Skol Beer

Origin: Brazil · Brewer: Ambev (AB InBev) · ABV 4.7%

Even though the name "Skol" comes from a Scandinavian toast - skål, meaning "cheers" - the modern Skol brand is unmistakably Brazilian. It is the country's best-selling beer, often outselling the next two big domestic labels combined, and that scale alone is enough to keep Skol firmly in the world's top ten.

From Belgium to Brazil

Skol was conceived in 1964 as an international project by brewers from the UK, Belgium, Canada and Sweden who wanted a single global pilsner brand. The original venture never caught on outside its home regions, but the Brazilian licensee made it into a runaway success. Today Skol in Brazil is brewed by Ambev, the Latin-American subsidiary of AB InBev, while Skol International is licensed to Carlsberg in a handful of other countries.

What it tastes like

The Brazilian version is a 4.7 percent ABV pale lager - light gold, intentionally clean and dry, mildly hopped, and engineered to be served extremely cold ("estupidamente gelada", in the brand's famous slogan). Skol uses barley malt and an adjunct grain (corn-based grits in most batches), giving the typical light pilsner profile that suits the Brazilian climate.

Scale of Skol in Brazil

Brazil is one of the three largest beer markets in the world, behind only China and the United States, and Skol consistently holds the largest single brand share inside that market. Annual sales in the multiple tens of millions of hectolitres put Skol comfortably inside the global top ten by volume, even though it is barely sold outside Latin America.

Famous for its can

The aluminium "Skol Lata" was a marketing landmark in Brazil; for years its sales numbers helped drive the rise of cans over returnable bottles in the country. The brand is also a long-time sponsor of carnival floats and major music festivals, and is one of the most-recognised consumer brands in all of Brazil.

Sources: Ambev investor materials; AB InBev brand information; widely reported Brazilian beer industry data.