Brits stumble over beer pronunciations at the bar

With warmer weather approaching and pub gardens filling up, many Brits are finding themselves tongue-tied when ordering a pint - especially when it comes to foreign beer names.

A TikTok video capturing drinkers at a pub in York struggling to pronounce “Asahi” has gone viral, racking up over 810,000 views. The clip, titled “POV: no one knows how to pronounce Asahi,” resonated with thousands, highlighting a common challenge when ordering at the bar.

Now, food and beverage payment experts at Dojo have shared a list of the beers most commonly mispronounced by UK customers - and how to pronounce them properly.

Top tongue-twisters

Asahi, the Japanese lager known for its crisp profile, is frequently butchered. While it should be pronounced “Ah-sah-hee,” many opt for “A-say-hi” or “Ashee.” One TikTok user joked, “If I worked at that pub, there would be no pints of Asahi pulled as I'd say we don't have that beer till it's pronounced properly.”

Other beers causing confusion include Schöfferhofer (“Sho-fuh-ho-fer”), Cruzcampo (“Krooth-cam-po”), Madre (“MAH-dray”), and Staropramen (“Stah-roh-prah-men”). Each name trips up drinkers with foreign phonetics and unexpected stresses.

Dojo also highlighted a broader list of mispronounced beers:

Dojo advises punters not to worry: “Incorrect pronunciation can be a common concern for customers when they order at the bar. Being unsure of how to pronounce a beer can feel embarrassing at the bar, however, bar staff can help customers get it right by repeating the correct pronunciation back to customers, checking that this is the beer they’re ordering, while covertly correcting.”