What you need to know
Beer sales continued to witness growth in 2018 with 2019 looking consistent, particularly for lager and ale. Changes in drinking habits, however, are showing a rise in the consumption of non-/low-alcoholic beer resulting in new product development increasing.
Moreover, the popularity of craft beer is still apparent, with leading Irish craft brands experiencing growth in 2019 while major supermarkets and discounters have continued to expand their range to cater to consumers wishing to explore craft varieties.
Issues covered in this Report
This Report will examine the sale and consumption of beer and cider throughout the IoI (island of Ireland) in both the on-trade and off-trade. On-trade refers to any licensed premises that permits the sale and consumption of alcohol within these premises. Off-trade refers to any licensed retailer, including supermarkets, that sell alcohol for off-site consumption.
For the purpose of this Report, the beer market is divided into three categories:
Lager can broadly be described as a light/amber, clear, carbonated beer, brewed with pale-kilned malts, which, after fermentation, is filtered, pasteurised and conditioned before being packaged in cans, bottles or kegs for sale. This is, however, a very broad definition, and as consumers’ tastes become more sophisticated, there is a growing interest in darker lagers using different malts, sometimes referred to as red and black lagers, organic beers and even fruit-flavoured lagers.
Ale is sometimes referred to by consumers as mild or bitter, but the term ‘ale’ is used throughout this Report. This refers to top-fermented beers that are traditionally described as British or Irish, ie bitter and mild, packaged light, pale, export and brown ales, stout, porter, barley wine and strong ales, as well as Indian and American pale ales, among others. These beers are so called because the yeast floats to the surface during fermentation, as opposed to lagers, which are bottom-fermented. Barley wine is simply a beer with a very high ABV (Alcohol by Volume).
Stout is a derivative of porter, originally an 18th century brown mild ale. Stout is a black, dense beer, which is usually top-fermented, and made with dark roasted barley and an abundance of hops, which provide the characteristic flavour.
Cider is typically fruit or flavour fermented alcohol which must have alcohol content greater than 1.2% ABV (excluding non-alcoholic cider) but less than 8.5% ABV. Products in excess of 8.5% ABV are classified as apple wine. All ciders are included within this Report: low-/no-alcohol to super-strength; draught and packaged cider; unflavoured and flavoured ciders; still and sparkling ciders. Perry and pear cider are both included in this Report.
These categories are subject to further segmentation. The main segmentations considered when discussing lager are:
Standard lagers have an ABV content of 3.4-4.1%. Examples include Stella Artois, Foster’s and Carling.
Premium lagers/ales/stouts have an ABV of 4.2-7.5%. Most mainstream premium brands have an ABV of around 5%. They are often continental lager brands, which are positioned as better quality through their pricing, packaging and marketing.
Craft lager is an imprecise term, but craft beers are generally considered to be those made by smaller and independently owned brewers (eg Whitewater Brewing Company, Carlow Brewing).
