UK: Beer drinkers give priority to taste over strength

The maturing tastes of the British drinker's palate spell the end for strong lagers, as taste becomes more important than strength, figures showed May 26, IC Wales announced May 27.

Sales of beers with an alcohol content of more than 7%, which became extremely popular after being launched in the 1980s, have begun to plummet.

Experts believe the generation which once made super-strength lagers a hit is now putting taste ahead of merely getting sozzled.

Figures from Tesco show a 10% decline in sales of the beers, which do not include more fashionable foreign lagers, over the past year. Other retailers have revealed similar patterns, with super-strength lagers falling by 2.1% in the last year, according to independent retail analysts AC Nielsen. Meanwhile sales of standard- strength beers, with around 4% alcohol content, and which tend to include more real ale as well as lager, are on the increase.

Tesco beer buyer Ian Targett said, "Lighter beers are very trendy right now and this shows that there is definitely a move towards more sensible and sociable drinking. Extra-strong lagers became an immediate hit when they were launched in the '80s because the UK had never seen anything like them before. But they are a lot sweeter than normal lager which I think is now proving to be a turn-off for the average beer drinker. The generation for which these super-strength lagers were a real novelty are older now and they prefer lighter tasting lagers."

The Campaign for Real Ale has welcomed the figures.

Spokesman Rhys Jones said, "I'd hope this signals that people are getting more interested in the quality of what they're drinking. We'd welcome anything which indicates people are interested in the taste of their drinks, rather than just wanting to tip alcohol down their necks to get hammered. There has been a move towards bottled real ales, which is part of a trend of people looking to buy organic, to know where what they are drinking has come from."

However some strong beers do have a bright future.

European beers, which can be well over 6%, are proving ever more popular, with Tesco reporting "healthy" sales in what are classed separately as international beers. Sales of the fancy foreign tipples are thought to be based on people wanting to treat themselves to an unusual new taste, rather than being impressed by their alcohol content.

Tesco's Ian Targett added, "There is also a much wider choice of quality beers available now than there was even 10 years ago and if you want a strong beer you don't have to compromise on the taste."

Camra's Rhys Jones said, "There are some very nice beers which are incredibly strong - up to 11%. But these are beers which are sipped so the taste can be enjoyed, and are normally drunk sensibly. They're not meant to be drunk in large quantities, and the people that enjoy them tend to know this."

However, he added, while some people were becoming more responsible drinkers, there was still a need to educate young people about the dangers of alcohol abuse.

"It's my personal view that pupils at school should be given a course about the different beers and ciders. There is still a long way to go in terms of education."

The top-selling beers in 2005, in UK pubs and off-licences were:

Stella Artois - £574million, Carling - £352million, Fosters - £279million, Budweiser - £162million, Carlsberg - £161million, Kronenbourg 1664 - £129million, Grolsch - £114million, Carlsberg Export - £103million, Guinness draught - £66million, John Smith's Extra Smooth - £60million, Tennent's -
£59million, Castlemaine XXXX Draught - £53million, Carlsberg Special Brew - £50.6million, Beck's - £46million, Tennent's Super - £44million, Boddingtons’s Draught Bitter - £37million, San Miguel - £32million, Guinness Original - £32million, Miller Beer - £32million, Skol - £23million.

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