Brits are losing their love of lager

It seems that Britain’s lager segment faces particularly strong competition from the rising popularity of ales and bitters, whose success has been fuelled by the craft beer boom. Indeed, new research from market intelligence agency Mintel reveals that 49% of Brits drank lager in 2015 (in the six months to October), down from 54% in 2014 (in the six months to September).

According to this research, consumers’ waning thirst for lager is affecting sales, with volume sales falling from 3.18 billion litres in 2014 to an estimated 3.15 billion litres in 2015. Overall, sales of lager have dropped by 8% over the past 5 years alone, down from 3.44 billion litres in 2010.

Yet whilst Brits are losing their love of lager, ales seem to be on the up, helped along by the rise of craft beer and styles such as IPAs in particular. Brits are expected to have drank 913 million litres of ale and bitter in 2015, up from 895 million litres in 2014. Today, more than one quarter (27%) of Brits drink ale or bitter, whilst one in five (20%) drink any type of craft beer.

What’s more, Mintel research indicates that lager’s falling fortunes are having a detrimental effect on overall sales of beer. Brits are estimated to have consumed 4.25 billion litres of beer in 2015, down from 4.27 billion litres in 2014. Meanwhile, value sales growth has slowed, rising only slightly from £16.61 billion in 2014, to an estimated £16.68 billion in 2015. There are however signs of growth in 2016 and Mintel forecasts value sales to reach £18.1 billion by 2020.

Additionally, it seems that cost is having an effect on the nation’s appetite for beer, with as many as one fifth (20%) of UK beer drinkers saying they are not willing to pay more than £2.99 for a pint. While three in 10 (29%) beer drinkers overall are prepared to pay more than £4 per pint, it’s Londoners who are more willing to open their wallets, with 27% willing to pay over £4.50.