Snow Beer, brewed by China Resources Snow Breweries (a joint venture between China Resources Enterprise and, previously, SABMiller), has been the world’s best-selling beer brand by volume for nearly two decades running, a fact that surprises most drinkers outside China since almost all of that volume is consumed domestically. It was first brewed in 1957 in Shenyang and has grown through an aggressive regional expansion strategy rather than international export, making it a genuine curiosity for anyone outside China to actually find and try.
Snow Beer Review at a Glance
| Style | Pale lager |
| ABV | 5.0% |
| Brewery | China Resources Snow Breweries |
| Country | China |
| Serving temp | 3 to 5 C (37 to 41 F) |
| US availability | Select specialty retailers |
How It Tastes
Snow Beer pours a pale straw gold with a light, quickly fading head. The aroma is subtle, mostly clean grain with almost no hop presence. On the palate it is light-bodied and mildly sweet, with very little bitterness and a short, clean finish. It reads as an inoffensive, session-friendly lager built for volume drinking rather than flavor exploration, closer to a standard American adjunct lager than to a European pilsner. There is nothing wrong with it, but there is also very little to remember about it once the glass is empty.
Its real achievement is scale, not flavor: hundreds of millions of people drink it, but almost none of them outside China.
- The world’s best-selling beer brand by volume, a genuine curiosity
- Light, easy-drinking, session-friendly
- Available at a small number of US specialty retailers
- Consistent, mild flavor profile
- Not stocked on Saucey
- Very limited US availability outside specialty importers
- Flavor is unremarkable compared to more characterful lagers
Snow Beer is the world’s best-selling beer by volume but is not sold through US delivery apps. Tsingtao is a comparable US-available Chinese lager.
FAQs
Is Snow Beer really the world’s best-selling beer?
Yes, by volume. Snow Beer has topped global beer sales volume rankings for years, though nearly all of that volume is sold within China.
How strong is Snow Beer?
Snow Beer is approximately 5.0% ABV.
Who brews Snow Beer?
Snow Beer is brewed by China Resources Snow Breweries, based in China.
Can you buy Snow Beer in the US?
It is available through a small number of specialty importers and retailers such as Allendale Wine Shoppe, though it is not stocked on Saucey and is not widely distributed.
