brewery in [[Bavaria]], Germany, can trace its roots to the year 768, as a document from that year refers to a hop garden in the area paying a tithe to the monastery. It claims to be the oldest working brewery in the world.<ref name="Zeit">{{cite news |url=http://www.zeit.de/2012/23/Bier-Flaschenkunde/komplettansicht |title=Flaschenkunde |author1=Christof Siemes |author2=Georg Etscheit |author3=Claas Tatje |author4=Karin Ceballos Betancur |author5=Gunhild Lütge |date=2012-05-31 |newspaper=[[Die Zeit]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711213403/http://www.zeit.de/2012/23/Bier-Flaschenkunde/komplettansicht |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-date=11 July 2012 }}</ref>