Heineken vs Steinlager:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Steinlager had more branded searches than Heineken among beer brands in New Zealand. Steinlager had about 7,050 branded searches, while Heineken had 6,360. Steinlager made up 14.9% of all beer brand searches we track, and Heineken accounted for 13.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about beer brands, Steinlager appeared in all five answers and Heineken in none.
Who do people search for more?
Steinlager, about 11% more searches than Heineken
Who does AI mention more?
Steinlager, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Steinlager, the only one of the two named
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Top beer brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Steinlager appeared in all five answers. Heineken did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Steinlager1st
Speight's2nd
Garage Project3rd
Panhead4th
Tui5th- Monteith's6th
Parrotdog7th
Lion Red8th- Export Gold9th
Heineken–- +3 more
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Steinlager5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Speight's4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Garage Project4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Panhead4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Tui4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Parrotdog3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Monteith's2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Export Gold1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Lion Red1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Heineken0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about beer brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which beer brand should I buy in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best beer brands in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best beer brand in New Zealand for everyday drinking?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“beer brands nz”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best beer nz”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 20, 2026.
Is Heineken or Steinlager more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Heineken and Steinlager by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 13 beer brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for Steinlager, Heineken. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Speight's | Steinlager | Heineken | Garage Project | Corona | Panhead | Parrotdog | Tui | Export Gold | Monteith's | Lion Red | DB Export | Mac's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 20.3% | 12.5% | 11.7% | 11.6% | 7% | 6.5% | 11.1% | 6.4% | 4% | 3.5% | 2.8% | 1.4% | 1.5% |
| Nov 2025 | 20.8% | 13.8% | 11.1% | 10.9% | 6.4% | 6% | 12.6% | 5.4% | 3.7% | 3.3% | 3.4% | 1.2% | 1.3% |
| Dec 2025 | 23.3% | 13.4% | 10.6% | 10.3% | 7.4% | 6.3% | 9.9% | 5% | 4.3% | 3.7% | 3.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% |
| Jan 2026 | 24% | 13.4% | 10.4% | 9.7% | 5.8% | 6.9% | 9.4% | 5.9% | 4.1% | 5.2% | 2.9% | 1.1% | 1.3% |
| Feb 2026 | 26.9% | 13.3% | 11.3% | 10.3% | 6.2% | 6.8% | 6.6% | 5.6% | 3.6% | 4.3% | 3% | 0.85% | 1.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 24.5% | 15.6% | 11.3% | 10.1% | 5.9% | 6.5% | 6.6% | 6.1% | 4.2% | 4.3% | 3.1% | 0.91% | 0.97% |
| Apr 2026 | 23.7% | 13% | 12.3% | 9.9% | 6.8% | 6.2% | 7.7% | 6.4% | 4.2% | 4.3% | 3.4% | 0.97% | 1.1% |
| May 2026 | 22% | 12.7% | 12.6% | 9.7% | 6.7% | 6.1% | 9.3% | 6.5% | 4.1% | 5% | 3.2% | 0.9% | 0.93% |
| Jun 2026 | 21.7% | 13.8% | 13.9% | 10.9% | 6.2% | 6.1% | 8.3% | 5.5% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 3.4% | 0.83% | 1.2% |
| Jul 2026 | 22% | 14.3% | 12.5% | 9.5% | 7.6% | 6.1% | 7.7% | 7% | 4.8% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 0.79% | 1.4% |
| Aug 2026 | 20.3% | 15.2% | 12% | 10.7% | 7.5% | 7.2% | 8.6% | 5.8% | 4.4% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 0.92% | 1.1% |
| Sep 2026 | 21.7% | 14.9% | 13.4% | 10.5% | 7.4% | 6.9% | 6.8% | 5.6% | 4.2% | 3.1% | 3% | 1.3% | 1.2% |
How has the Heineken and Steinlager comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Heineken took it in June 2026, Steinlager took it in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Heineken’s share of searches among beer brands in New Zealand moved from 11.7% to 13.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5.9K to 6.4K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Steinlager’s share of searches among beer brands in New Zealand moved from 12.5% to 14.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.3K to 7K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand beer brands in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Heineken gained share of searches among beer brands in New Zealand, from 12% to 13.4%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Steinlager in New Zealand rose 11.6% over 12 measured months, from 6.3K to 7K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
23 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Heineken’s and Steinlager’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Heineken
12 branded search terms
- 0 0 heineken
- heineken
- heineken 0
- heineken 0 0
- heineken 24
- heineken beer
- heineken can
- heineken experience museum
- heineken glasses
- heineken lager
- heineken specials
- heineken zero
Steinlager
11 branded search terms
- all blacks steinlager
- countdown steinlager
- huffer steinlager
- steinlager
- steinlager beer
- steinlager bottle
- steinlager can
- steinlager classic
- steinlager light
- steinlager pure
- steinlager tokyo dry
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